Kinki Region
(2001 est. pop. 22.2 million). The Kinki Region is located in the western part of Central Honshu in Japan and consists of Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga, Mie, Wakayama, and Nara Prefectures. It has an area of 33,075 square kilometers. Most of the region has mountainous topography, but there are numerous coastal plains on the Inland Sea, Osaka Bay, and the Kii Channel. The Kii Peninsula in the southern part has a rainy climate and is warm in winter. The northern part facing the Sea of Japan is affected by northwest winds, and the winds off the Tsushima Strait bring heavy rainfall and snow. Rice, citrus fruits, vegetables, and floricultural products are cultivated. The Hanshin Industrial Zone, in and around Osaka-Kobe, is dominated by heavy industries such as metal, machinery, chemicals, and textiles. The area is characterized by many small and medium-scale factories specializing in the production of machine parts, blankets, and footwear. Efforts have been made to promote regional development. The city of Kobe is being rebuilt after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995. In the late 1990s, the new Kansai International Airport, built in Osaka Bay, was opened. Plans also focus on new technologies through industry, government, and academic linkages in the thirtyyear Kansai Science City project that started in 1987.
Further Reading
Association of Japanese Geographers. (1980) Geography of Japan. Tokyo: Teikoku-Shoin.
Yagasaki Noritaka, ed. (1997) Japan: Geographical Perspectives on an Island Nation. Tokyo: Teikoku-Shoin.
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