Northern Japan

As northern Japan ( jap. 北日本 , Kita-Nihon or Kita-Nippon ) is referred to in a rough, non-legally fixed division of Japan , the northern part of the country, specifically most regions Hokkaido and Tohoku , such as when Kisho-chō , the state meteorological office. In some contexts, Niigata Prefecture or the entire Hokuriku region is understood as part of northern Japan. Northern Japan is often counted as part of Eastern Japan , to which it is geologically, historically and culturally connected.

The term is used in the names of a number of companies, e.g. B. at Kita-Nippon Ginkō , a regional bank based in Iwate Prefecture , Kita-Nihon Hōsō , a local station in Toyama Prefecture, or Kita-Nihon Zōsen , a shipbuilding company based in Aomori Prefecture .

Historically, northern Japan has in common that it was inhabited in large parts for a long time by Ainu or Emishi , at the beginning of the Nara period in the 8th century was not yet fully integrated into the state organization of Japan according to the Ritsuryo system and was only opened up afterwards; the Japanese settlement of Hokkaidō (Ezo) took place mostly in the 19th century .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Kishō-chō: area names