Kanto Region
(2001 est. pop. 40.1 million). Located in the east central part of Honshu in Japan, Kanto contains the prefectures of Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa, Gumma, Ibaraki, and Tochigi. It has an area of 32,421 square kilometers. It is referred to in contrast to the Kansai Region. Kanto is the most populated region and the political, economic, and cultural center of the nation. The region's core is the metropolitan area with Tokyo, Yokohama, Kawasaki, and Chiba. There are some criticisms about concentration of these different functions, and suggestions that it may be necessary to decentralize some of them to other locations in Japan for a more balanced regional development. The Japanese government has even considered transferring the capital.
The Keihin (Tokyo-Yokohama district) Industrial Area is Japan's leading commercial and industrial area. Agriculture is declining but still plays an important role in the region's economy. The Tone River has the largest basin of all Japanese rivers and is an important source of water for agriculture in the Kanto Plain as well as for urban and industrial use. Coastal fishing in the Pacific Ocean and Tokyo Bay has declined because of vastly increased catches by deep-sea fishing trawlers and also because of the pollution and land reclamation in Tokyo Bay.
Further Reading
Yagasaki Noritaka, ed. (1997) Japan: Geographical Perspectives on an Island Nation. Tokyo: Teikoku-Shoin.
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