Kihō
紀宝町
Kihō Town Office
Kihō Town Office
Flag of Kihō
Official seal of Kihō
Location of Kihō in Mie Prefecture
Location of Kihō in Mie Prefecture
Kihō is located in Japan
Kihō
Kihō
 
Coordinates: 33°44′N 136°0′E / 33.733°N 136.000°E / 33.733; 136.000
CountryJapan
RegionKansai
PrefectureMie
DistrictMinamimuro
Government
  MayorKen Nishida
Area
  Total79.62 km2 (30.74 sq mi)
Population
 (April 2021)
  Total10,818
  Density140/km2 (350/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- TreeQuercus
- FlowerCymbidium kanran, Narcissus
Phone number0735-33-0333
Address324 Minami-Udono, Kihō-chō, Minamimuro-gun, Mie-ken 519-5701
WebsiteOfficial website
Kihō Sea Turtle Park

Kihō (紀宝町, Kihō-chō) is a town located in Mie Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 April 2021, the town had an estimated population of 10,818 in 5,247 households and a population density of 140 persons per km².[1] The total area of the town is 79.62 square kilometres (30.74 sq mi).

Geography

Kihō is located near the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula, facing the Pacific Ocean, and is at the extreme southern point of Mie Prefecture, separated from Wakayama Prefecture by the Kumano River. Parts of the town are within the limits of the Yoshino-Kumano National Park. A portion of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is located within Kihō.

Neighboring municipalities

Mie Prefecture

Wakayama Prefecture

Climate

Kihō has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kihō is 16.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2596 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.1 °C.[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Kihō has remained relatively steady over the past 70 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 9,453    
1930 8,577−9.3%
1940 8,825+2.9%
1950 11,546+30.8%
1960 11,685+1.2%
1970 10,899−6.7%
1980 12,177+11.7%
1990 12,919+6.1%
2000 12,824−0.7%
2010 11,897−7.2%

History

The area of Kihō was part of the holdings of the Kii Tokugawa clan, administered as part of the Kii-Shingū Domain in the Edo period. After the Meiji restoration, the area was organized into the villages of Ida, Mifune, and Onodani within Minamimuro District of Mie Prefecture. The town of Kihō was established on October 31, 1951 by the merger of these three villages. On January 10, 2006 the village of Udono also from Minamimuro District, was merged into Kihō.

Government

Kihō has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 14 members. Kihō, collectively with the city of Kumano and town of Mihama, contributes two members to the Mie Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Mie 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Kihō serves as a commercial center for the surrounding region. Hokuetsu Paper Mills is a major industrial employer.

Education

Kihō has seven public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the city government. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

JR TōkaiKisei Main Line

Highway

Local attractions

  • Sea Turtle Park
  • Kiho Canyons (Canyoning Tours)
  • Ozato Water Park
  • Udono Castle ruins
  • Udono Shrine
  • Hisetsu Falls

References

  1. "Kuho town official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. Kihō climate data
  3. Kihō population statistics

Media related to Kihō, Mie at Wikimedia Commons

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