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Niigata, Japan

Niigata Prefecture
新潟県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese 新潟県
 • Rōmaji Niigata-ken
Flag of Niigata Prefecture
Flag
Official logo of Niigata Prefecture
Symbol of Niigata Prefecture
Location of Niigata Prefecture
Country Japan
Region Chūbu (Kōshinetsu) (Hokuriku)
Island Honshu
Capital Niigata
Government
 • Governor Ryūichi Yoneyama
Area
 • Total 12,582.47 km2 (4,858.12 sq mi)
Area rank 5th
Population (October 1, 2016)
 • Total 2,285,856
 • Rank 14th
 • Density 188.48/km2 (488.2/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code JP-15
Districts 9
Municipalities 30
Flower Tulip (Tulipa gesneriana)
Tree Camellia (Camellia japonica)
Bird Crested ibis (Nipponia nippon)
Website www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/en

Niigata Prefecture (新潟県 Niigata-ken?) is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshu on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata with which it shares the same name.

Until after the Meiji Restoration, the area that is now Niigata Prefecture was divided into Echigo Province (on the mainland) and Sado Province. During the Sengoku period, the Nagao clan, who were at times vassals to the Uesugi, ruled a fief in the western part of modern Niigata from Kasugayama Castle. The most notable member of the Nagao clan was Nagao Kagetora, later and better known as Uesugi Kenshin. He unified the leaders of Echigo Province and became its sole ruler. By taking the surname Uesugi, he also became the head of the Uesugi clan and effectively brought their realm under his control.

The city of Niigata is now the third largest Japanese city facing the Sea of Japan, after Fukuoka and Kitakyushu. It was the first Japanese port on the Sea of Japan to be opened to foreign trade following the opening of Japan by Matthew Perry. It has since played an important role in trade with Russia and Korea. A freighter from North Korea visits Niigata once a month, in one of the few forms of direct contact between Japan and that country.

The Etsuzankai organization, led by the politician Kakuei Tanaka, was highly influential in bringing infrastructure improvements to Niigata Prefecture in the 1960s and 1970s. These included the Jōetsu Shinkansen high-speed rail line and the Kanetsu Expressway to Tokyo.


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