is a

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

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 ...

located on the island of

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...

. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,028,215 as of 1 January 2025 and has a geographic area of 7,735 km² (2,986

sq mi The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2)Rowlett, Russ (September 1, 2004) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2012. is an imperial and US unit of measure for area. One square mile is equa ...

). Miyazaki Prefecture borders

Ōita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,081,646 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, K ...

to the north,

Kumamoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture t ...

to the northwest, and

Kagoshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,527,019 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 9,187 Square kilometre, km2 (3,547 Square m ...

to the southwest. Miyazaki is the capital and largest city of Miyazaki Prefecture, with other major cities including

Miyakonojō is a city in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 158,235 in 72394 households, and a population density of 240 persons per km2. The total area of the city is , making it the largest city in the prefecture in t ...

Nobeoka 270px, Central Nobeoka City is a city located in the north of Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 113,367 in 51272 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km². The total area of the city is . ...

, and Hyūga. Miyazaki Prefecture is located in southeastern Kyūshū on Japan's

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

coast, with its coastline extending from Nobeoka near the entrance to the

Bungo Channel The is a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. It connects the Philippine Sea and the Seto Inland Sea on the western end of Shikoku. The narrowest part of this channel is the Hōyo Strait. In the English-speaking world, ...

to Shibushi Bay in Kushima.

History

Historically, after the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

Hyūga Province was a province of Japan in the area of southeastern Kyūshū, corresponding to modern Miyazaki Prefecture Hyūga bordered on Ōsumi to the south, Higo to the west, and Bungo to the north. Its abbreviated form name was , although it was als ...

was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture. In Japan, Miyazaki Prefecture was first created in 1873 when Mimitsu Prefecture was merged with parts of Miyakonojō Prefecture. The first Miyazaki existed only until 1876 when it was merged (back) into

. Under public pressure and demands in the Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly, Miyazaki became finally independent from Kagoshima in 1883.

Geography

Miyazaki Prefecture is on the eastern coast of the island of Kyushu, surrounded by the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

to the south and east,

to the north, and

Kumamoto is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a populat ...

and

Kagoshima , is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the ...

prefectures to the west. It is one of only two locations on Earth where the fungus '' Chorioactis geaster'' is found. Miyazaki is the home of the

hyuganatsu Hyuganatsu (''Citrus tamurana'', Japanese: 日向夏) is a citrus fruit and plant grown in Japan. The name comes from Hyūga, the ancient name of Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu, where the citrus is said to have originated, while means summer. ...

fruit. It is also home to two virgin forests of the palm ''Livistona chinensis'', one of which, on the islet of

Aoshima, Miyazaki is an islands of Japan, island located in Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. The island has a surface area of and a height of . The island is part of the Aoshima Shrine. Miyazaki′s Aoshima neigbbourhood consists of the ...

, is the northernmost reproducing population of its native range. As of 31 March 2019, 12% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Kirishima-Kinkōwan National Park; Kyūshū Chūō Sanchi, Nichinan Kaigan, Nippō Kaigan, and Sobo-Katamuki Quasi-National Parks; and Mochio-Sekinoo, Osuzu, Saitobaru-Sugiyasukyō, Sobo Katamuki, Wanitsuka, and Yatake Kōgen Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities

Nine cities are in Miyazaki Prefecture:

Districts

Miyazaki prefecture population pyramid 2020

These are the towns and villages of each

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

Mergers

Sports

The sports teams/events listed below are based in Miyazaki.

Association football

Honda Lock S.C. , formerly are a Japanese football (soccer) club based in Miyazaki, the capital city of Miyazaki Prefecture. They play in the Japan Football League, Japanese 4th tier of league football. Their team colour is blue. History The club was foun ...

( Miyazaki City) *

Tegevajaro Miyazaki is a Japanese football club based in Miyazaki, the capital city of Miyazaki Prefecture. They currently play in the J3 League, Japanese third tier of professional football. History Born in 1965 as ''Kadokawa Club'', the club have twice change ...

(Miyazaki City)

Basketball (bj League)

* Miyazaki Shining Suns (Miyazaki City)

Golf (Japan Golf Tour)

Dunlop Phoenix Tournament The is a professional golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. It is played in November at the Phoenix Country Club in Miyazaki, Miyazaki and is one of the richest tournaments in Japan, attracting some of the leading international golfers. Winner ...

(ダンロップフェニックストーナメント, Danroppu fenikkusu tōnamento) ( Miyazaki City) ** Annual

Japan Golf Tour The Japan Golf Tour () is a prominent professional golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006, it offered the third-highest annual prize fund out of the regular (that is not for seniors) men's professional tours after the PGA Tour and the ...

event, with one of the highest prize money amounts on the tour, that attracts top players from around the world.

Transportation

Rail

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...

Nippō Main Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, in southern Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). Also known as the Fukuhoku Nippo Line, The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, K ...

, Miyazaki Kūkō Line,

Nichinan Line The is a railway line in south-eastern Kyushu, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Minami-Miyazaki Station in Miyazaki, Miyazaki to Shibushi Station in Shibushi, Kagoshima. History The Miyazaki Prefectural Gover ...

Kitto Line The is a railway line on the island of Kyushu, Japan. It connects Yoshimatsu Station in Yūsui, Kagoshima Prefecture with Miyakonojō Station in Miyakonojō, Miyazaki Prefecture. It is also known as together with the – segment of the H ...

Hisatsu Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, Yatsushiro on the Kagoshima Main Line to Hayato station, Kirishima, Kagoshima , Kirishima on the Nippo Main Line. Fro ...

Bus

* Miyazaki Kōtsu

Airport

Miyazaki Airport , also known as Miyazaki Bougainvillea Airport, is an international airport located south southeastAIS Japan
of

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

.
OCLC 58053128

External links

Official Miyazaki Prefecture website

Miyazaki and Vicinity Information from the JNTO

Video footage

The following travel- and tourism-related videos were shot and provided by video artis
egawauemon

General video footageScenery-related video footageCulture-related video footageLeisure-related video footageFood-related video footageGolf-related video footage
{{Authority control Kyushu region Prefectures of Japan Green and yellow flags