Southern japan

As southern Japan ( Japanese 南日本 , Minami-Nihon or Minami-Nippon ) is referred to in a rough, non-legally fixed division of Japan the southern part of the country, mostly congruent with the region Kyushu , so the main island of Kyushu, the associated smaller islands and the "Southwest Islands" . In some contexts, e.g. B. in the weather report, especially in an east-west division of the country, South Japan / Kyūshū together with the regions Shikoku , Chūgoku and Kinki belong to West Japan , the historical heartland of the Japanese state.

The term is used today in the names of a number of companies, e.g. B. the regional television station Minami-Nihon Hōsō, the supplier Minami-Nihon Gas or the regional bank Minami-Nippon Ginkō.

Due to its geographical location, southern Japan has been the focal point for foreign visitors, ideas and technology in many phases of Japanese history. South Japan is closest to the mainland, from where ancient Chinese culture , writing , Buddhism and Confucianism were imported. Later, the daimyō in Kyūshū were the first to establish trade relations with the “southern barbarians” (initially Portuguese), and the Catholic mission was particularly successful in Kyūshū in broader sections of the population beyond the nobility. During the closure of Japan , Nagasaki remained the only legal trading center for Europeans for centuries. The Ryūkyū Islands formed an independent kingdom strongly influenced by China until the 19th century and were under US military rule for decades in the 20th century.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Kishō-chō: 地 域名