290px, Bonotsu coast from Kishinkan is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located in

Kagoshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,527,019 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 9,187 Square kilometre, km2 (3,547 Square m ...

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 city 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 31,397 in 16,779 households, 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 110 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Minamisatsuma is located at the southwestern tip of the

Satsuma Peninsula The Satsuma Peninsula (薩摩半島 ''Satsuma-hantō'') is a peninsula which projects south from the southwest part of Kyūshū Island, Japan. To the west lies the East China Sea, while to the east it faces the Ōsumi Peninsula across Kagoshima ...

, and faces the

East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...

. In the northwest of the city is Fukiagehama, one of the three largest sand dune areas in Japan, and in the southwest is a ria coast which is designated as a national scenic spot. Off the coast of the East China Sea are the uninhabited Uji Islands and Kusakaki Islands, which are within the city borders.

Surrounding municipalities

Kagoshima Prefecture * Hioki *

Kagoshima , is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the ...

* Makurazaki *

Minamikyūshū file:Minamikyusyu City Hall.jpg, 290px, Minamikyūshū City Hall file:Chiran Fumoto 01.JPG, 290px, Chiran Historical Preservation District file:Route226 ja Ei 01.JPG, 290px, Japan National Route 226 in Ei is a Cities of Japan, city in Kagoshim ...

Climate

Minamisatsuma 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 climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfa'') with hot summers and mild winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, and is heavier in summer, especially in June and July. The average annual temperature in Minamisatsuma is . The average annual rainfall is with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . Its record high is , reached on 14 August 2024, and its record low is , reached on 11 February 1996.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Minamisatsuma in 2020 is 32,887 people. Minamisatsuma has been conducting censuses since 1920. The city's population peaked in 1945 at more than 90,000 people; the city's population has steadily declined since then. Until 2020, the city's population is still showing no signs of picking up.

History

Minamisatsuma is part of ancient

Satsuma Province was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Satsuma" in . Its abbreviation was . History Satsuma's provincial capital was Satsumasendai. Dur ...

and was part of the holdings of

Satsuma Domain The , briefly known as the , was a Han system, domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871. The Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province, the core of the modern city of ...

in 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 villages of Kaseda, Higashikaseda, Nishikaseda, and Seinangata in Kawabe District and Ata and Tabuse in Ata District were established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Kaseda was raised to town status on January 1, 1924. Higashikaseda became the town of Mansei on January 1, 1925. Nishikaseda (which had been renamed Kasasa in 1923) became the town Kasasa on November 10, 1940. It subsequent separated into Kasas and Oura towns on April 1, 1951. Kaseda and Mansei merged to form the city of Kaseda on July 15, 1954. Seinangata (which had been renamed Bozu in 1953) became the town of Bozu on November 1, 1955. Ata and Tabuse merged to form the town on Kinpo on September 30, 1956. The city of Minamisatsuma was established on November 7, 2005, from the merger of the city of Kaseda, with the town of Kinpō (from Hioki District), and the towns of Bonotsu, Kasasa and Ōura (all from Kawanabe District).

Kaseda

Kaseda (加世田市; -shi) was a

located in

. The city was founded on July 15, 1954. As of 2003, the city had an estimated

of 23,740 and the

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' (or ''d'') can also be u ...

of 251.56 persons per km². The total area was 94.37 km². On November 7, 2005, Bōnotsu, was merged to create Minamisatsuma and no longer exists as an independent

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Kinpō

was 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 Hioki District,

. As of 2003, the town had an estimated

of 8,099 and the

of 112.10 persons per km². The total area was 72.25 km². On November 7, 2005, Kinpō, was merged to create Minamisatsuma and no longer exists as an independent

Bonotsu

was a

located in Kawanabe District,

. As of 2003, the town had an estimated

of 4,387 and the

of 113.62 persons per km². The total area was 38.61 km². On November 7, 2005, Bōnotsu, was merged to create Minamisatsuma and no longer exists as an independent

Kasasa

was a

located in Kawanabe District,

. As of 2003, the town had an estimated

of 3,585 and the

of 89.89 persons per km². The total area was 39.88 km². On November 7, 2005, Bōnotsu, was merged to create Minamisatsuma and no longer exists as an independent

Ōura

was a

located in Kawanabe District,

. As of 2003, the town had an estimated

of 2,802 and the

of 73.37 persons per km². The total area was 38.19 km². On November 7, 2005, Bōnotsu, was merged to create Minamisatsuma and no longer exists as an independent

Government

Minamisatsuma 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 ...

city council of 17 members. Minamisatsuma contributes one member to the Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Kagoshima 2nd district 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

Minamisatsuma has a rural economy based on agriculture and commercial fishing.

Education

Minamisatsuma has ten public elementary schools, three public junior high schools and two combined public elementary/junior schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Kagoshima Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private combined high school.

Transportation

Railways

Following the closure of the Nansatsu Makurazaki Line in 1984, the city has been without passenger railway service. The nearest train stations are Taniyama Station or Makurazaki Station on the

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...

Ibusuki Makurazaki Line The is a railway line in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Kagoshima-Chūō Station in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Kagoshima, to Makurazaki Station in Makurazaki, Kagoshima, Makurazaki, paral ...

, or

Ijūin Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Hioki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu. Lines The station is served by the Kagoshima Main Line and is located 378.0 km from the starting point of the line at . ...

on the

Kagoshima Main Line The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) between Mojiko Station, Mojikō in Kitakyushu, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu. Until March 13, 2004, it ...

Highways

Minamikyushu Expressway * *

Sister cities

Cijin District Cijin District () is a district of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, covering Cijin Island () and islands in the South China Sea. It is the second smallest district in Kaohsiung City after Yancheng District, with an area of 1.4639 square kilometers, or 0.5 ...

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, friendship city since 2023

Local attractions

* Ata Shell Mound, National Historic Site * Bansei Tokkō Peace Museum is located in the Kawanabe neighborhood * Kakinohara Site, National Historic Site

References

External links

Minamisatsuma City official website
{{Authority control Cities in Kagoshima Prefecture Minamisatsuma, Kagoshima Populated coastal places in Japan