Kamikawa, Saitama

Kamikawa　

神川町
Kamikawa　神川町
Town
	Kamikawa town office
	Flag Seal
	Location of Kamikawa in Saitama Prefecture
	Kamikawa
	Coordinates: 36°12′50″N 139°6′6.2″E / 36.21389°N 139.101722°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Saitama
District	Kodama
Area
• Total	47.40 km2 (18.30 sq mi)
Population (February 2021)
• Total	13,369
• Density	280/km2 (730/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Sakura
- Flower	Cosmos
- Bird	Japanese bush warbler
Phone number	0495-77-2111
Address	909 Uetake, Kamikawa-machi, Kodama-gun, Saitama-ken 367-0292
Website	Official website

Kamikawa (神川町, Kamikawa-machi) is a town located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 February 2021^[update], the town had an estimated population of 13,369 in 5774 households and a population density of 280 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the town is 47.40 square kilometres (18.30 sq mi).

Geography[edit]

Kamikawa is located on the extreme western border of Saitama Prefecture, separated from Gunma Prefecture by the Kanna River, and isolated from the remainder of Saitama by the Chichibu Mountains.

Surrounding municipalities[edit]

Saitama Prefecture

Gunma Prefecture

Fujioka

Climate[edit]

Kamikawa has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kamikawa is 12.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2028 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.3 °C.^[2]

Demographics[edit]

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Kamikawa has remained relatively steady over the past 70 years.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1920	10,750	—
1930	10,523	−2.1%
1940	11,171	+6.2%
1950	13,834	+23.8%
1960	12,397	−10.4%
1970	11,425	−7.8%
1980	12,012	+5.1%
1990	13,564	+12.9%
2000	15,197	+12.0%
2010	14,470	−4.8%
2020	13,359	−7.7%

History[edit]

The area around Kamikawa was part of ancient Musashi Province. The village of Tanshō was created within Kami District, Saitama and the villages of Wakaizumi and Aoyagi were created within Kodama District, Saitama with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Kami District was abolished in 1896, becoming part of Kodama District. On December 1, 1949, Wakaizumi split into Watarase and Aguhara. On May 3, 1954, the Tanshō and Aoyagi merged to form the village of Kamikawa. Kamikawa annexed Watarase on May 3, 1957, and was elevated to town status on October 1, 1987. On January 1, 2006, Kamikawa merged with neighboring Kamiizumi village.

Government[edit]

Kamikawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members. Kamikawa, together with the city of Honjō and town of Kamisato, contributes two members to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Saitama 11th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.