Mainland Japan

Mainland Japan

Native name: 内地
Passports for passengers between Mainland Japan and Okinawa during 1952–1972.
Geography
Location	Japan
Demographics
Ethnic groups	Japanese people Ainu people Ryukyuan people

"Mainland Japan" (内地, naichi, lit. "inner lands") is a term used to distinguish Japan's core land area from its outlying territories. "Mainland Japan" was an official term in the pre-war period, distinguishing Japan proper from its overseas territories (外地, gaichi, lit. "outer lands") in the Far East, such as Japanese Taiwan, Japanese Korea, Karafuto, the South Seas Mandate, and the Kwantung Leased Territory. After the end of World War II, its usage became less common and lost its previous legal significance.

The term's literal Japanese meaning might best be translated as "inner Japan" or "inner lands". The term "mainland" is somewhat inaccurate since it usually refers to all or part of a continental landmass, rather than islands.

Today, the term is sometimes colloquially used to distinguish the country's four largest islands (Hokkaidō, Honshū, Kyūshū, and Shikokū) from smaller islands such as the Bonin Islands and the Ryukyu Islands, although these islands were considered part of Mainland Japan in the pre-war period. However, depending on the context, the term "Mainland Japan" may refer only to Honshū, the largest island.