History
Japan established its first kōen (公園?) or public park in 1873 (Ueno Park). In 1911 local citizens petitioned that the shrines and forests of Nikkō be placed under public protection and in 1929 the National Parks Association was formed. In 1931 the first National Parks Law was passed and, after much study and survey, in March 1934 the first parks were established - Setonaikai, Unzen and Kirishima - with five more in December and a further three two years later. Ise-Shima was the first to be created after the war, and a further seven had been added by 1955. In 1957 the Natural Parks Law replaced the earlier National Parks Law, allowing for three categories of park, the National, Quasi-National, and Prefectural Natural Parks. With minor amendments this established the framework that operates today.
As of 16 March 2012, there were 30 National Parks and 56 Quasi-National Parks. The National Parks cover 20,869 km² (5.5% of the land area) while the Quasi-National Parks cover 13,614 km² (3.6% of land area). In addition, the 309 Prefectural Parks cover 19,608 km² (5.2% of the land area).
Read more about this topic: List Of National Parks Of Japan
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