Nishio-The Daily Ledger

is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, in the Chūbu region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 169,984 in 65,553 households, with a population density of 1,054 persons per km². The total area of the city was . It is a regional commercial and manufacturing center and the country's leading producer of powdered green tea.

Geography

Nishio is situated on the northern coast of Mikawa Bay on the Pacific Ocean in southern Aichi Prefecture. The city lies along the eastern bank of the Yahagi River. Sheltered by Chita Peninsula and Atsumi Peninsula, the local climate is mild. Parts of the city lie within the borders of the Mikawa Wan Quasi-National Park

Nishio

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Nishio is 15.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1596 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.5 °C. Gamagōri, Aichi is the closest point that records statistical climate information.

Nishio

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Nishio has been increased steadily over the past 70 years.

Nishio

Surrounding Municipalities

Aichi prefecture

Anjō

Okazaki

Hekinan

Gamagōri

Kōta

History

Origin

The Mikawa area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, as attested by finds of pottery shards from the Jōmon period and the megalithic Kofun tomb in Kira, the oldest in the Mikawa Province.

Ancient history

The fertile plains along the Yahagi River have been used for rice-farming as well as the production of tea and cotton since ancient times. Shell mounds dating to the late Japanese Paleolithic period which have been found in what is today the town center also point to fish and seafood as important early local produce.

In Hazu, a shrine from the Nara period is evidence of an early cultural connection to the Japanese capital at the time. The soil around Nishio is rich in mica deposits, which was already mined in the Nara period.

Early modern period

During the 15th century Sengoku period, Nishio was the home territory for the Sakai clan, based at Nishio Castle. The area eventually came under the control of the Tokugawa clan, and during the Edo period, most of the area was ruled as the Nishio Domain, a minor fudai feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The area prospered as a fishing port, and due to its location on the Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto, although the town itself suffered heavy damage due to a tsunami in the 1707 Hōei earthquake.

Late modern period

Early in the Meiji period, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, Nishio was proclaimed a village in Hazu District in 1871. Following the 1891 Mino–Owari earthquake, a tsunami killed over 60 people. Nishio was elevated to town status on May 1, 1906. The town suffered damage in the 1944 Tōnankai earthquake, which killed 32 people, and the 1945 Mikawa earthquake, which killed 765.

Contemporary history

After the end of World War II, Nishio attracted many workers from the rural south of Japan and its population increased. In 1953, Nishio became a city with the annexation of neighboring Heisaka and Terazu towns and Fukuchi and Muroba villages; followed by Miwa and Meiji villages in 1955. In 1959, Typhoon Vera caused considerable damage to the area, with 20 people killed.

On April 1, 2011, the towns of Hazu, Isshiki and Kira (all from Hazu District) were merged into Nishio. Hazu District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

Government

Nishio has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 30 members. The city contributes two members to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi District 12 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Public Services

Administration

Nishio's City Hall is located in Chodacho, about half a mile to the south-east of Nishio Station. Its foreign residents section offers assistance in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and English.