Toyama Prefecture

Toyama Prefecture (富山県, Toyama-ken) sits in the Chūbu region of Honshu, Japan, and is part of the historic Hokuriku area. Its capital and largest city is Toyama, with other major cities including Takaoka, Imizu, and Nanto. The prefecture covers 4,247.61 km² and, as of January 2025, has a population of 993,848. It borders Ishikawa to the west, Gifu to the south, Nagano to the east, and Niigata to the northeast.

Most of Toyama’s residents live along Toyama Bay, one of Japan’s largest bays. The prefecture is the leading industrial hub on the Sea of Japan coast, thanks to cheap electricity from abundant hydroelectric resources. It also holds the only known glaciers in East Asia outside of Russia, first identified in 2012. About 30% of its land is protected as national parks, including Chūbu-Sangaku and Hakusan National Parks, Noto Hantō Quasi-National Park, and six Prefectural Natural Parks.

Historically, Toyama was Etchū Province. After the han system was abolished in 1871, it became Niikawa Prefecture, though Imizu District was briefly part of Nanao Prefecture. In 1872, Imizu returned from what would become Ishikawa Prefecture. Niikawa was merged into Ishikawa in 1876, but the merger was reversed in 1881, re-establishing the area as Toyama Prefecture. The Itai-itai disease struck Toyama around 1950.

Toyama has the fewest municipalities of any Japanese prefecture—10 cities, 2 districts, 4 towns, and 1 village—following mergers in the 2000s. Its governors since 1947 include Tetsuji Tachi, Takekuni Takatsuji, Minoru Yoshida, Kōkichi Nakata, Yutaka Nakaoki, Takakazu Ishii, and Hachirō Nitta, who took office in November 2020.

Agriculture benefits from water sources originating from Mount Tate; in 2014, Toyama produced about 2.5% of Japan’s rice. Fisheries thrive along the Sea of Japan coast. Manufacturing is led by a historic pharmaceutical industry, followed by electronic parts and devices (including industrial robots and general machinery), and metal products like aluminum and copper. The Kurobe Dam on the Kurobe River generates electricity for Kansai Electric Power Company.

Demographically, Toyama’s population has remained relatively stable since 1950. Transportation includes the Hokuriku Shinkansen, several JR lines, the Ainokaze Toyama Railway, the Manyōsen tram system, and Toyama Airport, with domestic flights to Tokyo and Sapporo and international routes to Dalian and Shanghai.

Tourist sites include the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Kurobe Gorge Railway, Unazuki Onsen, Gokayama (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and Mitsui Outlet Park. Cultural treasures include Zuiryū-ji Temple in Takaoka, a National Treasure of Japan. Festivals range from the All Japan Chindon Competition in spring to the Owara Kaze no Bon in fall. Regional foods include trout sushi, white shrimp, matured yellow tail, firefly squid, and fish paste. Local sake brands include Tateyama, Narimasa, Masuizumi, and Sanshoraku. Sports teams based in Toyama are Kataller Toyama (football), Toyama Grouses (basketball), Toyama Thunderbirds (baseball), and Takaoka Mariners (rugby union). Internationally, Toyama has sister-region ties with Liaoning Province, São Paulo State, Oregon State, Primorsky Region, Basel-Stadt, and Andhra Pradesh State.