Prefectures

Prefecture is an administrative division used in several countries to denote a district or region governed by a local authority that represents the central government. The term derives from Latin praefectus and has been adopted into various languages and constitutional systems. Across different nations, a prefecture can refer to either the geographic area itself or the office and authority of a prefect who administers it.

In general, prefectures handle local administration within the framework of national law, coordinate public services, and implement national policies at the regional level. They commonly oversee areas such as education, transportation, policing, social welfare, and urban or regional planning. The exact powers and elected or appointed status of a prefecture vary widely by country.

Japan has 47 prefectures (todōfuken) as the top-level subnational jurisdictions under the national government. Each prefecture has an elected governor and a unicameral assembly, and it exercises autonomy in local budgeting and policy within national law.

France uses the term in a different sense: a prefect represents the central state in each department, and the department’s capital houses the prefecture. The prefect ensures public order and coordinates national services at the departmental level.

In China, the term appears in English translations of historical and contemporary divisions. Modern China maintains prefecture-level divisions (地级) beneath provinces, typically supervising counties and districts and serving as a regional administrative layer.

Italy uses the term prefettura to denote the office of the prefect, the central-government representative at the provincial level, with responsibilities that include public order and coordination of national services. Prefectures thus reflect varying constitutional roles in different countries, from geographic districts to offices of state administration.