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

Head of Prefectural Government

Mr. YAMASHITA Makoto, Governor
Assumed the governorship in May 2023 (first term) 

Location

Emblem



Area

3,690.94 km2 (2022)
40th largest of 47 prefectures

Population

1,298,946 (as of April 1, 2023)
Men: 610,892 Women: 688,054

GDP

Nominal: JPY 3.9252 trillion (FY2019)
Real:       JPY 3.8923 trillion (FY2019)

Capital

Nara City

Geographic features

An inland prefecture surrounded by mountains, located roughly in the middle of Honshu of the Japanese archipelago.
Nara Prefecture is divided by the Yoshino River that runs east-west through its central area. North of the river is low land, while south of the river is mountainous. The southern mountainous region accounts for 60% of the total prefectural land area. The northern low land area is referred to as the “Nara Basin” and, despite having just 15% of the prefectural land area, it is home to 85% of the prefecture’s population.

Main industries

Electronic parts, devices, electronic circuits, food manufacturing; transportation machinery

symbols

Prefectural tree: Cedar
Prefectural flower: Nara Yaezakura double cherry blossom
Prefectural bird: Robin
Prefectural fish: Goldfish, “ayu”, “amago” salmon

Number of visitors

Total 24,150,000 (FY2021)

Administrative divisions

Nara Prefecture --- 12 cities, 15 towns, 12 villages (2020)

Official website

https://www.pref.nara.jp/


Sources: Official Website of Nara Prefecture; Data form 2022 Nara Statistic Guide; “Results of Population Estimates” in 2023 by Statistics Div. Nara Prefectural Govt; “Systems of Nara Prefectural Accounts” in 2019; “Report on the Nara Prefecture Tourist Dynamics Survey” in 2021 by Tourism Capacity Improvement Div. Nara Prefectural Govt. 

(As of May, 2023)