Local News

Kumamoto City officially became a “government-ordinance city” on April 1, giving it some of the governmental authority of a Japanese prefecture. It is the 10th such city nationwide, and the first new designation since Sagamihara, Kanagawa, in 2010. It is also the third such city in Kyushu after Kitakyushu and Fukuoka City, and the first new one since the latter city in 1972. A total of 317 functions will be transferred from Kumamoto Prefecture to the city.