Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Hirakata rose rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s, and less rapidly since.

Eriko Aoki, author of "Korean children, textbooks, and educational practices in Japanese primary schools," stated that the city's location in proximity to both Osaka City and Kyoto contributed to its population growth of ten times its previous size<!--"tenfold"--> from around 1973 to 2013<!--40 years-->.

Ethnic Koreans

As of 2013 the city has about 2,000 ethnic Koreans. Most Hirakata Koreans, including children of school age, use Japanese names. Many Koreans in Hirakata operate their own businesses. Hirakata has the "mother's society" or "Omoni no Kai", a voluntary association of ethnic Korean mothers. It also has branches of the Chongryon and Mindan, Japan's two major Korean associations. Hirakata has no particular Korean neighborhoods.

Companies with offices in Hirakata

  • Komatsu Osaka plant
  • Sanyo Electric Co R&D

Education

Colleges and universities

  • Kansai Gaidai University
  • Kansai Medical University
  • Osaka Dental University
  • Osaka International University
  • Osaka Institute of Technology
  • Setsunan University

Primary and secondary education

Hirakata has 45 public elementary schools and 19 public middle schools operated by the city government and six public high schools operated by the Osaka Prefectural Department of Education, and one by Osaka City. There is also one private elementary school, two private middle schools and three private high schools. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped.

Prefectural senior high schools

Municipal high schools

  • – In Hirakata

Private senior high schools:

Transportation

thumb|Hirakata-shi Station

Railway

20px JR West – Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line)

  • - -

55px Keihan Electric Railway - Keihan Main Line

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55px Keihan Electric Railway - Katano Line

  • - - -

Highway

  • 30px|link=|alt= Second Keihan Highway
  • Daini Keihan Road (toll road)

Sister cities

  • Shimanto, Kōchi, Japan, friendship city agreement since 1974 (with former Nakamura city)
  • Betsukai, Hokkaidō, Japan, friendship city agreement since 1987
  • Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan, friendship city agreement since 1987 (with former Shionoe town)
  • Changning District, Shanghai, China, sister city agreement since 1987
  • Logan City, Queensland, Australia, sister city agreement since 1995

Notable sites

thumb|Hirakata T-Site interior

  • Hirakata Park, an amusement park that includes roller coasters made of wood.
  • Kudara-dera ruins
  • Kinyakurumazuka Kofun
  • Kuzuha Battery Site

Notable people from Hirakata

  • Hikaru Nakamura, Japanese American chess player
  • Janne Da Arc, Japanese visual kei rock band
  • Iori Kogawa, Japanese AV Idol
  • Koichiro Yoshinaga, Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball catcher/infielder
  • Airi Shimizu, Japanese gravure idol, actress and variety tarento
  • Yuji Naka, Japanese video game programmer, designer, and producer who made Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Satoshi Hashimoto, Japanese actor and voice actor
  • Nobukazu Takemura, Japanese musician and artist
  • Haruto Shirai, Japanese football player
  • Kenji Honnami, former Japanese football player
  • Yuki Kuniyoshi, professional Japanese baseball player
  • Junichi Okada, singer, actor and member of popular Japanese boy band V6
  • Katsuhisa Inamori, former Japanese football player
  • Midori, Japanese American violinist and classical musician
  • Kenji Moriwaki, Japanese comedian and radio personality
  • Masahito Noto, Japanese football player
  • Hirofumi Mukai, Japanese professional boxer
  • Yohei Takeda, Japanese football player and goalkeeper
  • Hisaya Morishige, Japanese actor and comedian
  • Yuji Hino, Japanese professional wrestler
  • Yuka Ishii, Japanese writer
  • Takayuki Fukumura, Japanese football player
  • Yoshimitsu Takashima, Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature)
  • Takumi Ozaki, member of INI (Japanese boy group)
  • Hono Tamura, member of Sakurazaka46
  • Keiya Sento, Japanese football player, currently plays for Machida Zelvia

References

  • Hirakata City official website
  • www.city.hirakata.osaka.jp.e.cu.hp.transer.com