Yamaguchi

a prefecture in Japan, in the extreme southwestern part of the island of Honshu. Area, 6,100 sq km. Population, 1.6 million (1975). The capital is the city of Yamaguchi.

Most of Yamaguchi Prefecture is occupied by mountains of relatively low elevation; the maximum elevation is 989 m. More than half of the territory is covered with forests.

Located in the Chugoku Economic Region (the Sanyo part), Yamaguchi has an economy that is based on both industry and agriculture. As of 1970, agriculture employed 23 percent of the economically active population, industry 20 percent, fishing approximately 2.5 percent, and mining approximately 1 percent. Coal, copper and iron ores, and sulfur are mined. In 1971, the chemical industry (mainly petrochemicals) accounted for 29 percent of the total value of the prefecture’s industrial product; the processing of petroleum and coal accounted for 15 percent of the total, ferrous metallurgy for 13.5 percent, machine building for 12 percent, and food processing for 9 percent. Other industries include nonferrous metallurgy and the production of cement and glass. The Shunan industrial region, whose principal cities are Hofu, Tokuyama, and Kudamatsu, includes plants for the petrochemical, machine-building, and metallurgical industries.

Approximately 12 percent of the prefecture is under cultivation. Of this total, more than half is devoted to rice paddies, which yield a harvest of 214,000 tons. Vegetables and fruits are cultivated, and livestock are raised. Fishing is also of considerable importance. Shimonoseki, one of Japan’s largest fishing ports, is located in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

a city in Japan, in the southwestern part of the island of Honshu. Capital of Yamaguchi Prefecture. Population, 103,000 (1973). Yamaguchi is a transportation center. Its industries include machine building, nonferrous metallurgy, and the manufacture of chemical products, food products, textiles, and leather goods.