After 1869, the northern Japanese island became known as Hokkaido;[1] and regional administrative subdivisions were identified, including Kushiro Province.[2]
In 1882, the Hokkaido region was separated into three prefectures — Hakodate Prefecture (函館県), Sapporo Prefecture (札幌県), and Nemuro Prefecture (根室県). In 1886, the three prefectures were abolished, and Hokkaido was put under the Hokkaido Agency (北海道庁).[3] At the same time, Kushiro Province continued to exist for some purposes. For example, Kushiro is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 (a) between Japan and the United States and (b) between Japan and the United Kingdom.[4]
Timeline
1869—use of the name Hokkaido started[1]
August 15, 1869 Kushiro Province established with 7 districts
^Satow, Ernest. (1882). "The Geography of Japan" in Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, Vols. 1-2, p. 88., p. 33, at Google Books
^ a b c dHokkaido Regional Development Bureau, "History of Development in Hokkaido," Archived 2013-01-05 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2013-3-22.
^US Department of State. (1906). A digest of international law as embodied in diplomatic discussions, treaties and other international agreements (John Bassett Moore, ed.), Vol. 5, p. 759.
