Aikawa, Kanagawa
Template:Nihongo is a town located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Template:As of, the town had an estimated population of 39,763 and a population density of 1200 persons per km2.<ref name="Aikawa-hp">Template:Cite web</ref> The total area of the town is Template:Convert.
Geography
Aikawa is located in the foothills of northern Kanagawa Prefecture. The Nakatsu River, a tributary of the Sagami River, flows through. A portion of the Tanzawa Mountains 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
Climate
Aikawa has a humid subtropical climate (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.<ref>Aikawa climate data</ref>
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,<ref>Aikawa population statistics</ref> the population of Aikawa grew rapidly during the late 20th century and has plateaued in the 21st.
Template:Historical populations
History
During the Sengoku period, the Battle of Mimasetoge between the forces of Takeda Shingen and the later Hōjō clan occurred on what is now Aikawa Town. During the Edo period, the area was tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration, 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 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 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 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 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
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. The town also serves as a bedroom community for neighboring Sagamihara and Atsugi.
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
Template:Pie chartTemplate:Pie chart 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=":1" /> In addition to South America and Asia, people from 48 countries and regions, including European and African countries, have settled in Aikawa.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
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, 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.<ref name=":1" /> 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.<ref name=":1" />
A large Vietnamese Buddhist temple, Chua Vietnam, is located in Aikawa Town. In addition to Chua Vietnam, there is also "the Cambodian Cultural Center in Japan,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which was planned as a Theravada Buddhist temple and cultural center for Cambodians living in Japan;<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> "the Lao Cultural Center in Japan<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>", which is considered the only Lao Buddhist temple in Japan for Laotians living in Japan;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and "Wat Rakhang Japan<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>", a branch temple of Wat Rakhang, known as the Bell Temple in Thailand for Thai residents in Japan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transportation
Railway
Aikawa does not have any passenger railway service.
Highway
Noted people from Aikawa
- Takanori Gomi, martial artist
- Hiroya, professional kick-boxer
- Murray Sayle, journalist
- Daisuke Watanabe, actor