Iwaki, Fukushima


Iwaki is a city located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan., Iwaki had a population of 337,765 in 143,500 households, and population density of 270 persons per km². The total area of the city is, making it the largest city in the prefecture and the 10th largest city in Japan in terms of area. Iwaki is a designated core city, and is also one of the growing number of cities written in hiragana. The present Iwaki City started as the merger of 14 smaller municipalities on October 1, 1966. Every year, Iwaki hosts the Taira Tanabata Festival from 6–8 August.

Geography and climate

The city is located at the southeastern end of Tōhoku region and borders on Ibaraki Prefecture. The city occupies around 8.9 percent of the total area of Fukushima Prefecture. The eastern part of the city is made up of of coastline which faces the Pacific Ocean and the western part goes through the Abukuma highlands and joins up with the central part of Fukushima Prefecture. The western part is a range of mountains and forests, occupies about 70 percent of the city. The rivers which flow to the east from the mountains have riverbeds with steep inclines which form the deep valleys of the Natsuigawa Gorge and the Shidokigawa Gorge. The flatter eastern part of the city is where most of the population is located. There are seven beaches on the coastline. Off the coast of Iwaki, the warm Kuroshio Current and the cold Oyashio Current meet and make for an abundant fishing ground. The city's flag and seal depict the meeting of these two currents. The prevailing winds from the ocean are warm and wet.

Neighboring municipalities

Iwaki is situated in a temperate climate zone and has a moderate climate. The city's average temperature is and its average annual precipitation is. The highest recorded temperature in the city is, and the lowest recorded temperature is. The average year has 14.4 days with a high temperature over and only 3.1 days with a low temperature below, which is smaller compared to other Japanese cities. The city is rarely hit by typhoons, and experiences only 0.7 days with more than of snowfall in the average year. The duration of bright sunshine is 2058.1 hours in average year.

Natural environment

Per Japanese census data, the population of Iwaki remained relatively steady over the past 60 years.

History

The area of present-day Iwaki was part of ancient Mutsu Province. The forms いわき, 石城, 岩城, 巖城, 巌城, and 磐城 are all ways of writing "Iwaki", which means "rocky castle". Under the Nara period Taika Reform of 645 AD, the central government formed "Iwaki district " in the northern part of the present city and "Kikuta district " in the southern part. In 653, the Iwaki district incorporated part of Taga Province and became Iwaki district. In 718, Iwaki Province was formed, which was composed of five districts with Mutsu Province: Iwaki, Shineha, Namekata, Uta, Watari and Kikuta which was given from Hitachi Province. Shineha was the present Naraha. Namekata and Uta were the present Sōma. Watari was the present Watari, Miyagi. The area of the present Iwaki City was composed of Kikuta and Iwaki. The Yamato government constructed the Nakoso barrier around 708 AD against possible invasion by the Emishi tribes in the north.
In the late 11th century, the Iwaki clan of Hitachi Province invaded Iwaki district and divided it into four districts of Yoshima, Iwasaki, Iwaki, Naraha. The clan ruled the area from the Kamakura period to the end of the Sengoku period. In 1600, Iwaki Sadataka opposed Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Battle of Sekigahara and as a result, the Iwaki clan was deposed. Torii Tadamasa was appointed as daimyō of Iwakitaira Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate, with an assessed kokudaka of 100,000 koku and constructed Iwakitaira Castle. The domain covered only a portion of what is now Iwaki city: other parts of the city were under the control of Izumi Domain and Yunagaya Domain. All three domains joined the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei during the Bakumatsu period in support of the Tokugawa against the Satchō Alliance during the Boshin War, but following the Meiji Restoration, and the 1871 Abolition of the han system The new Meiji government created Iwakitaira Prefecture, Yunagaya Prefecture and Izumi Prefecture, which were incorporated to Iwamae Prefecture and to the current Fukushima Prefecture. In 1896, Iwaki Bank and Taira Bank were established.
In 1897, the Japanese Government Railway filled in the inner moat of Iwakidaira Castle and built Taira Station. The Jōban coalfield, the largest coalfield in Honshū and the nearest to the Japanese capital Tokyo, was developed, and the population of Taira increased to support the exploitation of the coalfield. The Jōban Line was made for the haulage of the coal. Iwaki's fishery, forestry and agricultural sectors also developed from this time. After World War II, the Jōban coalfield was closed. The same natural hot springs that were troublesome to the coal miners were put to good use and a hot springs resort was developed Spa Resort Hawaiians.
The present city was incorporated on October 1, 1966, with the merger of 14 municipalities. The cities were Taira, Uchigō, Iwaki, Nakoso, and Jōban ; the towns, Yotsukura, Tōno, Ogawa and Hisanohama ; and the five villages were Yoshima, Miwa, Tabito, Kawamae and Ōhisa. Taira was chosen as the location for the city hall and other administrative offices and continues to function as the centre of Iwaki. In April 1979, an "Iwaki Number" as an automobile number plate was introduced.
On April 1, 1999, the city was designated a core city with increased autonomy from the prefectural government.
On 11 March 2011, the city was struck by an earthquake and followed by a tsunami. By 20 May 2011, 303 were dead and 82 still missing.

