right|thumb|270px|Hayakawa Town Hall

is a town located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. As of 2020, the town had an estimated population of 1,098 and a population density of 2.97 persons per km<sup>2</sup>. The total area of the town is . It has the smallest population of any town in Japan. Hayakawa is on the list of The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan, established in 2005.

Geography

Hayakawa is located in far southwestern Yamanashi Prefecture. The Hayakawa River, a tributary of the Fuji River runs through the town. Some 96% of the town's area is covered by forest and mountains.

Neighboring municipalities

Shizuoka Prefecture

  • Aoi-ku, Shizuoka

Yamanashi Prefecture

  • Fujikawa
  • Minami-Alps
  • Minobu

Climate

The town has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Hayakawa is 13.0&nbsp;°C. The average annual rainfall is 1655&nbsp;mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.9&nbsp;°C, and lowest in January, at around 1.5&nbsp;°C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,