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Arao, Kumamoto

Coordinates: 32°59′12″N 130°25′59″E / 32.98667°N 130.43306°E / 32.98667; 130.43306
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Arao
荒尾市
Mitsui Miike Coal MineGreenland Amusement Park
Miyazaki Brother's houseArao Tidal Flats
Flag of Arao
Official seal of Arao
Map
Location of Arao in Kumamoto Prefecture
Arao is located in Japan
Arao
Arao
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 32°59′12″N 130°25′59″E / 32.98667°N 130.43306°E / 32.98667; 130.43306
CountryJapan
RegionKyushu
PrefectureKumamoto
Government
 • MayorAsada Toshihiko
Area
 • Total57.37 km2 (22.15 sq mi)
Population
 (July 31, 2024)
 • Total49,334
 • Density860/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address390 Kunai-Deme, Arao-shi, Kumamoto-ken 864-8686
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
BirdKentish plover
FishJapanese mud shrimp
FlowerPyraspyrifolia
TreePine
Arao City Hall
Manda shaft (万田坑) of the Miike coal mine

Arao (荒尾市, Arao-shi) is a city in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 July 2024, the city had an estimated population of 49,334 in 24092 households, and a population density of 860 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 57.37 km2 (22.15 sq mi).

Geography

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Arao is located in northwest Kumamoto Prefecture, about 40 kilometers northwest of Kumamoto City. It is bordered by Fukuoka Prefecture to the north and the Ariake Sea to the west.

Neighboring municipalities

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Fukuoka Prefecture

Kumamoto Prefecture

Climate

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Arao has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Arao is 16.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1932 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.3 °C.[2]

Demographics

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Per Japanese census data, the population of Arao is as shown below

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1950 67,202—    
1960 64,394−4.2%
1970 55,452−13.9%
1980 61,485+10.9%
1990 59,507−3.2%
2000 56,905−4.4%
2010 55,321−2.8%
2020 50,832−8.1%

History

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The area of Arao was part of ancient Higo Province, During the Edo Period it was part of the holdings of Kumamoto Domain. After the Meiji restoration, the village of Arao was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on April 1, 1919. On April 1, 1942 Arao merged with the villages of Ariake, Hirai, Yahata, and Fumoto to form the city of Arao.

Government

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Arao has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 18 members. Arao contributes one member to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Kumamoto 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

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Arao was once a large coal mining town, but it has since lost a great deal of its population, due to the closing of the mine in 1997. Until the Pacific War, the city was home to the Tokyo Second Army Arsenal Arao Factory (a vast gunpowder and explosives factory covering an area of approximately 33 million square meters and stretching 2.5 miles. Arao's political concentration is on tourism, to try to lure people back to this once heavily populated land. As for agricultural products, the Arao nashi pear is a fruit product grown widely in this town. The pear is round, brown and about the size of a bowling ball. Mandarin oranges are also widely cultivated. Due to the aging of producers, in recent years, efforts have been made to produce olives and olive oil.

One notable local product of this city is Shōdai ware, an art form almost completely exclusive to Arao, involving slow kilning and under glazing.

Education

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Arao has ten public elementary schools and three public junior high schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school. The prefecture also operates two schools for the handicapped.

Transportation

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Railways

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JR Kyushu - Kagoshima Main Line

JA Arao - Minami-Arao

Highways

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Notable people from Arao

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References

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  1. ^ "Arao City official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ^ Arao climate: Average Temperature, weather by month
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Media related to Arao, Kumamoto at Wikimedia Commons