“Chiba” is located within the Tokyo metropolitan
area
and blessed with nature’s bounty. |
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Chiba Prefecture surrounded by the sea and rivers
on all four sides is blessed with the nature full of water and
green. Located in the east of the Tokyo metropolitan area, the
peninsula projects into the Pacific Ocean. While the southeastern
part faces the Pacific Ocean, the western part faces Tokyo Bay.
The northwestern part borders on Tokyo and Saitama, and the
northern part borders on Ibaraki.
With an area of 5,156.64 km2, Chiba is composed of Boso Hill
with a series of 200-300 m high mountains, comparatively flat
Shimosa Plateau, and a vast plain reaching the Tone River basin
and the coast of Kujukuri. The coastline is as long as 530.5
km, showing varied scenery.
Chiba Prefecture surrounded by the sea on its three sides has
a mild climate, warm in winter and cool in summer. Under the
influence of the warm current (Black Current) that flows offshore,
the land is hardly frosted even in winter. The precipitation
is heavy in summer and light in winter.
The population of Chiba is 6,056,159 (as of October 1, 2005),
the 6th largest in Japan, and the average age of the residents
is 40.3 years, the 6th youngest in Japan. |
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| History of Chiba |
Chiba Prefecture was originally composed of three provinces
– Awa, Kazusa, and Shimosa.
According to “Kogo Shui (a document in the Heian period),”
Ameno-mikoto led Awano Inbe and went to the eastern part of
Japan, having people grow hemp plants. The area where good-quality
hemp plants grew was called the province of Fusa (an old term
of hemp), and the area where Awano Inbe lived was named the
province of Awa. The part of the province of Awa closer to the
capital was called Kazusa, and the part far away from the capital
was called Simosa. Combining the term “Awa (pronounced
“Bou” as well)” of the province of Awa and “Fusa
(pronounced “So” as well)” of the provinces of
Kazusa and Shimosa, the peninsula was called “Boso.”
When the shogunate was opened in Kamakura, Chiba Clan wielded
it’s power in Boso. In the province of Awa during the civil
war period, Satomi Clan had big power. When Tokugawa Ieyasu
opened the shogunate in Edo, Boso was valued as the home territory,
and the area was under direct control of the shogunate or became
the domains of the close retainers. The feudal domains in those
days were all small, and the domain of Sakura was the largest.
In 1871 when the domain system was abolished, 24 prefectures
were created in Boso, including Tateyama Prefecture and Sakura
Prefectrue. Thereafter, the areas of Kazusa and Awa were united
into Kisarazu Prefecture, and the Shimosa district was changed
into Inba Prefecture.
On June 15, 1873, Kisarazu and Inba Prefectures were merged
into Chiba Prefecture. The population of Chiba Prefecture exceeded
5 million in 1983, and in commemoration of that, June 15 became
the “Prefectural Residents’ Day” a year later. |
| Industry |
 The
shipment value of articles of manufacture in 2004 in Chiba Prefecture
was 11,257.6 billion yen, the 7th largest amount in Japan. The
number of business establishments is 6,505, and the number of
employees is 217,332.
Major items of the industry are chemical, petroleum/coal, and
steel, which accounts for 19.1%, 17.2%, and 11.7%, respectively,
and these three categories account for 48.0% of the total shipment
value of articles of manufacture.
The major industries in Chiba until the first half of 1945 were
soy sauce, liquor, sweet sake, and other brewing industries.
However, after the construction of Chiba Works of Kawasaki Steel
Corporation was to be started in November 1950 on the reclaimed
land along the coast of the City of Chiba, heavy and chemical
industries decided to move into Chiba one after another. Since
then, a reclaimed land of approx. 12,000 ha has been completed
along the 76 km-long coastal line between the City of Urayasu
and the City of Futtsu.
Meanwhile, Chiba Prefecture promoted improvement of the industrial
complexes in the inland area by taking the advantage their features,
while aggressively promoting introduction of high-tech industries
and growing industries. There are 87 industrial complexes, and
approx. 2,350 ha of the total of approx. 2,759 ha industrial
sites has been sold in lots. Processing and assembly companies,
as well as many other types of companies, have been located
in Chiba.
The shipment value of articles of manufacture is distributed
in a well-balanced manner, 56% in the coastal area and 44% in
the inland area. |
| Commerce |
 The
commerce in Chiba is supporting the rich life of 6 million inhabitants,
playing a prominent role as an industry that shoulders the local
economy. The number of retailers in Chiba Prefecture as of June
1, 2004 is 42,857, and the number of employees is 332,204. The
annual sales are 5,453 billion yen.
Looking at the share by area, the five cities – Chiba,
Funabashi, Matsudo, Ichikawa, and Kashiwa – account for
41.0% of all the retailers and 56.9% of the total annual sales. |
| Agriculture |
 Blessed
with a warm climate and productive land, Chiba Prefecture is
one of the greatest agricultural prefectures in Japan, and the
amount of farm output is 422.4 billion yen in 2004, the second
largest in Japan, next to Hokkaido. There are many top-class
farm products in Japan, such as Welsh onions, radishes, and
pears, while rice, flowers, and stock farming are also ranked
high in Japan.
Brassica Rapa, spinach, and other vegetables are grown in the
Chiba and Higashi Katsushika districts that are close to Tokyo,
a main market, while in the northeastern area, cabbages, carrots,
water melons, and other vegetables are grown. |
 Paddy
rice cultivation and animal farming are also popular. In the
central area, paddy rice, melons, and tomatoes are grown in
greenhouses. In the southern area, bamboo shoots are grown by
taking advantage of the characteristics of the intermediate
and mountainous area. Carnation, stock, and other flowers, as
well as strawberries and loquats, are also grown by taking advantage
of the warm climate. |
| Fishery |
 Chiba
prefecture with an inner bay and oceanic area along its circumference
is blessed with a variety of finishing areas, and various kinds
of fish and shellfish are landed, because Black Current and
Oyashio Current cross each other off the coast of Boso Peninsula.
Chiba is one of the largest fishery prefectures in Japan with
total fishery output of 243,105 tons in 2004, the 5th largest
in Japan, and with the production volume of the processed marine
products of 285,186 tons, the 3rd largest in Japan. |
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