Karafuto Prefecture, derived from the Japanese Karafuto Chō (樺太廳/樺太庁,からふとちょう), was established by the Empire of Japan in 1907 to govern the southern part
Empire administered the southern half of Sakhalin, using the name Karafuto (樺太). The area was designated a chō (廳), the same term given to Hokkaidō at the