Blank map of Japan

The outline, free as a PNG, SVG or PDF. Label it, colour it in or drop it into a slide.

Using a blank map of Japan

Someone looking for a blank map of Japan is rarely after a finished sheet. They want the shape, in a format their own tool opens: a PNG for a slide, an SVG for a design, a PDF for a sheet. Outline only is the country with nothing inside, and With borders draws the 47 prefectures.

The shape in a design tool

Open the SVG of Outline only in Illustrator, Inkscape or Figma and the country is one shape. Fill it with a brand colour, add a heavy stroke for a cover or cut it into a template for a craft project. The With borders SVG gives you the prefectures as separate shapes, ready to recolour one at a time for an infographic.

A slide, a worksheet, a quiz

On a slide, the PNG with its transparent background lets Japan take the colour of your theme, with a few figures beside it. In a worksheet, import With borders, number ten prefectures and keep the list of prefectures further down this page as the answers. For a quick slide quiz, show Outline only with no title and ask the room which country it is before the name appears.

Choosing the version

The political blank map of Japan is the With borders version. Use Outline only when the prefecture lines would distract, as with a silhouette or a young child's colouring page. The PNG suits worksheets and slides, the SVG suits design work, and the PDF gives a single page on A4 or Letter.

Need names, a title or colour? Choose Customise this map or open the editable map of Japan. For the prefectures alone, see the blank map of the Japanese prefectures.

How to do it in MapMaker

Choose With borders to see the 47 prefectures, or Outline only for the country's shape.
Download the PNG for a slide or worksheet, the SVG for a design tool or a PDF, A4 or PDF, Letter.
Drop the file onto your page and scale it from a corner.
Use the list of prefectures on this page to check any quiz answers.
Choose Customise this map to add names or a title, and download from the editor.

The 47 prefectures on the map

A key for labelling the map by hand.

Aichi Prefecture
Akita Prefecture
Aomori Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
Ehime Prefecture
Fukui Prefecture
Fukuoka Prefecture
Fukushima Prefecture
Gifu Prefecture
Gunma Prefecture
Hiroshima Prefecture
Hokkaidō
Hyōgo Prefecture
Ibaraki Prefecture
Ishikawa Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
Kagawa Prefecture
Kagoshima Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
Kōchi Prefecture
Kumamoto Prefecture
Kyōto Prefecture
Mie Prefecture
Miyagi Prefecture
Miyazaki Prefecture
Nagano Prefecture
Nagasaki Prefecture
Nara Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
Ōita Prefecture
Okayama Prefecture
Okinawa Prefecture
Ōsaka Prefecture
Saga Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture
Shiga Prefecture
Shimane Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
Tochigi Prefecture
Tokushima Prefecture
Tokyo
Tottori Prefecture
Toyama Prefecture
Wakayama Prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
Yamaguchi Prefecture
Yamanashi Prefecture

Facts about Japan

Japan is in Eastern Asia. The capital is Tokyo. The population is about 130 million (2019 estimate). Japan has an area of about 373,000 km². The largest cities are Tokyo, Ōsaka, Yokohama, Nagoya and Fukuoka. Across the sea, its neighbours include Russia, South Korea and Taiwan. The map divides it into 47 prefectures.

Questions people ask

Is there a political blank map of Japan?

Yes. The With borders version draws the 47 prefectures with no names, and that is the political blank map of Japan. Outline only has no inner lines.

Which file should I use in a worksheet, a slide or a design?

Use the PNG in a worksheet or slide, because its background is transparent. Use the SVG in Illustrator, Inkscape or Figma. Choose the PDF when you want the outline on A4 or Letter.

Is there a blank map of Japan's prefectures on its own?

Yes. The blank map of the Japanese prefectures is a page of its own, with the prefectures as the main subject. This page is the country, in its two versions.

Does the blank map show the names of the prefectures?

No. A blank map has no names by definition. The list of prefectures further down this page is the key, so you can add the names yourself.