Kanagawa

Atsugi

Kanagawa, ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, located south of Tokyo and bordered by Tokyo Bay to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Yokohama, on the bay, is the prefectural capital.

The eastern half of the prefecture constitutes the southwestern portion of the Tokyo-Yokohama Metropolitan Area, and its eastern coast is an important part of the Keihin Industrial Zone. Yokohama is Japan’s second largest city and its major port. The Pacific coast is a popular tourist resort area, including such cities as Kamakura, Hiratsuka, and Odawara (the latter a gateway to the popular Hakone and Mount Fuji region).

Inland Kanagawa is an agricultural area producing flowers and dairy products for the Tokyo market. The port of Misaki in Miura city (at the head of the Miura Peninsula) is a major centre of bonito and tuna fishing. During the late 1970s the prefecture’s population increased dramatically because of industrial expansion and urbanization of housing developments for workers. Growth continued steadily for the rest of the 20th century and into the 21st. Area 932 square miles (2,415 square km). Pop. (2010) 9,048,331.