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96-451: In Nigashio City, Chiba Prefecture in the year 2030, engineer Yun Arikawa of the local "do-it-all" shop Otaki Factory investigates happenings in a Western-style mansion, long thought abandoned. Mei Kamino, a graduate student studying imaginary creatures, investigates mysterious signals received from Misakioku, the former Tsuguno district's administrative building. These two strangers, investigating mysteries in two different locations, both hear

192-589: A central government agency]") as in Hokkaidō). The central government wanted to have greater control over all local governments due to Japan's deteriorating position in World War II – for example, all mayors in the country became appointive as in the Meiji era – and over Tokyo in particular, due to the possibility of emergency in the metropolis. After the war, Japan was forced to decentralise Tokyo again, following

288-421: A fan on Twitter about the possibility of a sequel to Godzilla Singular Point , the screenwriter Toh EnJoe told the user: "Due to the contract, all I can say is 'There may or may not be a next season'." Director Atsushi Takahashi would acknowledge this via retweeting EnJoe's response a few days later. Chiba Prefecture Chiba Prefecture ( 千葉県 , Chiba-ken ) is a prefecture of Japan located in

384-410: A new dō was created to cover it. The Meiji government originally classified Hokkaidō as a "Settlement Envoyship" ( 開拓使 , kaitakushi ) , and later divided the island into three prefectures (Sapporo, Hakodate, and Nemuro). These were consolidated into a single Hokkaido Department ( 北海道庁 , Hokkaido-chō ) in 1886, at prefectural level but organized more along the lines of a territory. In 1947,

480-609: A prefecture, e.g. [aꜜitɕi] and [keꜜɴ] become [aitɕi̥ꜜkeɴ] ) . The Classical Chinese character from which this is derived carries a rural or provincial connotation, and an analogous character is used to refer to the counties of China , counties of Taiwan and districts of Vietnam . The different systems of parsing frame the ways in which Japanese prefectures are perceived: The prefectures are also often grouped into eight regions (地方, chihō ). Those regions are not formally specified, they do not have elected officials, nor are they corporate bodies. But

576-598: A set of 1888–1890 laws on local government until the 1920s, each prefecture (then only 3 -fu and 42 -ken ; Hokkaidō and Okinawa-ken were subject to different laws until the 20th century) was subdivided into cities ( 市 , shi ) and districts ( 郡 , gun ) and each district into towns ( 町 , chō/machi ) and villages ( 村 , son/mura ) . Hokkaidō has 14 subprefectures that act as General Subprefectural Bureaus ( 総合振興局 , sōgō-shinkō-kyoku, "Comprehensive Promotion Bureau" ) and Subprefectural Bureaus ( 振興局 , shinkō-kyoku, "Promotion Bureau" ) of

672-510: A specialty product of Chiba: 78 per cent of the country's peanuts are produced in the prefecture. Chiba Prefecture leads the nation in the production of several vegetables, including carrots ; cabbage ; daikon radish ; negi , the ubiquitous Japanese cultivar of the Welsh onion ; loquat ; nashi , the Japanese cultivar of the pear , which has a two hundred-year history of cultivation in

768-563: A teaser trailer later that same day. The teaser revealed that the series would air in April 2021 and would feature monsters and characters from the Shōwa era of the Godzilla franchise , such as Rodan , Anguirus , Jet Jaguar , Manda , and what initially appeared to be Titanosaurus and Gabara —the latter two later being revealed as new kaiju Godzilla Aquatilis and Salunga. On October 12, 2020, it

864-485: Is 19.6 °C (67.3 °F), and the average low is 12.3 °C (54.1 °F). The Chiba Prefectural Board of Education oversees municipal school districts in the prefecture. The board also directly operates the prefecture's public high schools. Chiba Prefecture is home to one national-level museum and several prefectural and local museums. The National Museum of Japanese History is located in Sakura and focuses on

960-541: Is a combination of the four terms. Tokyo , capital city of Japan is referred to as to ( 都 , [toꜜ] ) , which is often translated as "metropolis". The Japanese government translates Tōkyō-to ( 東京都 , [toːkʲoꜜːto] ) as "Tokyo Metropolis" in almost all cases, and the government is officially called the "Tokyo Metropolitan Government". Following the capitulation of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868, Tōkyō-fu (an urban prefecture like Kyoto and Osaka)

1056-464: Is also the recurring insert theme "ALAPU UPALA", performed by Indian-American singer Annette Philip, which is utilized in the storyline as a plot device. The series debuted earlier on Netflix in Japan on March 25, 2021, which was followed by a global release on June 24, 2021. First images and poster art were released on October 26, 2020, during Netflix's Anime Festival, with the streaming service releasing

