Kumamoto Prefecture

Kumamoto Prefecture sits on the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It has a population of 1,683,115 and covers an area of 7,409 square kilometres. The prefecture shares borders with Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to the northeast, Miyazaki Prefecture to the southeast, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south. Its capital and largest city is Kumamoto. Other major cities include Yatsushiro, Amakusa, and Tamana. Located in the centre of Kyūshū, the prefecture lies along the coast of the Ariake Sea, across from Nagasaki Prefecture, with the Amakusa Archipelago separating the mainland from the East China Sea. Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan and one of the largest in the world, rises 1,592 metres above sea level within the prefecture.

Historically, the area was known as Higo Province. It was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration, when the feudal system was abolished and prefectures were created. The current Japanese spelling of Kumamoto means "bear root/origin" or "origin of the bear." However, the names of the Kuma River and Kuma District use phonetic transcriptions based on the kanji for "a ball, a sphere" and "to polish, to grind, to brush (one's teeth)." The Kuma element also appears in the ancient name Kumaso.

Geographically, Kumamoto Prefecture is in the centre of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands. It is bordered by the Ariake inland sea and the Amakusa archipelago to the west, Fukuoka and Ōita prefectures to the north, Miyazaki Prefecture to the east, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south. Mount Aso, an extensive active volcano, lies in the eastern part of the prefecture, at the centre of the Aso caldera. As of 31 March 2019, 21% of the prefecture's total land area was designated as natural parks, including Aso Kujū and Unzen-Amakusa National Parks; Kyūshū Chūō Sanchi and Yaba-Hita-Hikosan Quasi-National Parks; and several prefectural natural parks.

The prefecture contains fourteen cities, as well as numerous towns and villages within its districts. The population was 1,748,134, with a population density that ranks 23rd in Japan.

Economically, the largest motorcycle production facility in the world is located in Kumamoto. In 2023, Mitsubishi Electric announced plans to spend 100 billion yen on a new semiconductor factory in the prefecture, with production targeted to begin in April 2026.

Tourist attractions include Kumamoto Castle, Mount Aso (one of the world's largest active volcanoes), Suizenji Park, and Tsūjun Bridge in Yamato—the largest stone aqueduct in Japan. The prefecture's mascot, Kumamon, a black bear with red cheeks, was created to attract tourists after the Kyushu Shinkansen line opened.

Education in the prefecture includes one national university (Kumamoto University), one public university (Prefectural University of Kumamoto), and several private institutions such as Heisei College of Music, Kumamoto Gakuen University, Kumamoto Health Science, Kyushu Lutheran College, Kyushu University of Nursing and Social Welfare, Shokei Gakuin University, and Sojo University.

Transportation options include rail services from Hisatsu Orange Railway, JR Kyushu (Hisatsu, Hohi, Kagoshima, Kyushu Shinkansen, and Misumi lines), Kumamoto Electric Railway, Kumagawa Railroad, and Minami Aso Railway, as well as a tramway operated by Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau. Road networks include expressways such as Kumamoto Amakusa Road, Kyushu Chūō Expressway, Kyushu Expressway, and South Kyushu Expressway, along with numerous national highways. Ferry routes connect Kumamoto to Shimabara, Nagasu to Unzen, Reihoku to Nagasaki, Ushibuka to Kuranomoto, and Yatsushiro to Kamiamakusa. Airports include Amakusa Airport and Kumamoto Airport.

Sports teams based in the prefecture include professional clubs Blaze Kumamoto (men's association football), Mashiki Renaissance Kumamoto (women's association football), and Roasso Kumamoto (men's football, J League Second Division), as well as amateur team Kumamoto Golden Larks (regional baseball). The prefecture hosted the 2019 World Women's Handball Championship and previously hosted the 1997 World Men's Handball Championship.

Kumamoto Prefecture is a sister state/prefecture of Montana in the United States. Its capital city, Kumamoto, is a sister city of San Antonio, Texas, which holds an annual fall festival called akimatsuri for its Japanese citizens. In 2015, Kumamon visited as an honorary ambassador during the festival at the Japanese Tea Gardens.

Notable people from Kumamoto Prefecture include Naoichi Fujimori (father of Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori), Kouki Fujiwara (drummer of WANIMA), Madoka Hisagae (fencer), Kimeru (pop artist), Kazuaki Kiriya (filmmaker), Miku Kobato (founder and vocalist of Band-Maid), Tetsu Komai (Hollywood actor), Jun Kunimura (actor), Yuri Masuda (singer), Kenta Matsumoto (vocalist and bassist of WANIMA), Yuki Midorikawa (manga author, creator of *Natsume's Book of Friends* and *Hotarubi no Mori e*), Munetaka Murakami (baseball player), Kunio Nakagawa (army general), Shodai Naoya (sumo wrestler), Koushin Nishida (guitarist of WANIMA), Tetsuya Noda (contemporary artist), Eiichiro Oda (manga author, creator of *One Piece*), and Hitomi Tanaka.