From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprefecturepre‧fec‧ture /ˈpriːfektʃʊə $ -tʃər/ noun [countable] PGa large area which has its own local government in some countries Saitama prefecture
Examples from the Corpus
prefecture• Acid levels high enough to affect plant growth were found in 41 prefectures.• Nagano prefecture, 400 kilometres north west of Tokyo, is a mountainous area famous for its snow and extensive skiing facilities.• An identical opposition coalition had backed the victorious Rengo-no-kai candidate in the Nara prefecture by-election on Feb. 9.• Nine prefectures have forced officials to return money.• Protesters, including sympathetic farmers and shopkeepers, placed a symbolic coffin in front of Quimper's prefecture, or local government office.• Offices will be in Osaka and in Shiga prefecture.• They haven't revived the economy, and many are so blatantly political that some prefectures have started to refuse them.• High schools are paid for by the prefecture, but their curriculum is vetted by the capital. 