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1152-532: Is amongst the country's tenth largest at more than 10,000 members (including the Narita airport police). As in every prefecture, the police are supervised by the public safety commission; its five members are appointed by the governor with approval by the assembly. Chiba Prefecture has a sister city relationship with: 35°36′18″N 140°07′24″E  /  35.60500°N 140.12333°E  / 35.60500; 140.12333 Prefectures of Japan Japan

1248-399: Is derived implies a core urban zone of national importance. Before World War II, different laws applied to fu and ken, but this distinction was abolished after the war, and the two types of prefecture are now functionally the same. 43 of the 47 prefectures are referred to as ken ( 県 , pronounced [keꜜɴ] when a separate word but [ꜜkeɴ] when part of the full name of

1344-457: Is divided into 47 prefectures ( 都道府県 , todōfuken , [todoːɸɯ̥ꜜkeɴ] ), which rank immediately below the national government and form the country's first level of jurisdiction and administrative division . They include 43 prefectures proper ( 県 , ken ), two urban prefectures ( 府 , fu : Osaka and Kyoto ), one regional prefecture ( 道 , dō : Hokkaidō ) and one metropolis ( 都 , to : Tokyo ). In 1868,

1440-434: Is divided into 54 contiguous municipalities (see list above): 37 cities, 16 towns and one village, as in all of postwar Japan each with a directly elected mayor and assembly. The most populous and Chiba's only designated major city is the capital Chiba City . Two cities, Funabashi and Kashiwa, are core cities . After late 20th century mergers, much of the rest of the prefecture is also organized in independent cities : Of

1536-596: Is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast to the east of Tokyo, and is part of the Greater Tokyo Area , the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Chiba Prefecture largely consists of the Bōsō Peninsula , which encloses the eastern side of Tokyo Bay and separates it from Kanagawa Prefecture . Chiba Prefecture is home to Narita International Airport , the Tokyo Disney Resort , and

1632-506: Is occasionally used to differentiate the government from the island itself. The prefecture's government calls itself the "Hokkaidō Government" rather than the "Hokkaidō Prefectural Government". Osaka and Kyoto Prefectures are referred to as fu ( 府 , pronounced [ɸɯꜜ] when a separate word but [ꜜɸɯ] when part of the full name of a prefecture, e.g. [kʲoꜜːto] and [ɸɯꜜ] become [kʲoːtoꜜɸɯ] ) . The Classical Chinese character from which this

1728-489: Is set tightly by national laws, and prefectures and municipalities are only autonomous within that framework. Historically, during the Edo period , the Tokugawa shogunate established bugyō -ruled zones ( 奉行支配地 ) around the nine largest cities in Japan, and 302 township-ruled zones ( 郡代支配地 ) elsewhere. When the Meiji government began to create the prefectural system in 1868, the nine bugyō-ruled zones became fu ( 府 ) , while

1824-417: Is still used today and was kept during the period of Japanese rule .) Hokkai-dō ( 北海道 , [hokkaꜜidoː] ) , the only remaining dō today, was not one of the original seven dō (it was known as Ezo in the pre-modern era). Its current name is believed to originate from Matsuura Takeshiro , an early Japanese explorer of the island. Since Hokkaidō did not fit into the existing dō classifications,

1920-783: The Chiba Prefectural Otone Museum in Katori focuses on the culture of the Tone River basin. The reconstructed Japanese castles of Sekiyado and Ōtaki host regional historical museums. The Chiba Museum of Science and Industry is located in Ichikawa on the site of a former factory, and the Coastal Branch of Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba in Katsuura focuses on the marine environment of

2016-513: The Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area expanded greatly and became a source of income to the northeast and central areas of the prefecture. The expansion of agriculture in the central and southern regions of the prefecture was in contrast to the depopulation of these areas as a significant part of the population moved to the northeast of the prefecture as a result of the urbanization of Japan, a process that continues into

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2112-641: The House of Councillors . After the most recent Diet elections of 2010, 2012 and 2013, the prefecture is represented by eleven Liberal Democrats and two Democrats in the House of Representatives, and three Liberal Democrats, two Democrats, and one Your Party member in the House of Councillors. Current Diet members from Chiba include former prime minister Yoshihiko Noda (H.R., DPJ – 4th district) and former ministers Kuniko Inoguchi (H.C., LDP – class of 2010) and Motoo Hayashi (H.R., LDP – 10th district). As of 2014, Chiba

2208-542: The Inba Tega , Kasamori Tsurumai , Kujūkuri , Mineokasankei , Ōtone , Takagoyama , Tomisan , and Yōrō Keikoku Okukiyosumi Prefectural Natural Parks. Cities, towns, and villages in the prefecture also have designated and protected parklands. These parks are maintained for environmental protection as well as providing local recreational facilities. Since 2010, Chiba consists of 54 municipalities and since 2013, they are 37 cities , 16 towns and one village . With

