Mie Prefecture Local Guide Biz

Geography and population of Mie Prefecture

Mie Prefecture, which belongs to the Chubu region (or Kinki region), borders Aichi Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Shiga Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Nara Prefecture, and Wakayama Prefecture, and is located almost in the middle of Japan. The population is about 1.74 million (January 2023), and the prefectural capital is Tsu City, and the population of the city is about 280,000. The area of Mie Prefecture, which has an elongated shape (170 km from north to south, 80 km from east to west), is 5776 km², and the area is roughly divided into the following five. In the Hokusei area, there are famous places such as “Mt. Gozaisho”, “Nagashima Spa Land” and “Suzuka Circuit”. In the Nakanansei area, there are historical sites such as “Saigu Ruins” and “Samurai Residences” of Japan Heritage. As the name suggests, the Iga area is also famous for “Ueno Castle Ruins” and “Iga-ryu Ninja Museum”. In the Ise-Sima area, there is “Ise Jingu Shrine”, which is also famous for the G7 Ise-Shima Summit held in 2016. In the Higashi Kishu area, there is “Kumano Kodo” which was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, and it is an area where the original scenery of Japan remains. Mie is called a beautiful country (Umakuni) because it is blessed with nature, culture, and seafood. The population is about 1.74 million (as of January 2023), and the prefectural capital is Tsu City, with a population of about 280,000. Yokkaichi City has the largest population in the prefecture, with approximately 310,000. Mie’s population ranks 22nd in Japan, and in the Chubu region it ranks 5th after Aichi, Shizuoka, Nagano and Gifu. (2021 Population Ranking by Prefecture)

The GDP of Mie Prefecture is 8,261.98 billion yen (fiscal 2018), which is ranked 19th out of 47 prefectures (GDP ranking by prefecture), showing an increase of 2.8% (6th in the country) compared to the previous year. The industry in Mie Prefecture is the first industry such as agriculture, forestry, and production value of green tea such as Ise tea is the third largest in the country. In the terms of marine products, there are many other top items nationwide, such as Japanese Spiny Lobster and Pearl. In animal husbandry, there are also world-famous Matsuzaka beef and Iga beef, and “Mie pork” which is a unified brand in the prefecture. In industry, there are many shipments of manufacturing products such as Yokkaichi Cominato, which is the base that supports the economy of Mie Prefecture, and transportation equipment such as Honda and Toyota, and Mie Prefecture accounts for a large proportion of manufacturing industry compared to the whole country. As for the ratio by industry such as manufactured goods shipment value, the transportation machinery and equipment manufacturing industry is the largest at 25.5%, followed by electronic circuit manufacturing, and chemical industry, and these top three industries account for about 51% of the prefecture’s total. In the electronic components, devices, and electronic circuit manufacturing industry, Mie Prefecture’s manufacturing shipment value, etc. is ranked first in the country.

In terms of tourism, the number of Japanese travelers to Mie Prefecture in 2019 (both inside and outside the prefecture) was 17.55 million for accommodation and day trips. This is the 15th out of 47 prefectures nationwide (Ranking of 47 prefectures for Japanese and foreigners visiting Japan), and the unit price of consumption is 19,000 yen. On the other hand, the number of foreign visitors to Japan is 223,000, ranked 31st out of 47 prefectures, which seems to be less attractive and well-known for foreigners. However, the unit price of consumption for foreigners is 44,000 yen, more than double the consumption of Japanese. There are many tourism resources in Mie. For visiting historical sites such as “Ise Jingu Shrine” and “Kumano Kodo”, cultural tours such as “Ama-san” which was popular on TV and “Iga Ninja” andispensable for foreigners traveling to Japan. There are also many Mie brands such as Ise shrimp and Matsuzaka beef, so you can enjoy it as a gourmet trip. In addition, it makes you feel like you are in a southern country such as “Ise Shima Skyline” where you can overlook the beautiful Ise Bay where the islands float, ‘Oza Shirahama Beach” and “Chidorigahama Beach” with white sandy beaches and outstanding transparency. In addition, Nagashima Spa Land, a theme park that you can’t play in a day, is one of the largest amusement parks in Japan! Japan’s largest outlet park “Jazz Dream Nagashima” is also one of the tourism resources.