is a
subprefecture
A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province.
Albania
There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...
of
Tokyo Metropolis,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. The organization of government belongs to the
Tokyo Metropolitan Government
The is the government of the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis. One of the 47 Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Japan, the government consists of a popularly elected governor and assembly. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, headquarters build ...
Bureau Of General Affairs.
Geography
The subprefecture has an area of 78.6 square km. It is located within the
Izu Islands and is 200km away from
Mainland Japan.
Municipalities
Other Islands
Additionally, Hachijō includes the four southernmost Izu Islands, which are
uninhabited. These islands currently do not belong to any
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
; both Hachijō and Aogashima claim administrative rights. From north to south, the islands are:
*
Bayonnaise Rocks (''Beyonēzu Retsugan'')
*
Smith Island (''Sumisu-tō'')
*
Tori-shima
*
Lot's Wife (''Sōfu-iwa'')
Among the islands of the subprefecture, only Hachijōjima and Aogashima are inhabited.
Demographics
In 2023, Hachijō Subprefecture had a population of 8,790. The village of Aogashima is the least populated municipality in all of Japan, with only 169 residents
Language
The
Hachijō language
The small group of , natively called , depending on classification, either are the most divergent form of Japanese dialects, Japanese, or comprise a branch of Japonic languages (alongside mainland Japanese, Northern Ryukyuan languages, Northern Ry ...
, also called Shima Kotoba, is spoken exclusively on the two main islands. It is an endangered language, with 0 native speakers being children or young adults.
References
Subprefectures in Tokyo
Izu Islands
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