Meiwa, Gunma

Meiwa (明和町, Meiwa-machi) is a town located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2020, the town had an estimated population of 11154 in 4303 households,[1] and a population density of 570 persons per km². The total area of the town is 19.64 square kilometres (7.58 sq mi).

Meiwa

明和町
Town
Meiwa town hall
Flag
Seal
Location of Meiwa in Gunma Prefecture
Meiwa
 
Coordinates: 36°12′40.6″N 139°32′3.2″E
CountryJapan
RegionKantō
PrefectureGunma
DistrictŌra
Area
 • Total19.64 km2 (7.58 sq mi)
Population
 (October 2020)
 • Total11,154
 • Density570/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- TreeBuxus microphylla
- FlowerChrysanthemum
Phone number0276-84-3117
Address250-1 Niisato, Meiwa-machi, Gunma-ken 370-0795
WebsiteOfficial website

Geography

Meiwa is located in the northern Kantō Plains in the extreme southern corner Gunma prefecture, bordered by Saitama Prefecture to the south. It is 11 km (7 mi) long from east to west and 3 km (2 mi) long from north to south. The Tone River passes through the town. Located only 60 kilometres (37 mi) from metropolitan Tokyo, many of its residents commute to Tokyo for work or schooling.

Surrounding municipalities

Gunma Prefecture

Saitama Prefecture

Climate

Meiwa has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by hot summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Meiwa is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1291 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.3 °C.[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Itakura has remained relatively steady over the past 60 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 8,191—    
1930 8,347+1.9%
1940 8,385+0.5%
1950 10,165+21.2%
1960 9,211−9.4%
1970 8,496−7.8%
1980 9,815+15.5%
1990 10,390+5.9%
2000 11,474+10.4%
2010 11,204−2.4%

History

The villages of Sanuki, Umeshima and Chieda were created within Ōra District, Gunma Prefecture on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration. On March 1, 1955, the three villages merged to form the village of Meiwa. Meiwa was raised to town status on October 1, 1998.

Government

Meiwa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members. Meiwa, together with the other municipalities in Ōra District contributes three members to the Gunma Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Gunma 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Meiwa is largely a bedroom community for Tokyo and nearby Tatebayashi. Agricultural products include Japanese Pear,[4] Kyoho Grapes,[4] Cyclamen, Carnation and Peach.

Education

Meiwa has two public elementary schools and one public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Gunma Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

Tōbu Railway – Tobu Isesaki Line

Highway

References
  1. "Meiwa Town official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. Meiwa climate data
  3. Itakura population statistics
  4. Gunma Prefecture Archived 2010-01-31 at the Wayback Machine Pear Production (in Japanese)

Media related to Meiwa, Gunma at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.