2304-592: The Japanese Empire from attack. In September 1923, the Great Kanto earthquake has cause of widespread destruction in Chiba Prefecture, most notably in the southernmost part of Boso Peninsula , where 1,300 residents were killed, out of 142,000 deaths. Areas of prefecture adjacent to Tokyo saw much damage, and mob violence against Koreans and other ethnic minorities occurred in the chaos after

2400-501: The Kantō region of Honshu . Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,157 km (1,991 sq mi). Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to the northwest, and Tokyo to the west. Chiba is the capital and largest city of Chiba Prefecture, with other major cities including Funabashi , Matsudo , Ichikawa and Kashiwa . Chiba Prefecture

2496-689: The Keisei Electric Railway 's Skyliner . The Tokyo Disney Resort is located in Urayasu near the western border of the prefecture. The Kamogawa Sea World is located in Kamogawa . There are also a number of tourist sites on the Chiba peninsula, such as Nokogiriyama ; Kujūkuri Beach ; and Onjuku beach . Since 2009, the prefectural governor is Eiji Suzuki, better known under his stage name as Kensaku Morita , former actor, member of

2592-583: The Keiyō Industrial Zone . Chiba Prefecture was settled in prehistoric times, as evidenced by the Jōmon period remains in every part of the region. The prefecture holds the largest kaizuka sea shell mounds in Japan, evidence of a large population in the prefecture that relied on the rich marine products of the Pacific Ocean and Tokyo Bay. Kofun burial mounds are found across the prefecture, with

2688-529: The Keiyō Industrial Zone . The name of Chiba Prefecture in Japanese is formed from two kanji characters. The first, 千 , means "thousand" and the second, 葉 means "leaf". The name first appears as an ancient kuni no miyatsuko , or regional command office, as the Chiba Kuni no Miyatsuko ( 千葉国造 ) . The name was adopted by a branch of the Taira clan , which moved to the area in present-day Chiba City in

2784-568: The Meiji Fuhanken sanchisei administration created the first prefectures (urban fu and rural ken ) to replace the urban and rural administrators ( bugyō , daikan , etc.) in the parts of the country previously controlled directly by the shogunate and a few territories of rebels/shogunate loyalists who had not submitted to the new government such as Aizu / Wakamatsu . In 1871, all remaining feudal domains ( han ) were also transformed into prefectures, so that prefectures subdivided

2880-587: The Nara (710–794) and Heian (794–1185) periods. Shōen feudal estates were established across the three provinces, and the region became an important source of tax revenue, sending agricultural and other products to the capital in Kyoto. As the Heian period progressed, however, the kokushi provincial governors came to exert military power independent of the central government in Kyoto. The Chiba clan broke entirely with

2976-464: The Yamagata - Mosse laws on local government and the simultaneous Great Meiji merger was performed in 1889, the 15 -ku became wards of Tokyo City , initially Tokyo's only independent city (-shi) , the six rural districts of Tokyo were consolidated in 85 towns and villages. In 1893, the three Tama districts and their 91 towns and villages became part of Tokyo. As Tokyo city's suburbs grew rapidly in

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3072-625: The fiefdoms they encountered there. Its original sense in Portuguese, however, was closer to " municipality " than " province ". Today, in turn, Japan uses its word ken ( 県 ), meaning "prefecture", to identify Portuguese districts while in Brazil the word "Prefeitura" is used to refer to a city hall . Those fiefs were headed by a local warlord or family. Though the fiefs have long since been dismantled, merged, and reorganized multiple times, and been granted legislative governance and oversight,

3168-515: The petroleum , chemical , and steel and machine industries . Together, these industries account for forty-five percent of the prefecture's exports. In recent years, the government has funded more than eighty industrial parks to bring development further inland as well. The prefecture also boasts Japan's overall second-highest agricultural output. Among all the prefectures, only Hokkaidō produces more agricultural products, and Chiba leads Hokkaidō in vegetable production. Peanuts are considered

3264-607: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 56% of 9 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10. Godzilla Singular Point won VFX-Japan Awards' 2022 "Excellence" and "Best" awards in the Television/Distribution Program Anime CG Category. It was also nominated for the 42nd Nihon SF Taisho Award . The anime series was awarded the 53rd Seiun Award in the Best Media category in 2022. When questioned by

3360-511: The " Union of Kansai governments " (Kansai kōiki-rengō) which has been established by several prefectural governments in the Kansai region. There are some differences in terminology between Tokyo and other prefectures: police and fire departments are called chō ( 庁 ) instead of honbu ( 本部 ) , for instance. But the only functional difference between Tōkyō-to and other prefectures is that Tokyo administers wards as well as cities. Today, since

