In this study, social capital in each Japanese prefecture was rated using official statistics in a latent factor analysis. Social capital was defined in this investigation as the degree of stable governance for safety and security, wealth in both spiritual and material terms, and social participation and networks. Social capital was thus measured as a single common latent factor that affected the degree of performance using such data as the number of murders, the number of suicides, male lifespan, gross prefectural product (GPP), fiscal robustness (budget), unemployment levels, amount of voter turnout in House of Representative election and the number of divorces.

Social capital was confirmed as a single common latent factor that exerted a direct effect on the social statistics for the years 1965 - 2010. The average regression-based scores (the Studentized regression residuals) for the number of divorces, and the amount of unemployment and livelihood aid can be used as a proxy statistic representing social capital in Japanese prefectures.