For example, Ryukyu was a dependent state of the Satsuma domain (the Ryukyu Kingdom); however, at the time of the Meiji restoration the Japanese government made it 'Ryukyu Province'; and after having been annexed to Kagoshima Prefecture in 1871, Ryukyu was separated from Kagoshimas Prefecture in 1879 and became Okinawa Prefecture.
一例を挙げると、琉球は薩摩藩の付庸国（琉球王国）であったが、明治維新に際して令制国「琉球国」を新設の後、1871年に鹿児島県への編入を経て1879年に分割され、沖縄県となった。