3456-467: The (today purely geographical) counties , only six remain, four of which have only one or two remaining towns or villages . After the reorganization of county and municipal governments in all prefectures in 1889/1890, there had initially been 12 counties and no city in Chiba; Chiba town in Chiba county became the first municipality in Chiba to be elevated to city status in 1921. While by far not as large as that of neighbouring Tokyo, Chiba's police force

3552-562: The 21st century. On March 11, 2011, the epicenter of 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami and subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster that devastated much of the northeastern coast of Honshu, which caused some damage and affected areas in Chiba Prefecture. While the loss of life and damage to housing and industry was far less than in Tōhoku region , 20 people were killed in Chiba Prefecture, including 13 people were recorded deaths in Asahi . Following

3648-408: The 35 wards were reorganised into the 23 special wards , because many of its citizens had either died during the war, left the city, or been drafted and did not return. In the occupation reforms, special wards, each with their own elected assemblies ( kugikai ) and mayors ( kuchō ), were intended to be equal to other municipalities even if some restrictions still applied. (For example, there was during

3744-483: The City of Chiba offices. The archive maintains a collection of rare books and materials from across the prefecture, as well as materials related to the administration of Chiba Prefecture. Each municipality in the prefecture maintains a local libraries, and many shrines and temples maintain archival collections related to their institutions. The traditional diet of Chiba Prefecture is not fundamentally different from that of

3840-638: The Fukushima radiation). As a result of triple disaster and with permanent damage to housing stock, the population of Chiba Prefecture fell for the first time since Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 and Great Kanto earthquake in 1923. Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north at the Tone River, Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture to the west at the Edo River, the Pacific Ocean to

3936-471: The House of Representatives ( LDP /Independent – Tokyo 4th district) and member of the House of Councillors (Independent – Tokyo). He was reelected overwhelmingly to a second term as governor in the March 2013 election against only a Communist challenger and a minor, unaffiliated independent. The assembly of Chiba Prefecture has a regular membership of 95, elected in 45 electoral districts, currently still in

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4032-770: The Japanese athletics calendar: the International Chiba Ekiden and the Chiba International Cross Country . The following sports teams are based in Chiba. Most Tokyo -bound visitors arriving on international flights land in Narita International Airport , which is situated in Narita in the north of the prefecture, and connected to Tokyo by the East Japan Railway 's Narita Express and

4128-788: The Metropolitan government. For example, the Tokyo Fire Department which was only responsible for the 23 special wards until 1960 has until today taken over the municipal fire departments in almost all of Tokyo. A joint governmental structure for the whole Tokyo metropolitan area (and not only the western suburbs of the special wards which are part of the Tokyo prefecture/Metropolis") as advocated by some politicians such as former Kanagawa governor Shigefumi Matsuzawa has not been established (see also Dōshūsei ). Existing cross-prefectural fora of cooperation between local governments in

4224-431: The Pacific Ocean coast. Numerous other municipalities in the prefecture also host museums. The Chiba Prefectural Library consists of three libraries. The Chiba Prefectural Central Library is located in the central Chuō-ku ward of Chiba City directly southwest of Chiba Castle and in close proximity to the City of Chiba offices. The Central Library houses a general collection as well as the central research collection for

4320-455: The Tokyo metropolitan area are the Kantō regional governors' association (Kantō chihō chijikai) and the " Shutoken summit" (formally "conference of chief executives of nine prefectures and cities", 9 to-ken-shi shunō kaigi ). But, these are not themselves local public entities under the local autonomy law and national or local government functions cannot be directly transferred to them, unlike

4416-420: The area as "takenoko sashimi". Futomaki or futomakizushi , literally "fat roll", is a large version of the sushi roll. The futomaki popularly made in Chiba Prefecture is up to 10 centimeters in diameter. Futomaki in Chiba Prefecture often utilize various ingredients to form a pattern, such as a flower or a kanji character, when the roll is cut and served. The prefecture plays host to two major events in

4512-494: The areas. Peanuts, grown in great quantities in the prefecture, appear fresh in markets in the prefecture and are eaten boiled as a snack. Miso paste mixed with peanuts is also produced in Chiba. Takenoko , whole bamboo shoot , are harvested in the central part of the Boso Peninsula. The takenoko of Ōtaki lack the concentration of arsenic typically found in uncooked bamboo shoots, and as such, are uniquely eaten raw in

