Trade & International Relations Bureau

Profile of Kumamoto Prefecture

Official seal of Kumamoto Japan.

Officially recognized by the Japanese central government in 1871, Kumamoto Prefecture is located in the center of Kyushu Island in southern Japan. Kumamoto is a 1-1/2 hour flight from Tokyo and Seoul, South Korea and 2-1/2 hour drive from Nagasaki. It lies on the same latitude as Dallas, Texas and Baghdad, Iraq.

The population of the prefecture is about 1.83 million with the prefecture's capital Kumamoto City having over 670,000 inhabitants. Kumamoto Prefecture is the 15th largest prefecture in Japan, with a land area of 2,892 square miles. This compares to Montana's land area of 145,556 square miles and Yellowstone National Park's 3,400 square miles.

Collage of Kumamoto Japan people.

Kumamoto Prefecture is blessed with lush vegetation with forests covering 62.8 percent of the landmass. Rolling highlands grace the northern part of the prefecture while the southeast is anchored by a mountain range reaching nearly 3000 feet in elevation. To the west, the Ariake and Yatsushiro sounds connect with the East China Sea. Kumamoto has two national parks, Aso Kuju National Park, which is the world's largest volcanic caldera, and Unzen-Amakusa National Park, which encompasses more than 120 islands of various sizes in the East China Sea.

Kumamoto Japan Landscapes.

Service, manufacturing and small business sectors have been Kumamoto's engine of growth in the last decade. Although agriculture has continued to decline, it is still a strong force in the prefecture's economy and politics, with the percentage of workers employed in agricultural industries over national averages. Kumamoto is famous for its oranges, watermelons, tomatoes, and rush.

Collage of Kumamoto Japan Foods.

Kumamoto is home to a number of famous Japanese manufacturing companies with production plants in the region. Products produced in the prefecture range from beverages, boats, motorcycles, and metal products to integrated circuits, car parts, and computer parts. Kyushu is referred to as Japan's "silicon island," because of the area's significant production of integrated circuits and related computer products. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Honda Motor Company Limited, Kyushu Matsushita Electric Company Limited, Nissan Motor Company Limited, Toyota Motor Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation, NEC Kyushu Limited, Mitsui & Company Limited, Yamaha Marine Kyushu Company Limited, Fujitsu Kumamoto Systems Engineering, Sony Semiconductor Kyushu Corporation, and Suntory Limited all maintain operations in Kumamoto.