 Per Japanese census data, the population of Jōetsu has declined steadily over the past 40 years.The "kanji" for Jōetsu combines "upward", "to surpass" and "city", which can be misleading as the city is located in the southwestern part of Niigata Prefecture, closer to Toyama and Nagano Prefectures, as opposed to more northern areas in Niigata.Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Echigo Province was divided into three sections.