is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in Saitama Prefecture,

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 ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 52,431 in 21,997 households 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 2100 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Shiraoka is located slightly south of the center of the Kanto Plain in the flatlands eastern Saitama Prefecture and has an almost flat terrain. The highest point in the city is 16 meters above sea level. The Motoara River runs along the city border with Hasuda. Shiraoka is approximately 40 kilometers from downtown Tokyo.,

Surrounding municipalities

* Saitama Prefecture ** Kasukabe ** Saitama ** Kuki **

Hasuda is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 61,540 in 27,461 households and a population density of 2300 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Located in east-central Saitama Pr ...

** Miyoshi

Climate

Shiraoka has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shiraoka is 14.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1352 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.77 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Shiraoka has increased from the 1980s.

History

The villages of Shinozu and Oyama were created within Minamisaitama District, Saitama with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. On September 1, 1965 Shinozu and the neighboring village of Hikachi, together with a part of Oyama merged to form the town of Shiraoka. Shiraoka was elevated to city status on October 1, 2012.白岡町：来年１０月１日、白岡市発足へ町議会が可決
by Mainichi Shimbun, December 9, 2011

Government

Shiraoka has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

city council of 18 members. Shiraoka, together with the town of

Miyashiro is a town located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 33,823 in 15,234 households and a population density of 2100 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography Miyashiro is located in centra ...

, contributes one member to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of

Saitama 13th district , the House of Representatives of Japan is elected from a combination of multi-member districts and single-member districts, a method called Parallel voting. Currently, 176 members are elected from 11 multi-member districts (called proportional r ...

of the lower house of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Economy

Shiraoka remains primarily an agricultural community; however due to its location, it is increasingly becoming a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for neighboring Saitama City and the Tokyo metropolis.

Education

Shiraoka has six public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

JR East –

Utsunomiya Line The Utsunomiya Line ( ja, 宇都宮線, ) is the name given to a 163.5 kilometer section of the Tōhoku Main Line between Tokyo Station in Tokyo and Kuroiso Station in Nasushiobara, Tochigi, Japan. It is part of the East Japan Railway Compan ...

* -

Highway

* * *

Local attractions

*Shiraoka Hachiman-gu

Noted people from Shiraoka

Hiroshi Narahara is a former Japanese professional baseball player and currently second squad manager for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Seibu Lions, Nippon-Ham Fighters/Hokkaido Nippon-H ...

, professional baseball player * Yusuke Suzuki, professional soccer player

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Saitama Prefecture Shiraoka, Saitama