4608-575: The coastal areas of the prefecture. After the United States took control of Saipan , the northern part of the prefecture (most notably the cities of Chiba and Chōshi) was firebombed . Much of the industrialized north of the prefecture was destroyed. Operation Coronet , one of two parts of Operation Downfall , was the planned land invasion of Tokyo in March 1946 by the United States. Coronet planned Kujūkuri Beach as one of two initial landing bases,

4704-522: The country, were further subdivided into urban units/towns/neighbourhoods (-chō/-machi) and rural units/villages (-mura/-son) . The yet unincorporated communities on the Izu (previously part of Shizuoka ) and Ogasawara (previously directly Home Ministry-administrated) island groups became also part of Tokyo in the 19th century. When the modern municipalities – [district-independent] cities and [rural] districts containing towns and villages – were introduced under

4800-442: The current 54 municipalities by 2010. Chiba Prefecture is home to one of Japan's largest industrial areas. Prior to World War II manufacturing in the prefecture was centered on the brewing industry , specifically the production of soy sauce , sake and mirin sweet cooking sake. The manufacturing sector expanded greatly after the war. The prefecture was chosen as the site for a major Kawasaki Steel factory in 1950. In

4896-490: The decades. But it was not until the year 2000 that the special wards were fully recognised as municipal-level entities. Independently from these steps, as Tokyo's urban growth again took up pace during the postwar economic miracle and most of the main island part of Tokyo "Metropolis" became increasingly core part of the Tokyo metropolitan area , many of the other municipalities in Tokyo have transferred some of their authority to

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4992-400: The department was dissolved, and Hokkaidō became a full-fledged prefecture. The -ken suffix was never added to its name, so the -dō suffix came to be understood to mean "prefecture". When Hokkaidō was incorporated, transportation on the island was still underdeveloped, so the prefecture was split into several "subprefectures" ( 支庁 , shichō ) that could fulfill administrative duties of

5088-445: The director, with scripts by Toh EnJoe and music composed by Kan Sawada , who incorporates Akira Ifukube ’s themes into the series. Character design was handled by Blue Exorcist manga creator Kazue Kato , with former Studio Ghibli animator Eiji Yamamori designing the monsters. The series' opening theme, "in case...", is performed by BiSH , while Polkadot Stingray performed the ending theme song "Aoi" ( 青い , Blue ) . There

5184-583: The early 20th century, many towns and villages in Tokyo were merged or promoted over the years. In 1932, five complete districts with their 82 towns and villages were merged into Tokyo City and organised in 20 new wards. Also, by 1940, there were two more cities in Tokyo: Hachiōji City and Tachikawa City . In 1943, Tokyo City was abolished, Tōkyō-fu became Tōkyō-to , and Tokyo-shi's 35 wards remained Tokyo-to's 35 wards, but submunicipal authorities of Tokyo-shi's wards which previously fell directly under

5280-458: The earthquake in Funabashi, Ichikawa , and other areas. Koreans, in several neighborhoods of Yachiyo, were killed, and a tower was erected in 1972 near Yachiyodai Station to memorialize those killed in the incident. In the 1930s, the north and central areas of the prefecture became a center of large-scale military production, and military bases and fortifications were constructed in most of

5376-556: The east and Tokyo Bay around its southern boundary. Most of Chiba lies on the hilly Boso Peninsula , a rice farming region: the east coast, known as the Kujūkuri Plain , is an especially productive area. The most populous zone, in the northwest of the prefecture, is part of the Kantō region that extends into the urban agglomeration of Tokyo and Saitama. The Kuroshio Current flows near Chiba, which keeps it relatively warm in winter and cooler in summer than neighbouring Tokyo. With

5472-466: The exception of the large-scale Keiyō Industrial Zone in the northeast, the entirety of the coast of Chiba Prefecture is protected as two quasi-national parks and one prefectural natural park under the national park system of Japan. As of 1 April 2012, 6% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks . Chiba Prefecture has designated and maintains eight prefectural natural parks to protect both natural and cultural areas, namely

5568-661: The first volume was released on August 18, 2021, with the other two on September 22 and October 20. The show also received Bandai soft vinyl action figures as part of the Movie Monster series toyline. The first to be revealed was of Jet Jaguar and Godzilla in his Ultima form on March 6, 2021, in Japan. These two were later followed up by another vinyl figure of Godzilla in his Aquatilis form on April 17. Vinyl figures of Angurius and Manda were released on April 24. A vinyl figure of Godzilla in his Amphibia form to follow on May 15, and his Terrestris form one week later on May 22. On

5664-405: The formal extent of the local autonomy law suggests, because of national funding and policies. Most of municipalities depend heavily on central government funding – a dependency recently further exacerbated in many regions by the declining population which hits rural areas harder and earlier (cities can offset it partly through migration from the countryside). In many policy areas, the basic framework

