
is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
located in
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. , the town had an estimated
population
Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
of 39,763 and a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...
of 1200 persons per km
2.
The total area of the town is .
Geography
Aikawa is located in the foothills of northern
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...
. The Nakatsu River, a tributary of the
Sagami River
The is a river in Kanagawa and Yamanashi Prefectures on the island of Honshū, Japan.
The upper reaches of the river in Yamanashi prefecture are also sometimes known as the , and the portion near the river mouth as the . The river overall was ...
, flows through. A portion of the
Tanzawa Mountains
The are a mountain range in the Kantō region in Japan. The mountain range covers the northwestern part of Kanagawa Prefecture and touches the prefecture borders of Shizuoka Prefecture to the west and the Yamanashi Prefecture to the north.
Mou ...
can be found in the western part of the town.
Miyagase Dam, a major source of hydroelectric power, is situated on the Nakatsu River. The highest mountain in Aikawa is Mount Takatori.
Neighboring municipalities
Kanagawa Prefecture
*
Atsugi
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 223,960 and a population density of 2400 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
While the name "Atsugi" is often associated with the United ...
*
Kiyokawa
*
Sagamihara
Climate
Aikawa has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Aikawa is 13.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1906 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.3 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Aikawa grew rapidly during the late 20th century and has plateaued in the 21st.
History
During the
Sengoku period
The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...
, the
Battle of Mimasetoge between the forces of
Takeda Shingen
was daimyō, daimyo of Kai Province during the Sengoku period of Japan. Known as "the Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyo of the late Sengoku period, and credited with exceptional military prestige. Shingen was based in a p ...
and the
later Hōjō clan
The was one of the most powerful samurai families in Japan in the Sengoku period and held domains primarily in the Kantō region. Their last name was simply , but were called "Later Hōjō" to differentiate between the earlier Hōjō clan who h ...
occurred on what is now Aikawa Town. During the
Edo period
The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
, the area was ''
tenryō
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.
The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil war ...
'' territory under direct control of the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.
The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
. After the
Meiji Restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...
, Aikawa village was founded on April 4, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. It was elevated to town status on April 1, 1940. The
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
established the Sagami Airfield in Aikawa, which was also adjacent to military factories in Sagamihara, an officer's training school in Zama, and numerous Army and Imperial Japanese Navy facilities in Atsugi and Yokohama. On January 15, 1955, Aikawa merged with neighboring Takamine Village and on September 30, 1956, with neighboring Nakatsu Village. In 1966, an
industrial park
An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...
was built on the site of the former airfield and military facilities.
Government
Aikawa 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 consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...
town council of 16 members. Aikawa, together with neighboring Kiyokawa, contributes one member to the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of
Kanagawa 16th district
Kanagawa 16th district is an electoral district for the Japanese House of Representatives located in Kanagawa Prefecture. The district covers the cities of Atsugi
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated ...
of the
lower house
A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...
of the
Diet of Japan
, transcription_name = ''Kokkai''
, legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet
, coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg
, house_type = Bicameral
, houses =
, foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...
.
Economy
Aikawa has a mixed economy, supported by agriculture and light/precision industries.
Makino Milling Machines has a factory in Aikawa, as does
Asahi Glass Co.,
NHK Spring Company,
Merck Pharmaceuticals and
Mitsubishi Motors
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. . The town also serves as 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
Sagamihara and
Atsugi
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 223,960 and a population density of 2400 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
While the name "Atsugi" is often associated with the United ...
.
Education
Aikawa has six public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.
Internationalization
Aikawa town has a population of just under 40,000, which is relatively small for a municipality in Kanagawa Prefecture, but the percentage of foreign residents is high. The percentage of foreign residents, approximately 7.5% of the total population, is the highest in Kanagawa Prefecture, ahead of other
international cities such as
Yokohama
is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
.
In addition to
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
and
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
, people from 48 countries and regions, including
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
n countries, have settled in Aikawa.
One reason for the large number of foreign residents in Aikawa is thought to be the demand for labor in the Aikawa Inland
Industrial Park
An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...
, one of the largest industrial parks in Kanagawa Prefecture, which was completed in 1966. In addition, the Planning and Policy Division of Aikawa Town cites the 1990 amendment to the Immigration Control Act as a turning point in the increase of foreign residents.
Despite the
Lehman Shock in 2008, the
Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, and the spread of the new coronavirus in 2020, the number of foreign residents in Aikawa has continued to increase.
A large Vietnamese Buddhist temple,
Chua Vietnam, is located in Aikawa Town. In addition to Chua Vietnam, there is also "the
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
n Cultural Center in Japan, which was planned as a
Theravada
''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...
Buddhist temple and cultural center for Cambodians living in Japan; "the
Lao Cultural Center in Japan", which is considered the only Lao Buddhist temple in Japan for Laotians living in Japan; and "Wat Rakhang Japan", a branch temple of
Wat Rakhang, known as the Bell Temple in Thailand for
Thai residents in Japan.
Transportation
Railway
Aikawa does not have any passenger railway service.
Highway
*
Noted people from Aikawa
*
Takanori Gomi
is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist who gained international fame in Pride Fighting Championships. Later in his career, Gomi also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is the only Pride FC Lightweight Champion in the ...
, martial artist
*
Hiroya, professional kick-boxer
*
Murray Sayle
Murray William Sayle (1 January 1926 – 19 September 2010) was an Australian journalist, novelist and adventurer.
A native of Sydney, Sayle moved to London in 1952. He was a foreign correspondent for ''The Sunday Times'' in the late 1960s an ...
, journalist
*
Daisuke Watanabe, actor
References
External links
Official Website
{{Authority control
Towns in Kanagawa Prefecture