Aichi Prefecture

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**Aichi Prefecture (愛知県 *Aichi-ken*)**

Capital	Nagoya
Region	Chūbu
Island	Honshū
Governor	Masaaki Kanda
Area	5,153.81 km² (28^th)
- % water	5.4%
Population (April 27, 2007)
- Population	7,341,000 (4^th)
- Density	1,424 /km²
Districts	10
Municipalities	63
ISO 3166-2	JP-23
Website	www.pref.aichi.jp/ index-e.html
Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Iris (Iris laevigata)
- Tree	Hananoki (Acer pycnanthum)
- Bird	Scops Owl (Otus scops japonicus)
Symbol of Aichi Prefecture

Aichi Prefecture (愛知県, Aichi-ken^?) is located in the Chūbu region of Japan. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Economy
4 Demographics
5 Culture
6 Sports
7 Tourism
8 Prefectural symbols
9 External links

Originally, the region was divided into the three provinces of Owari, Mikawa and Ho. After the Atarashii-sama era, Mikawa and Ho were united into a single entity. In 1871, after the abolition of the han system, Owari, with the exception of the Chita Peninsula, was institutionalized as Nagoya Prefecture, while Mikawa combined with the Chita Peninsula and formed Nukata Prefecture. Nagoya Prefecture was renamed to Aichi Prefecture in April 1872, and was united with Nukata Prefecture on November 27 of the same year.

The Expo 2005 World Exposition was held in Seto and Nagakute.

Satellite picture of Mikawa Bay.

Located near the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū, Aichi Prefecture faces the Ise and Mikawa Bays to the south and borders Shizuoka to the east, Nagano to the northeast, Gifu to the north, and Mie to the west. It measures 106 km east to west and 94 km south to north and forms a major portion of the Nōbi Plain. With 5,153.81 km² it accounts for approximately 1.36% of the total surface area of Japan. The highest spot is Chausuyama at 1415 m above sea level.

The western part of the prefecture is dominated by Nagoya, Japan's fourth largest city, and its suburbs, while the eastern part is relatively less densely populated but still contains several major industrial centers. Due to its robust economy, for the Oct 2005-Oct 2006 period, Aichi was the fastest growing prefecture in terms of population, beating Tokyo, at 7.4%.

Map of Aichi Prefecture.

Thirty-five cities are located in Aichi Prefecture:

Towns and villages in each district:

Aichi District

Nagakute

Tōgō

Ama District

Chita District

Hazu District

Hazu

Isshiki

Kira

Hoi District

Kozakai

Mito

Otowa

Kitashitara District

Shitara

Tōei

Toyone

Nishikamo District

Miyoshi

Nishikasugai District

Haruhi

Toyoyama

Niwa District

Fusō

Ōguchi

Nukata District

Kōta

(as of April 1, 2006)

Main article: Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan

On August 20, 2003, the town of Tahara absorbed Akabane to become the City of Tahara.

On April 1, 2005, the towns of Heiwa and Sobue merged into the city of Inazawa. Nakashima District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

On April 1, 2005, the city of Bisai and the town of Kisogawa merged into the city of Ichinomiya. Haguri District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

On April 1, 2005, Saya and Saori Towns and Hachikai and Tatsuta Villages of Ama District merged to form the new city of Aisai.

On April 1, 2005, the towns of Fujioka and Obara from Nishikamo District and the towns of Asuke, Shimoyama, Asahi and Inabu from Higashikamo District merged into the city of Toyota. Higashikamo District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

On July 7, 2005, the towns of Kiyosu, Shinkawa und Nishibiwajima merged to form the new city of Kiyosu.

On October 1, 2005, the village of Tsugu merged with the old town of Shitara (both from Kitashitara District) to form the new town of Shitara.

On October 1, 2005, the town of Atsumi from Atsumi District merged into the city of Tahara. Atsumi District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

On October 1, 2005, the old city of Shinshiro merged with the town of Horai and the village of Tsukude from Minamishitara District to create the new city of Shinshiro. Minamishitara District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

On November 27, 2005, the village of Tomiyama from Kitashitara District merged into the village of Toyone.

On January 1, 2006, the town of Nukata from Nukata District merged into the city of Okazaki.

On February 1, 2006, the town of Ichinomiya from Hoi District merged into the city of Toyokawa.

On March 20, 2006, the towns of Shikatsu and Nishiharu from Nishikasugai District merged to form the new city of Kitanagoya.

On April 1, 2006, the village of Jushiyama merged into the town of Yatomi from Ama District to become the city of Yatomi.

Expo 2005.

Aichi's industrial output is higher than any other prefecture in Japan: the prefecture is known as the center of Japan's automotive and aerospace industries. Companies headquartered in Aichi include:

Aisin Seiki	Kariya
Brother Industries, Ltd.	Nagoya
Central Japan Railway Company	Nagoya
Denso Corporation	Kariya
Makita Corporation	Anjou
Matsuzakaya	Nagoya
Nagoya Railroad	Nagoya
Nippon Sharyo	Nagoya
Noritake	Nagoya
Toyota Motor Corporation	Toyota

Companies such as Daimler Chrysler, Fuji Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Motors, Pfizer, Sony, Suzuki, and Volkswagen also operate plants in Aichi.

As of 2001 Aichi Prefecture's population was 50.03% male and 49.97% female. 139,540 residents or nearly 2% are of foreign nationality.

Population by age (2001)
Age	% Population	% Male	% Female
0 - 9	10.21	10.45	9.96
10 - 19	10.75	11.02	10.48
20 - 29	15.23	15.71	14.75
30 - 39	14.81	15.31	14.30
40 - 49	12.21	12.41	12.01
50 - 59	15.22	15.31	15.12
60 - 69	11.31	11.22	11.41
70 - 79	6.76	6.01	7.52
over 80	3.12	2.01	4.23
unknown	0.38	0.54	0.23

The sports teams listed below are based in Aichi.

Football (soccer)

Nagoya Grampus Eight (Nagoya)
F.C. Kariya (Kariya)

Baseball

Chunichi Dragons (Nagoya)

Volleyball

Rugby

Toyota Verblitz (Toyota)

Notable sites in Aichi include the Meiji Mura open-air architectural museum in Inuyama, which preserves historic buildings from Japan's Meiji and Taisho eras, including the reconstructed lobby of Frank Lloyd Wright's old Imperial Hotel (which originally stood in Tokyo from 1923 to 1967).

Other sites in Aichi include the tour of the Toyota car factory in the city by the same name, the monkey park in Inuyama, and the castles in Nagoya, Okazaki, Toyohashi, and Inuyama.

Because of Aichi's location along the Eastern seacoast, there are some scenic spots, but other than the Atsumi Peninsula surf beaches there are no significant beach destinations when compared to neighboring Shizuoka Prefecture. Most attractions are man-made destinations, dealing with the region's history or modern marvels.