5760-495: The general terms of democratisation outlined in the Potsdam Declaration . Many of Tokyo's special governmental characteristics disappeared during this time, and the wards took on an increasingly municipal status in the decades following the surrender. Administratively, today's special wards are almost indistinguishable from other municipalities. The postwar reforms also changed the map of Tokyo significantly: In 1947,

5856-532: The government consolidate the current prefectures into about 10 regional states (so-called dōshūsei ). The plan called for each region to have greater autonomy than existing prefectures. This process would reduce the number of subprefecture administrative regions and cut administrative costs. The Japanese government also considered a plan to merge several groups of prefectures, creating a subnational administrative division system consisting of between nine and 13 states, and giving these states more local autonomy than

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5952-596: The history, archaeology, and folk culture of Japan. The Chiba prefectural museums consist of a main museum, the Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba in the central Chuō-ku ward of Chiba City, and six branch museums throughout the prefecture. The Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art is in Chiba City. The Chiba Prefectural Boso-no-mura in Sakae focuses on the local culture of the late Edo period, and

6048-532: The imperial court and was instrumental in the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate . Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873, with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture . The militarization of Chiba Prefecture dates to the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). Coastal fortifications were built along Tokyo Bay , as far south as Tateyama, to protect the capital of

6144-439: The introduction of modern municipalities (cities/towns/villages) in 1889, Chiba's districts were subdivided into 43 towns and 315 villages. The first city was created in 1921 when Chiba Town from Chiba District became district-independent as Chiba City. The postwar/1950s Great Shōwa mergers reduced the number of municipalities in Chiba to 101 by 1960, including 14 cities by then. The early 3rd millennium Great Heisei mergers created

6240-509: The large districts (97 small districts) covered the former city area of Edo. When the ancient ritsuryō districts were reactivated as administrative units in 1878, Tokyo was subdivided into 15 [urban] districts (- ku ) and initially six [rural] districts ( - gun ; nine after the Tama transfer from Kanagawa in 1893, eight after the merger of East Tama and South Toshima into Toyotama in 1896). Both urban and rural districts, like everywhere in

6336-588: The largest group being in Futtsu along Tokyo Bay. In the Asuka period (538–710), under the Taika Reform of 645, the administrative structure of present-day Chiba Prefecture changed significantly. The historical province of Fusa Province , which may have covered much of Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures, was divided into two provinces: Shimōsa Province (also called Shimofusa) in the north and Kazusa Province in

6432-641: The late Heian period . The branch of the Taira adopted the name and became the Chiba clan , and held strong influence over the area of the prefecture until the Azuchi–Momoyama period . The name "Chiba" was chosen for the prefecture at the time its creation in 1873 by the Assembly of Prefectural Governors ( 地方官会議 , Chihō Kankai Kaigi ) , an early Meiji-period body of prefectural governors that met to decide

6528-564: The municipality, with the municipality now abolished, fell directly under prefectural or now "Metropolitan" authority. All other cities, towns and villages in Tokyo-fu stayed cities, towns and villages in Tokyo-to. The reorganisation's aim was to consolidate the administration of the area around the capital by eliminating the extra level of authority in Tokyo. Also, the governor was no longer called chiji , but chōkan (~"head/chief [usually: of

6624-413: The north of the prefecture, and the significant increase of agriculture after land reforms across the prefecture. The Keiyō Industrial Zone brought together smaller, industrial areas along the entirety of the western coast of Chiba Prefecture, and the industrial zone became (and remains) an important center of heavy industrial production and large-scale port facilities in Japan. Cities to the northeast of

6720-407: The occupation a dedicated municipal police agency for the 23 special wards/former Tokyo City , yet the special wards public safety commission was not named by the special ward governments, but by the government of the whole "Metropolis". In 1954, independent municipal police forces were abolished generally in the whole country, and the prefectural/"Metropolitan" police of Tokyo is again responsible for

6816-589: The organization of the prefectural police force, the supervision of schools and the maintenance of prefectural schools (mainly high schools), prefectural hospitals, prefectural roads , the supervision of prefectural waterways and regional urban planning. Their responsibilities include tasks delegated to them by the national government such as maintaining most ordinary national roads (except in designated major cities), and prefectures coordinate and support their municipalities in their functions. De facto, prefectures as well as municipalities have often been less autonomous than

6912-465: The other being Hiratsuka via Sagami Bay . The U.S. First Army would enter at Kujūkuri, sweep across the Boso Peninsula, and meet the U.S. Eighth Army at Tokyo. The plan was not carried out since Japan surrendered after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . During the Occupation of Japan (1945–1952) Chiba Prefecture was controlled by American forces from the second floor of

