[4] During the Sengoku period, the Nagao clan, who were at times vassals to the Uesugi, ruled a fief in the western part of modern Niigata from Kasugayama Castle.

A freighter from North Korea visits Niigata once a month, in one of the few forms of direct contact between Japan and that country.

The Etsuzankai organization, led by the politician Kakuei Tanaka, was highly influential in bringing infrastructure improvements to Niigata Prefecture in the 1960s and 1970s.

These included the Jōetsu Shinkansen high-speed rail line and the Kanetsu Expressway to Tokyo.

Also in 2006, a massive tsunami and earthquake damaged homes and caused casualties in the maritime areas of Niigata Prefecture, especially near Sado Island.

Niigata Prefecture hosts the Fuji Rock Festival, an annual event held at the Naeba ski resort.

Niigata Prefecture could be placed in either the Hokuriku or the Kōshinetsu, both of which are considered parts of the Chūbu region.

The prefecture is generally divided into four geographical areas: Jōetsu region (上越) in the south, Chūetsu (中越) in the center, Kaetsu (下越) in the north, and Sado Island.

Crude oil is produced in Niigata Prefecture, although Japan relies heavily on petroleum imported from other countries.

Niigata Prefecture may have been the first area in Japan to produce knitted textiles, although the earliest products may have been imported from China.

A nuclear power plant, which formerly had the highest energy output in the world,[citation needed] is located in the tiny village of Kariwa.