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{{Short description|Political term in Imperial Japan}}{{Use American English|date = January 2019}}{{Use mdy dates|date = January 2019}}

factoids

{{nihongo|“Mainland Japan”||naichi|lit. “inner lands“}} is a term used to distinguish Japan’s core land area from its outlying territories. It is most commonly used to distinguish the country’s four largest islands (Hokkaidō, HonshÅ«, KyÅ«shÅ« and Shikoku) from smaller islands such as the Ryukyu Islands and Ogasawara Islands, although depending on the context the term “Mainland Japan” might refer only to HonshÅ«, the largest island.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.“Mainland Japan” was an official term in the pre-war period, distinguishing Japan proper from its territories such as Korea and Taiwan. After the end of World War II its usage became less common and lost its previous legal significance.

Historical usage

In the Japanese Empire of the pre-war period, naichi referred to the mainland of the empire. The other territories of the empire was called gaichi (外地, lit. “outer lands“).The Meiji Constitution’s Article 1 of the Common Law ((:ja:共通法|共通法)) enumerates the territories with legal jurisdictions namely:

Naichi

Naichi (内地, lit. “inner lands“) referred to the territories under direct control of the government. They consisted of the following:WEB, 内地とは, Definition of ‘naichi’,kotobank.jp/word/%E5%86%85%E5%9C%B0-587226, 2023-01-10, コトバンク, 日本国語大辞典　精選版, ja, 一国の領土が数個に分かれている場合、憲法の定める通常の法律が行なわれる区域。旧憲法下の北海道、本州、四国、九州がこれにあたる。(The area established by the Constitution where common law applies, in cases where the territory of one country is divided into several portions. Under the old Japanese Constitution, this definition applied to the territories of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu).,

• Karafuto (after 1943)
• Chishima Islands
• Hokkaidō
• HonshÅ«
• Shikoku
• KyÅ«shÅ«
• Izu Islands
• Ryukyu Islands
• Nanpō Islands
  • Ogasawara Islands
  • Iwo Islands
  • Okinotorishima
  • Minamitorishima
• Minor outlying islands around them

Gaichi

These territories were called gaichi (外地, lit. “outer lands“). They were part of the Empire of Japan, but not under direct control by the central government.Japanese page about Mainland Japan (内地, Inland) and page about Gaichi 外地

• Taiwan
• Karafuto (until 1943)
• Korea

Although it has never been abolished, the Common Law lost effect from enforcement after Japan lost Korea and Taiwan, or gaichi as a result of World War II.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Modern usage

The residents of Hokkaidō and Okinawa occasionally use naichi to refer to the “mainland”, excluding these areas. The colloquial usage is officially “incorrect”, as both areas are legally within naichi. In Hokkaidō, the official term that refers to Japan except Hokkaidō is dōgai (lit. outside of Hokkaidō).{{fact|date=December 2021}} With dōgai becoming common even in colloquial use, naichi ceased to be used.{{fact|date=December 2021}}The term “main islands” (本島 hontō) is used for Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Okinawa. The other estimated 6,847 smaller islands are called ‘remote islands’ (離島 ritō).WEB, 離島とは(島の基礎知識) (what is a remote island?), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism,www.mlit.go.jp/crd/chirit/ritoutoha.html, MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), 22 August 2015, 9 August 2019, Japanese, website, MILT classification 6,852 islands（main islands: 5 islands, remote islands: 6,847 islands),www.mlit.go.jp/crd/chirit/ritoutoha.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20071113053915www.mlit.go.jp/crd/chirit/ritoutoha.html,">web.archive.org/web/20071113053915www.mlit.go.jp/crd/chirit/ritoutoha.html, 2007-11-13,

See also

• Home Islands
• Mainland China
• China proper

References

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