Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kanuma peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.

History

Kanuma was the castle town for a 25,000 koku feudal domain in the early Edo period. Even after the domain was suppressed by the Tokugawa shogunate, the area continued to prosper from its location with a number of post stations on the Nikkō Reiheishi Kaidō. The town of Kanuma was created on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of then modern municipalities system. It was raised to city status on October 10, 1948. On January 1, 2006, the town of Awano (from Kamitsuga District) was merged into Kanuma.

Government

Kanuma has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 24 members. Kanuma contributes three members to the Tochigi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Tochigi 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The economy of Kanuma is primarily agricultural. Hemp was once a major cash crop, but has been supplanted by soba and strawberries.

Education

Kanuma has 24 primary schools and ten middle schools operated by the city government. The city has four public high schools operated by the Tochigi Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

20px JR East – Nikkō Line

40px Tobu Railway – Tobu Nikkō Line

  • - - - -

Highway

  • – Kanuma Interchange

Local attractions

International relations

  • Tieling, Liaoning, China
  • Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States

Notable people

  • Sayaka Hirano, table tennis player
  • Guts Ishimatsu, boxer
  • Tosio Kato, mathematician
  • Takuya Kawamura, member of QuizKnock
  • Hisashi Kurosaki, football player
  • Takeji Nara, Imperial Japanese Army general
  • Manabu Wakabayashi, football player
  • Michio Yuzawa, politician and cabinet minister

References

  • Official Website