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In the following dialogue, is the preposition necessary, assuming "where" is equal to a preposition plus a noun denoting a place.

A: Where did he go last week?

B: To Japan.

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No, it isn't necessary. Saying "Japan" would be equally acceptable.

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  • Are you a native?
    – Apollyon
    Commented Mar 29, 2023 at 9:54
  • Spoken English natively for 40 years, yes, and I have a degree in English Language. You? :)
    – equin0x80
    Commented Mar 29, 2023 at 10:16
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The answer to a question can be a fragment of almost any length, as long as it contains the necessary information, forms a contiguous piece of a grammatical sentence, and doesn't repeat part of the question.

In particular, some question words, including "where", imply a preposition, making the preposition optional, but allowed, in the answer. Both of your sentences are correct.

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  • Is this okay? A: Where is John. B: The living room.
    – Apollyon
    Commented Mar 30, 2023 at 2:02
  • @Apollyon Yes, that's okay.
    – the-baby-is-you
    Commented Mar 30, 2023 at 19:44

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