Kōchi, Kōchi
Kōchi is the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture located on the island of Shikoku in Japan. With over 40% of the prefectural population, Kōchi is the main commercial and industrial centre and the "primate city" of the prefecture., the city had an estimated population of 311,224 in 163,479 households, and a population density of 1,000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is.
Overview
A symbol of the city is its most famous dish, katsuo tataki, made by lightly searing and seasoning bonito.Geography
Kōchi is located on the southern coast of Kōchi Prefecture, facing the Pacific Ocean to the south. The city area can be divided into three distinct geographic sections. The urban centre lies at the head of Urado Bay, in a narrow alluvial plain crossed by several rivers, notably the Kagami River and Kokubu River. The plain is bounded by mountains to the north and a range of hills to the south and west.The northern mountains form the least densely populated part of the city, with the only settlement being along narrow river valleys. The highest point in Kōchi is Kuishi-yama at.
To the south of the city centre, Urado Bay cuts through the hills to its outlet into the Pacific Ocean. The land surrounding the bay and a small strip of the coastline form the third part of the city. This area, although hillier and less dense than the plain, is nevertheless a major location of housing and port-related industry.
Neighbouring municipalities
Kōchi PrefectureClimate
Kōchi has a very wet humid subtropical climate, receiving twice as much rainfall as Shikoku's other chief cities Matsuyama and Takamatsu. It is also the most typhoon-prone of Japan's major cities owing to its location directly exposed to the open Pacific Ocean from which the storms enter the country, and has twice received over of rainfall in a day from a typhoon.Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Kōchi increased rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s before peaking around the year 2000 and going into decline.History
Feudal period
As with all of Kōchi Prefecture, the area of Nahari was part of ancient Tosa Province. The river plain now containing the city centre was originally settled as a castle town around Kōchi Castle, the seat of the daimyō of Tosa Domain. The castle site was chosen by Yamauchi Kazutoyo in 1601 to replace the earlier seats of the Chōsokabe clan who had previously ruled in province. The city takes its name from that of the castle. As the centre of administration for the province, and the prefecture which succeeded it, the town rapidly grew to become the largest settlement of the region.Meiji period
During the time of the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi became famous as a centre of pro-imperial ideology, and later for incubating democratic and human rights movements. The city was incorporated on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system..Tram service began in the city on May 2, 1904, and the city was connected to the national rail network on November 12, 1951.
WWII air raid
Kōchi was selected as a target by the United States' XXI Bomber Command because of the city's status as a prefectural capital, and the fact that it was a centre for industry and commercial trade. On July 3, 1945, at 6:22 pm 129 aircraft took off to bomb Kōchi. 1060 tons of incendiary bombs were dropped on Kōchi, destroying 48% of the built up areas of the city, killing 401 civilians and rendering over 40,000 homeless.Modern period
On April 1, 1998, the city was designated as the first core city on Shikoku.On January 1, 2005, the villages of Kagami and Tosayama, both from Tosa District were merged into Kōchi.
On January 1, 2008, the town of Haruno was also merged into Kōchi.
Government
Kōchi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 42 members.The current mayor is Ryugo Kuwana.
Kōchi contributes 15 members to the Kōchi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Kōchi 1st district and Kōchi 2nd districts of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
International relations
International
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