Okazaki

Okazaki is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It lies in the western part of the prefecture on the island of Honshu and is part of the Chubu region. The city has a long history and is known as the birthplace of the Sengoku period warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu; Okazaki Castle and preserved historic streets reflect its past. Today, Okazaki functions as an industrial and agricultural center and hosts cultural events and museums that highlight its heritage.

In biology, Okazaki fragments are short segments of DNA synthesized on the lagging strand during DNA replication. They are produced discontinuously as the replication fork progresses and are later joined by DNA ligase to form a continuous strand. The fragments are named after Reiji Okazaki, who, with Tsuneko Okazaki, described them in the 1960s, contributing to the understanding of DNA replication mechanisms.

Okazaki is also a Japanese surname and a place-name element. The name appears in various contexts within Japan and in the biographical, geographical, and cultural records of individuals and locations associated with it.