Kunimi (国見町, Kunimi-machi) is a town located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 January 2020, the town had an estimated population of 8843 and a population density of 250 persons per km². The total area of the town was 37.90 square kilometres (14.63 sq mi).

Kunimi
国見町
Kunimi Town Office
Kunimi Town Office
Flag of Kunimi
Official seal of Kunimi
Location of Kunimi in Fukushima Prefecture
Location of Kunimi in Fukushima Prefecture
Kunimi is located in Japan
Kunimi
Kunimi
 
Coordinates: 37°52′37″N 140°32′58″E / 37.87694°N 140.54944°E / 37.87694; 140.54944
CountryJapan
RegionTōhoku
PrefectureFukushima
DistrictDate
Area
 • Total
37.95 km2 (14.65 sq mi)
Population
 (January 2020)
 • Total
8,843
 • Density230/km2 (600/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- TreePinus densiflora
- FlowerPeach
- BirdJapanese bush warbler
Phone number024-585-2111 
AddressFujita 2-1 ichodani Kunimi-machi, Date-gun, Fukushima-ken 969-1792
WebsiteOfficial website

Geography

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Kunimi is located in Date District in the very northern portion Fukushima prefecture, bordering on Miyagi prefecture. Mt. Handa and Mt. Ugasu are near the western end of the town, and a continuous mountain range runs along the northern end of the town, which is also the prefectural border with Miyagi Prefecture. The Abukuma River flows south of the town. The town center, where government offices and various types of transportation are concentrated, is relatively close to the border with the neighboring Koori town.

Neighboring municipalities

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Climate

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Kunimi has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Kunimi is 12.5 °C (54.5 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,250 mm (49 in) with September being the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.3 °C (77.5 °F), and lowest in January, at around 1.1 °C (34.0 °F).[1]

Demographics

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Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Kunimi has been in decline over the past 70 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1950 14,430—    
1960 13,111−9.1%
1970 12,093−7.8%
1980 12,050−0.4%
1990 11,888−1.3%
2000 11,198−5.8%
2010 10,086−9.9%
2020 8,639−14.3%

History

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The area of present-day Kunimi was part of ancient Mutsu Province. During the Edo period, it was partly tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate, and partly under Morioka Domain. The town of Fujita developed as a post station on the Ōshū Kaidō highway. After the Meiji Restoration, it was organized as part of Nakadōri region of Iwaki Province, and Fujita was established as a town on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. The town of Kunimi was formed on March 31, 1954 with the merger of the town of Fujita with the villages of Kosaka, Morieno, Okido, and Oeda, all in Date District. The town hall was destroyed in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.

Economy

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The economy of Kunimi is primarily agricultural.

Education

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Kunimi has one public elementary school and one public junior high school operated by the town government. The town does not have a public high school.

  • Kunimi Prefectural Middle School
  • Kunimi Elementary School

Transportation

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Railway

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 JR EastTōhoku Main Line

Highway

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Local attractions

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References

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  1. ^ Kunimi climate data
  2. ^ Kunimi population statistics
  3. ^ "阿津賀志山防塁" (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs.
  4. ^ "石母田供養石塔". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan). Retrieved 11 March 2020.
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  Media related to Kunimi, Fukushima at Wikimedia Commons