A prefectural capital is a city where a prefectural government and assembly is located.
In Japan, a prefectural capital is officially called, but the term is also used .
| Capital | Prefecture | Region | Island | Pop.¹ | ISO | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akita | Tōhoku | Honshū | 327,651 | JP-05 | Core city | ||
| Aomori | Tōhoku | Honshū | 304,657 | JP-02 | Core city | ||
| Chiba | Kantō | Honshū | 943,568 | JP-12 | Designated city | ||
| Fukui | Chūbu | Honshū | 268,210 | JP-18 | Core city | ||
| Fukuoka | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 1,434,650 | JP-40 | Designated city | ||
| Fukushima | Tōhoku | Honshū | 288,602 | JP-07 | Core city | ||
| Gifu | Chūbu | Honshū | 411,753 | JP-21 | Core city | ||
| Hiroshima | Chūgoku | Honshū | 1,164,885 | JP-34 | Designated city | ||
| Kagoshima | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 604,268 | JP-46 | Core city | ||
| Kanazawa | Chūbu | Honshū | 455,952 | JP-17 | Core city | ||
| Kōbe | Kansai | Honshū | 1,532,305 | JP-28 | Designated city | ||
| Kōchi | Shikoku | Shikoku | 345,418 | JP-39 | Core city | ||
| Kōfu | Chūbu | Honshū | 198,757 | JP-19 | Core city | ||
| Kumamoto | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 670,014 | JP-43 | Designated city | ||
| Kyōto | Kansai | Honshū | 1,468,065 | JP-26 | Designated city | ||
| Maebashi | Kantō | Honshū | 317,167 | JP-10 | Core city | ||
| Matsue | Chūgoku | Honshū | 195,008 | JP-32 | Core city | ||
| Matsuyama | Shikoku | Shikoku | 514,771 | JP-38 | Core city | ||
| Mito | Kantō | Honshū | 263,299 | JP-08 | Core city | ||
| Miyazaki | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 368,984 | JP-45 | Core city | ||
| Morioka | Tōhoku | Honshū | 298,959 | JP-03 | Core city | ||
| Nagano | Chūbu | Honshū | 377,328 | JP-20 | Core city | ||
| Nagasaki | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 446,551 | JP-42 | Core city | ||
| Nagoya | Chūbu | Honshū | 2,243,564 | JP-23 | Designated city | ||
| Naha | Kyūshū | Ryūkyū Islands | 313,436 | JP-47 | Core city | ||
| Nara | Kansai | Honshū | 366,863 | JP-29 | Core city | ||
| Niigata | Chūbu | Honshū | 811,613 | JP-15 | Designated city | ||
| Ōita | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 467,617 | JP-44 | Core city | ||
| Okayama | Chūgoku | Honshū | 700,646 | JP-33 | Designated city | ||
| Ōsaka | Kansai | Honshū | 2,649,601 | JP-27 | Designated city | ||
| Ōtsu | Kansai | Honshū | 330,044 | JP-25 | Core city | ||
| Saga | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 239,003 | JP-41 | Special city | ||
| Saitama | Kantō | Honshū | 1,197,471 | JP-11 | Designated city | ||
| Sapporo | Hokkaidō | Hokkaidō | 1,896,704 | JP-01 | Designated city | ||
| Sendai | Tōhoku | Honshū | 1,029,576 | JP-04 | Designated city | ||
| Shinjuku[1] | Kantō | Honshū | 314,262 | JP-13 | Special wards | ||
| Shizuoka | Chūbu | Honshū | 709,888 | JP-22 | Designated city | ||
| Takamatsu | Shikoku | Shikoku | 417,671 | JP-37 | Core city | ||
| Tokushima | Shikoku | Shikoku | 265,248 | JP-36 | City | ||
| Tottori | Chūgoku | Honshū | 199,319 | JP-31 | Core city | ||
| Toyama | Chūbu | Honshū | 420,584 | JP-16 | Core city | ||
| Tsu | Kansai | Honshū | 287,849 | JP-24 | City | ||
| Utsunomiya | Kantō | Honshū | 508,114 | JP-09 | Core city | ||
| Wakayama | Kansai | Honshū | 371,504 | JP-30 | Core city | ||
| Yamagata | Tōhoku | Honshū | 254,724 | JP-06 | Core city | ||
| Yamaguchi | Chūgoku | Honshū | 191,714 | JP-35 | City | ||
| Yokohama | Kantō | Honshū | 3,643,641 | JP-14 | Designated city |
Notes: ¹
In most cases, a city that shares a name with its prefecture is a prefectural capital. However, there are some municipalities that are not capitals.
Those in italics are prefectural capitals, or metropolitan areas of them.
| 1. | 348,322 | 1. | Kōriyama Metropolitan Area | 537,493 | ||
| 2. | 338,887 | 2. | Fukushima Metropolitan Area | 412,353 | ||
| 3. | Fukushima | 294,724 | 3. | Iwaki Metropolitan Area | 365,864 |
| 1. | 342,662 | 1. | Takasaki Metropolitan Area | 532,271 | ||
| 2. | Maebashi | 317,114 | 2. | Maebashi Metropolitan Area | 458,996 |
| 1. | 307,418 | 1. | Yokkaichi Metropolitan Area | 606,071 | ||
| 2. | Tsu | 288,874 | 2. | Tsu Metropolitan Area | 308,375 |
| 1. | 812,692 | 1. | Shizuoka Metropolitan Area | 999,360 | ||
| 2. | Shizuoka | 709,772 | 2. | Hamamatsu Metropolitan Area | 919,933 |
| 1. | Tottori | 199,263 | 1. | Yonago Metropolitan Area | 252,387 | |
| 2. | 148,234 | 2. | Tottori Metropolitan Area | 249,067 |
| 1. | 284,693 | 1. | Shimonoseki Metropolitan Area | 287,935 | ||
| 2. | Yamaguchi | 191,740 | 2. | Ube Metropolitan Area | 258,180 | |
| 3. | 175,334 | 3. | Yamaguchi Metropolitan Area | 178,402 |
Notes:
City populations are as of July 2008.
Metropolitan area populations are as of 2000. (Urban Employment Areas)