Government

Iwaki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 37 members. The city contributes 10 members to the Fukushima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, Iwaki is part of the Fukushima 5th District for a seat in the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Mayors

Iwaki is a decentralised city created the merger of 14 municipalities . The cities were Taira, Uchigō, Iwaki, Nakoso, and Jōban; the towns, Yotsukura, Tōno, Ogawa and Hisanohama; and the five villages were Yoshima, Miwa, Tabito, Kawamae and Ōhisa.
The central area of Iwaki is the former city of Taira, which has Iwaki City Hall, Iwaki City Lyceum, Iwaki Station, etc. Onahama and Yumoto were annexed by Iwaki in 1954, prior to the 1966 merger. Yumoto is home to Iwaki Yumoto Onsen, one of the oldest onsen in Japan, with many ryokan hotels. It is also home to Spa Resort Hawaiians, a spa resort which draws 1.5 million visitors per year and was the subject of the 2006 movie Hula Girls. Onahama is a port town where many factories, fisheries and port facilities are located. There is also an aquarium, some beaches and seaside restaurants.
There are thirteen zones within the city.
ZonePopulationHouseholdsArea Population density
Taira99,90138,685109.88909.18
Onahama77,85729,18287.64888.37
Nakoso51,78318,651104.74494.39
Jōban35,90413,55048.23744.43
Uchigō28,21411,46231.62892.28
Yotsukura15,6865,28463.73246.13
Tōno6,4041,913104.5361.26
Ogawa7,5672,481112.4967.26
Yoshima13,5975,31926.69509.44
Miwa3,6761,107214.9017.10
Tabito2,117713158.0713.39
Kawamae1,448509116.4412.43
Hisanohama, Ōhisa5,9651,95852.38113.87
Total350,119130,8141,231.34284.33

As of October 1, 2007

Economy

The main foundations of economy are industry and agriculture. In particular, Iwaki is a centre for manufacturing machinery, wood based products and chemicals. The industrial production of Iwaki City is #1 in Tōhoku region. Iwaki is rich in sightseeing resources and 7.64 million tourists visit annually. Within Fukushima prefecture, the industrial and sightseeing center is Iwaki, while the political center is Fukushima city. The Nakoso Thermal Power Station, a large coal-fired thermal power station is located in Iwaki.
Statistics

Major companies with head offices in Iwaki

Import and export

Onahama Port

Transportation

Surrounded by the ocean and mountains, Iwaki is more closely connected to Mito in neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture than to the Nakadōri region of Fukushima, including Kōriyama or the prefectural capital of Fukushima). Iwaki is 75 km from Kōriyama, 150 km from Sendai and 95 km from Mito. The Jōban Line runs north and south in the city. The central station is Iwaki Station, which is also a terminus for the East Ban'etsu Line which links Iwaki to Kōriyama].

Railway

– Jōban Line
JR East – Ban'etsu East Line
Fukushima Rinkai Railway Main Line

City buses

is located within the city.

Public institutions

Taira

Universities and Colleges

Iwaki has 16 public high schools operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education. There is one private high school and three private combined middle/high schools. The prefecture also operates three special education schools within Iwaki.
;Public
;Private
Iwaki has 39 public junior high schools. There are three private combined junior/senior high schools. The city also operates 67 public elementary schools.
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Television

Japanese sister cities