Congress Report
Photo: Nara City Sightseeing Information Center, Kofuku-ji Temple
Photo taken by Tatehiko Yano
Kochi Prefecture

Head of Prefectural Government

Mr.Seiji Hamada , Governor
Assumed governorship of Kochi Prefecture (first term) in December 2019

Location

Emblem



Area

7,102.28 km2 (2023)
18th largest of 47 prefectures

Population

669,287 (as of May 2023)
Men: 316,729 Women: 352,558

GDP

Nominal: JPY 2.3543 trillion
Real: JPY 2.2819 trillion (both as of FY2020)

Capital

Kochi City

Geographical features

Located on the south coast of Shikoku, Kochi Prefecture is shaped like a long narrow fan. It has 713.2 km of coastline on the Pacific Ocean. In the western part of the prefecture, the coastline is deeply indented with the remains of river valleys, while the eastern part has a raised coast with flat beaches. There are also many mountainous areas, with more than 100 peaks over 1,000 m. About 84% of the prefecture is covered in forest, making Kochi the most-forested prefecture in Japan.

Main industries

Horticultural agriculture (myoga, eggplant, sweet green pepper, ginger, garlic chive, green pepper, lily etc.),food product manufacturing

Symbols

Prefectural tree:Yanase cedar
Prefectural flower: Japanese bayberry
Prefectural bird:Fairy Pitta

Number of visitors

Total 3,707,000 (2022)

Administrative divisions

Kochi Prefecture –11 cities, 17 towns, 6 villages

Official website

http://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/


Source:   Official website of Kochi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture [Estimated Population Monthly Survery(as of Feb 1st, 2024)]
Kochi Prefecture [Summary of prefectural Accounts for Fiscal Year 2020]
[2022 Report on the state of tourists visiting from outside the prefecture]
Geographical Survey Institute [2023 National administrative regions and local municipalities area survey(as of Oct 1st, 2024)]
Cabinet Office [2019 Economic and Social Research Institute]
Kochi Prefecture [2023 Statistical Book]


(As of March, 2024)