7008-509: The population is employed in the service sector, with 25% in industry and 5% in agriculture. Chiba Prefecture has a humid subtropical climate ( Koppen Cfa ) with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters. The tsuyu rainy season occurs for approximately 50 days from June to July. According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency , the average of annual temperature is 15.7 °C (60.3 °F). The average high

7104-450: The practice of ordering prefectures based on their geographic region is traditional. This ordering is mirrored in Japan's International Organization for Standardization (ISO) coding. From north to south (numbering in ISO 3166-2:JP order), the prefectures of Japan and their commonly associated regions are: Here are some territories that were lost after World War II. This does not include all

7200-452: The prefectural capitol building in the city of Chiba. Numerous other cities in the prefecture, including Chōshi to the north and Tateyama to the south, were used as bases of the occupation; rich agricultural areas across the prefecture somewhat safeguarded the region's population from potential food shortages, and starvation, immediately following the war. The immediate post-war period was characterized by carefully planned industrial expansion in

7296-406: The prefectural government and keep tight control over the developing island. These subprefectures still exist today, although they have much less power than they possessed before and during World War II. They now exist primarily to handle paperwork and other bureaucratic functions. "Hokkaidō Prefecture" is, technically speaking, a redundant term because dō itself indicates a prefecture, although it

7392-425: The prefecture (in close proximity to Tokyo) were connected by rail to the capitol, and became and remain bedroom communities to Tokyo. Narita International Airport began operation in 1978 in Narita , after much protest to replace the overcrowded Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport). The majority of international air traffic enters Japan via Chiba Prefecture. The cultivation of rice and vegetables to feed

7488-639: The prefecture. The Chiba Prefectural West Library is located in Matsudo next to the Matsudo Museum , and houses a research collection focused on natural history and the fine arts. The Chiba Prefectural East Library is located in Asahi, and houses a research collection focused on the literature and history of the prefecture. The Chiba Prefectural Archives are located across the Miyako River from

7584-569: The prefecture. Some other prefectures also have branch offices that carry out prefectural administrative functions outside the capital. Tokyo , the capital of Japan , is a merged city-prefecture; a metropolis, it has features of both cities and prefectures. Each prefecture has its own mon for identification, the equivalent of a coat of arms in the West. The West's use of "prefecture" to label these Japanese regions stems from 16th-century Portuguese explorers and traders use of "prefeitura" to describe

7680-402: The prefecture; tomatoes ; and spinach It is the nation's second largest producer of corn . Rice is also grown, and seaweed , specifically nori , is harvested in large quantities from Tokyo Bay. Chiba's population is one of the wealthiest in Japan due to the prefecture's strong commercial and industrial sectors. Per capita GDP is ¥3.1 million, the fifth-highest in the country. 70% of

7776-506: The prefectures currently enjoy. As of August 2012, this plan was abandoned. Japan is a unitary state . The central government delegates many functions (such as education and the police force ) to the prefectures and municipalities , but retains the overall right to control them. Although local government expenditure accounts for 70 percent of overall government expenditure , the central government controls local budgets, tax rates , and borrowing. Prefectural government functions include

7872-665: The rest of Japan. Chiba Prefecture produces prolific quantities of rice across all areas in the prefecture, vegetables in the northern area of the prefecture, and fish, seafood, and shellfish along the coastal areas of the prefecture. Chōshi has been a major center of worldwide soy sauce production since the Edo period , and the prefecture remains the top producer in Japan. Kikkoman is headquartered in Noda in northwestern Chiba Prefecture. These are all important components of Japanese cuisine . Certain local products, however, are grown in abundance and have resulted in several dishes unique to

7968-623: The rough translation stuck. The Meiji government established the current system in July 1871 with the abolition of the han system and establishment of the prefecture system ( 廃藩置県 , haihan-chiken ) . Although there were initially over 300 prefectures, many of them being former han territories, this number was reduced to 72 in the latter part of 1871, and 47 in 1888. The Local Autonomy Law of 1947 gave more political power to prefectures, and installed prefectural governors and parliaments. In 2003, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi proposed that

8064-469: The same period the prefectural government embarked on a large-scale land reclamation program to dredge large plots of waterfront property. The large-scale construction of factories , warehouses , and docks on this reclaimed land around the Tokyo Bay area ultimately formed the Keiyō Industrial Zone . Chiba Prefecture is now 6th in Japan in industrial output with the bulk of the industry focused on

8160-512: The same song. As they are brought together by this common mystery, they are led into a battle against an unprecedented threat to the universe. On October 6, 2020, Toho Animation and Netflix announced plans for an anime Godzilla series, titled Godzilla Singular Point . It aired from April 1 to June 24, 2021, on Tokyo MX and other channels. Production for the show is by Bones in partnership with Orange , blending hand-drawn and computer animation styles respectively. Atsushi Takahashi served as

