Hekinan, Aichi

is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 72,864 in 29,139 households, and a population density of 1,986 persons per km². The total area of the city was .

Geography

Hekinan is located in south-central Aichi Prefecture, and is surrounded by Lake Aburagafuchi, the Yahagi River, Kinuura Bay, and Mikawa Bay. Most of the city area lies on reclaimed ground, with an average elevation of under seven meters above sea level.

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 Hekinan is 15.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1609 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.6 °C.

Gamagōri, Aichi is the closet point that measures climate information.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Hekinan has been increasing steadily over the past 50 years.

Surrounding municipalities

;Aichi Prefecture
*Anjō
* Takahama
*Nishio

History

Ancient history

The area is part of ancient Mikawa Province.

Early modern period

Under then Edo period, Tokugawa Shogunate, much of what is now Hekinan was part of the holdings of Numazu Domain, with the remainder being ''tenryō'' territory under direct control of the shogunate.

Late modern period

Widespread rioting occurred in the area against the new Meiji government and its policy of ''shinbutsu bunri'' in 1871.
The area was organized into towns and villages within Hekikai District by the Meiji period establishment of the modern municipalities system in 1889.

Contemporary history

;Showa period
The towns of Ohama, Shinkawa and Tanao, and the village of Asahi merged on April 5, 1948, to form the city of Hekinan As it is located on the southern (南) part of Hekikai District (碧海郡), the city was named .
Hekinan was the tenth city founded in Aichi Prefecture. Since it had harbors and rails, the city developed quickly after Pacific War.

On April 1, 1955, one part of the village of Meiji, which is currently called Nishibata, was incorporated into Hekinan.

On September 26, 1959, Typhoon Vera also known as the "Isewan Typhoon" heavily damaged the city.

On July 14, 1974, Rinkai Kōen Pool or also known as Kinuura Mammoth Pool was opened.

Because the city reclaimed the seaside for industrial purposes in 1960's, Hekinan opened this pool for people who complained about losing their beautiful beach.

On May 23, 1988, Hekinan Municipal Hospital was opened.
;Heisei period
In 1993, Hekinan Thermal Power Station was created by Chubu Electric Power on the reclaimed ground.
This provides high tax revenue to the city.
On August 17, 2003, since the facility of the Rinkai Kōen Pool became old and the number of the visitors of the pool was reduced, the city shut down the pool.
Instead, the city created Hekinan Rinkai Park on the same place.

Government

Hekinan has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 22 members, which is considerably higher than other cities of similar size. The city contributes one member to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi District 13 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Hekinan is one of the wealthiest cities in Japan. Its financial capability index is 1.70. Automobile-related components, metal, tile, and food processing are the main industries in the city. In 2006 the number of factories was 463 with 16,778 workers. The value of shipments was 84,356,533 million yen in total in 2006. The Hekinan Thermal Power Station is one of largest thermal power plants in the world.

Primary sector of the economy

Agriculture

Even though only 4% of the population of Hekinan engage in agriculture, one-quarter of the area is farmland. The main products are carrots, onions, potatoes and figs. Anjo and Hekinan are the largest producer of figs in Japan.

Secondary sector of the economy

Manufacturing

*Automobile
In 2010, there were 9,148 people working in this industry, shipping products worth 47,058,959 yen which is more than half of the amount of shipments in the city. Toyota Industries is the biggest company for the industry in the city. There were 1,722 Toyota employees in Hekinan, or about 10% of the total industrial workers in the city in 2010.
*Ceramic tile
One remarkable industry in the city is related to ceramic roofing tiles. Hekinan is one of the cities that produce '' Sanshu kawara'', a well-known regional brand. In Japan, 58 per cent of tiles, which is about 50,000,000 tiles, are ''Sanshu kawara''.

Education

Hekinan has seven public elementary schools and five public junior high schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.

High schools

* Hekinan High School
* Hekinan Technical High School

Middle schools

* Hekinan Shinkawa Middle School
* Hekinan Chūō Middle School
* Hekinan Nishibata Middle School
* Hekinan Higashi Middle School
* Hekinan Minami Middle School

Elementary schools

* Hekinan Ōhama Elementary School
* Hekinan Shinkawa Elementary School
* Hekinan Tanao Elementary School
* Hekinan Chūō Elementary School
* Hekinan Nishibata Elementary School
* Hekinan Nisshin Elementary School
* Hekinan Washizuka Elementary School

International schools

* Escola Alegria de Saber

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