Prefectures of Japan
The prefectures are often grouped into these nine regions (Chihō). The regions are not formally specified, they do not have elected officials, and they are not corporate bodies.  However, the practice of ordering prefectures based on their geographic region is traditional.  This ordering is mirrored in Japan's International Organization for Standardization (ISO) coding.  From north to south, the prefectures of Japan and their commonly associated regions are listed in traditional and in ISO 3166-2:JP order: