Mainland Japan Explained

Mainland Japan
Native Name:内地
Native Name Lang:ja
Nickname:-->
Location:Japan
Ethnic Groups:Japanese people
Ainu people
Ryukyuan people

is a term used to distinguish Japan's core land area from its outlying territories. It is most commonly used to distinguish the country's four largest islands (Hokkaidō, Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku) from smaller islands such as the Ryukyu Islands and Ogasawara Islands, although depending on the context the term "Mainland Japan" might refer only to Honshū, the largest island.

The term's literal Japanese meaning might best be translated as "inner Japan" or "inner lands". The term "mainland" is somewhat inaccurate since it usually refers to all or part of a continental landmass, rather than islands.

"Mainland Japan" was an official term in the pre-war period, distinguishing Japan proper from its colonies in the Far East (which at that time included parts of mainland Asia). After the end of World War II its usage became less common and lost its previous legal significance.

Historical usage

In the Japanese Empire of the pre-war period, naichi referred to the mainland of the empire. The other territories of the empire was called gaichi (外地, lit. "outer lands").

The Meiji Constitution's Article 1 of the Common Law (共通法) enumerates the territories with legal jurisdictions namely:

Naichi

Naichi (内地, lit. "inner lands") referred to the territories under direct control of the government. They consisted of the following:[1]

Gaichi

See main article: List of territories acquired by the Empire of Japan. These territories were called gaichi (外地, lit. "outer lands"). They were part of the Empire of Japan, but not under direct control by the central government.

Although it has never been abolished, the Common Law lost effect from enforcement after Japan lost all the former colonies, or gaichi as a result of World War II.

Modern usage

The residents of Hokkaidō and Okinawa occasionally use naichi to refer to the "mainland", excluding these areas. The colloquial usage is officially "incorrect", as both areas are legally within naichi. In Hokkaidō, the official term that refers to Japan except Hokkaidō is dōgai (lit. outside of Hokkaidō). With dōgai becoming common even in colloquial use, naichi ceased to be used. Residents of Okinawa also use the term hondo (lit. mainland) to refer to parts of Japan outside of Okinawa. In Japanese law, the meaning of hondo is used to make a distinction between the "main islands" of Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū and "outlying islands" referred to as ritō.[3]

The term "main islands" (本島 hontō) is used for Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Okinawa. The other estimated 6,847 smaller islands are called 'remote islands' (離島 ritō).[4]

See also

References

  1. Web site: 内地とは . Definition of 'naichi' . 2023-01-10 . コトバンク . 日本国語大辞典 精選版 . ja . 一国の領土が数個に分かれている場合、憲法の定める通常の法律が行なわれる区域。旧憲法下の北海道、本州、四国、九州がこれにあたる。(The area established by the Constitution where common law applies, in cases where the territory of one country is divided into several portions. Under the old Japanese Constitution, this definition applied to the territories of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu)..
  2. Web site: Kyōtsūhō 共通法 . Nakano Bunko 中野文庫 . 10 Dec 2011 . ja . https://web.archive.org/web/20141223084335/http://www.geocities.jp/nakanolib/hou/ht07-39.htm . December 23, 2014 . dead .
  3. Web site: 離島航路整備法. Digital Agency. e-Gov Portal. 22 July 2024. Japanese.
  4. Web site: 離島とは(島の基礎知識) (what is a remote island?) . . MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) . 22 August 2015 . 9 August 2019 . Japanese . website . MILT classification 6,852 islands(main islands: 5 islands, remote islands: 6,847 islands) . https://web.archive.org/web/20071113053915/http://www.mlit.go.jp/crd/chirit/ritoutoha.html . 2007-11-13.

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