Kagoshima Prefecture (鹿児島県, Kagoshima-ken) consists of the southernmost part of Kyushu and the northern half of the Nansei Shoto, the island group that stretches from Kyushu to Taiwan. The prefecture’s former name is Satsuma. Satsuma played a crucial role in realizing the Meiji Restoration at the beginning of the Meiji Period (1868-1912).