FDC from Japan／FDC du Japan

The 60th Anniversary of Enforcement of The Local Autonomy Law Series-Niigata Prefecture／
Le soixantième anniversaire de l'application de la loi locale d'autonomie-Préfecture de Niigata


Niigata prefecture (新潟県, Niigata-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on Honshū island on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name Niigata literally means "new lagoon".

Niigata prefecture was originally divided into Echigo Province and Sado Province until the Meiji Restoration. During the Sengoku period, the Nagao clan, who were at times vassals to the Uesugi, ruled Kasugayama Castle and the surrounding fief located in the west of modern Niigata. The most notable member of the Nagao clan was Nagao Kagetora who was later and is better known as Uesugi Kenshin. He unified the leaders of Echigo Province thus becoming its sole ruler. By taking the surname Uesugi, he became the head of the Uesugi clan and effectively brought their vast realm into his domain.

The city of Niigata-shi is the largest among the cities facing the Sea of Japan. It was the first port on the Sea of Japan to open to foreign trade since the opening of Japan by Matthew Perry in the mid-1800s. It has since played an important role in trade with Russia and northern Korea.

The Etsuzankai organization, led by prime minister Tanaka Kakuei, was highly influential in bringing infrastructure improvements to Niigata in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Joetsu Shinkansen high speed rail line and Kanetsu Expressway to Tokyo.

A freighter from North Korea visits Niigata once a month, one of the few direct contacts with the communist country.

On October 23, 2004, the Chūetsu earthquake struck Niigata Prefecture, which was measured at Shindo 6+ at Ojiya.

On January 9, 2006, a heavy winter storm struck the prefecture and its surroundings. At least 71 people died and over a thousand were injured.

On July 16, 2007, the earthquake hit the area.

Niigata Prefecture hosts the Fuji Rock Festival, an annual rock festival in Naeba ski resort. The three-day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians. It is one of the largest outdoor music event in Japan, with more than 100,000 people attending in 2005.

Niigata (新潟県, niigataken) est une préfecture du Japon située au nord de Honshū.

La préfecture de Niigata provient de la fusion de deux anciennes provinces: Echigo et Sado et a acquis sa forme actuelle en mai 1886, après la réforme des préfectures consécutive à la chute du shogunat d’Edo.

Depuis 1858, la préfecture de Niigata constituait la seule interface commerciale du Japon avec le reste du monde avec l'ouverture du port de Niigata suite à un traité d'amitié avec les États-Unis d'Amérique. Des comptoirs principalement étasuniens, hollandais et britanniques s'y sont établis.

Par la suite, le gouvernement impérial japonais a autorisé l'ouverture sur le monde d’autres ports autour de Niigata, tels que Kōbe, Yokohama ou Nagasaki.