is a rural

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

located in southeastern

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the no ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. As of July 2012, the district had an estimated population of 48,832 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 116 persons per km². The total area was 420.78 km². The district formerly included the cities of

Fujiyoshida is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 48,782 in 19,806 households and a population density of 400 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Fujiyoshida lies at the northern ...

, Tsuru and a portion of the city of

Uenohara is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 23,158 in 9987 households, and a population density of 140 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Uenohara is located in the extre ...

. It currently consists of the following two towns and four villages: *

Fujikawaguchiko is a town located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 26,542 in 10618 households, and a population density of 170 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Fujikawaguchiko is located in so ...

* Nishikatsura * Dōshi * Narusawa * Oshino * Yamanakako

History

Minamitsuru District was founded during the early

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

establishment of the municipalities system on July 22, 1878 and initially consisted of 21 villages.

Recent mergers

*On November 15, 2003 - the town of Kawaguchiko, and the villages of Katsuyama and Ashiwada merged to form the town of

*On February 13, 2005 - the village of

Akiyama Akiyama (written: lit. "autumn mountain") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, general in the Imperial Japanese Army and considered father of the Japanese Cavalry *Denis Akiyama (1952–2018), Japanese-Canadian actor ...

merged with the town of

, from Kitatsuru District, to form the new city of

. *On March 1, 2006 - the town of

absorbed parts of the village of Kamikuishiki, from Nishiyatsushiro District. Districts in Yamanashi Prefecture 1878 establishments in Japan {{Yamanashi-geo-stub