Japan’s Ishikawa Pref. Expanded in Quake, Now Larger Than Fukui Pref.; Such Changes Considered Rare

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:15 JST, September 27, 2025

Ishikawa Prefecture is now larger than neighboring Fukui Prefecture, according to the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, with the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake causing coastal uplift and other effects that expanded its area.

Ishikawa Prefecture now ranks 34th in area among Japan’s prefectures, while Fukui Prefecture has dropped to 35th.

A change in area rankings due to crustal movement is considered unusual.

The earthquake, which occurred in January last year, caused an 85-kilometer stretch of the northern coastline of the Noto Peninsula to rise, creating new land in some areas.

The GSI used aerial photographs to measure the area of the newly formed land and, in June this year, updated an electronic map used for area calculation.

Based on the updated data, the area of Ishikawa Prefecture has increased by 4.74 square kilometers from the previous measurement to 4,190.94 square kilometers, overtaking Fukui Prefecture’s 4,190.59 square kilometers.

By municipality, the increase in area was 2.78 square kilometers in Wajima, 1.72 square kilometers in Suzu and 0.24 square kilometers in Shika.

The prefectural area rankings also changed in 1988, when Osaka Prefecture surpassed Kagawa Prefecture due to expanded land reclamation and other factors.

“Coastal uplift from the earthquake was certainly significant, but Ishikawa and Fukui prefectures were originally very close in area, which is why this kind of reversal could occur,” a GSI official explained.