What are the Prefectures of Japan?

Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, the country's first level of local government. Each has an elected governor and assembly. They include one metropolis (Tokyo-to), one circuit (Hokkaido), two urban prefectures (Osaka-fu and Kyoto-fu) and 43 ordinary prefectures (ken). The prefectures were created in 1871, during the Meiji Restoration, when the government abolished the feudal domains (han) ruled by daimyo and replaced them with prefectures run by the central government. Around 300 prefectures were created at first, but they were quickly consolidated, and the current number of 47 was reached by 1888. Okinawa was created in 1879, after Japan annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom, and Tokyo became a metropolis in 1943.