8256-474: The southern area. Awa Province at the south of Chiba Prefecture, was separated from Kazusa Prefecture in 718. These administrative units existed until they were abolished and merged into Chiba Prefecture after the Meiji Restoration . The central government established a kokubunji provincial temple in each province. The imperial court gradually extended its authority over the three provinces in

8352-468: The special wards have almost the same degree of independence as Japanese cities, the difference in administration between Tokyo and other prefectures is fairly minor. In Osaka, several prominent politicians led by Tōru Hashimoto , then mayor of Osaka City and former governor of Osaka Prefecture , proposed an Osaka Metropolis plan , under which Osaka City, and possibly other neighboring cities, would be replaced by special wards similar to Tokyo's. The plan

8448-572: The structure of local and regional administration in Japan. The compound word Keiyō ( 京葉 ) , which refers to the Tokyo-Chiba region, is formed from the second character in Tokyo ( 京 ), and the second character in Chiba ( 葉 ), which can also be pronounced "kei" and "yō" respectively. This compound is used in terms such as the Keiyō Line , Keiyō Road , Keiyō Rinkai Railway Rinkai Main Line , and

8544-571: The township-ruled zones and the rest of the bugyo-ruled zones became ken ( 県 ) . Later, in 1871, the government designated Tokyo , Osaka , and Kyoto as fu , and relegated the other fu to the status of ken. During World War II , in 1943, Tokyo became a to, a new type of pseudo-prefecture. Despite the differences in terminology, there is little functional difference between the four types of local governments. The subnational governments are sometimes collectively referred to as todōfuken ( 都道府県 , [todoːɸɯ̥ꜜkeɴ] ) in Japanese, which

8640-674: The triple disaster, an oil refinery fire broke out at the Cosmo Oil Chiba Refinery, in Ichihara , and was widely covered in the news media. Also, a large liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanks burned at 10 days earlier. Soil liquefaction , in areas of reclaimed land across the northern and western areas of Chiba Prefecture, caused damage to housing. Chiba City , Funabashi , Narashino , and especially Urayasu were greatly affected by triple disaster (such as soil liquefaction, and evidence of radioactive materials caused by

8736-540: The unified local election cycle of 1947 (last round 2011 ). As of July 2014, it is composed as follows: LDP 52 members, DPJ 13, Kōmeitō 7, JCP 4, Shimin Net/ SDP /Independents 4, Your Party 3, four other caucuses with 5 members in total. In the National Diet , Chiba is represented by 13 members from single-member districts in the House of Representatives , and six members (three at-large per election) in

8832-454: The whole country. In several waves of territorial consolidation, today's 47 prefectures were formed by the turn of the century. In many instances, these are contiguous with the ancient ritsuryō provinces of Japan . Each prefecture's chief executive is a directly elected governor ( 知事 , chiji ) . Ordinances and budgets are enacted by a unicameral assembly ( 議会 , gikai ) whose members are elected for four-year terms. Under

8928-438: The whole prefecture/"Metropolis" and like all prefectural police forces controlled by the prefectural/"Metropolitan" public safety commission whose members are appointed by the prefectural/"Metropolitan" governor and assembly.) But, as part of the "reverse course" of the 1950s some of these new rights were removed, the most obvious measure being the denial of directly elected mayors. Some of these restrictions were removed again over

9024-510: Was announced that Takahashi, EnJoe, Bones producer Naoki Amano, Orange producer Jiro Ando, and Toho producer Takashi Yoshizawa would all appear in a panel during the Godzilla Fest Online 2020 event on November 3, 2020. On February 12, 2021, the full design of Godzilla was revealed, illustrated by Eiji Yamamori and colored by Yūji Kaneko. Godzilla Singular Point received a DVD/Blu-ray release in Japan in three separate volumes:

9120-507: Was narrowly defeated in a 2015 referendum , and again in 2020 . Hokkaidō is referred to as a dō ( 道 , [doꜜː] ) or circuit . This term was originally used to refer to Japanese regions consisting of several provinces (e.g. the Tōkaidō east-coast region, and Saikaido west-coast region). This was also a historical usage of the character in China. (In Korea, this historical usage

9216-539: Was set up and encompassed the former city area of Edo under the Fuhanken sanchisei . After the abolition of the han system in the first wave of prefectural mergers in 1871/72, several surrounding areas (parts of Urawa , Kosuge , Shinagawa and Hikone prefectures ) were merged into Tokyo, and under the system of (numbered) "large districts and small districts" (daiku-shōku) , it was subdivided into eleven large districts further subdivided into 103 small districts, six of

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