Shosanbetsu, Hokkaido
[file:Shosanbetsu List of villages in Japan|village center area Aerial photograph.1977.jpg|right|thumb|280px|Aerial view of Shosanbetsu urban center]
[file:Shosanbetsu konpira crop.png|right|thumb|280px|Shosanbetsu Kompira Jinja]
Shosanbetsu is a village located in Rumoi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan., the village had an estimated population of 1,005 in 501 households, and a population density of 3.6 people per km2. The total area of the village is.
Geography
Teshio is located in the northern part of Rumoi jurisdiction in northern Hokkaido, on the Sea of Japan coast.Main rivers: Furenbetsu River, Shosanbetsu River, Mochibetsu River
Neighbouring municipalities
Climate
Shosanbetsu has a Humid continental climate characterized by cold summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shosanbetsu is 7.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1563 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 20.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around -5.0 °C.Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Shosanbetsu is as shown below. The village is in a long period of sustained population loss.History
The place name of "Shushabetsu" first appears in historical documentation in 1781. It was established as a village on June 7, 1900.The village's official interpretation of its name is that it is from the Ainu language "Sousanbetsu ", but the Hokkaido Ainu Policy Promotion Office's "List of Ainu Place Names" lists it as "so-e-san-pet", and also lists the view that it may be "so-san-oet" based on the description of the place by Matsuura Takeshiro, an explorer from the late Edo and Meiji periods.
Government
Shosanbetsu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of eight members. Shosanbetsu, as part of Rumoi sub-prefecture, contributes one member to the Hokkaidō Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Hokkaidō 10th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.Economy
The local economy of Shosanbetsu is centered on commercial fishing, with puffer fish and octopus noted local specialities. Agriculture and dairy farming are also conducted.Education
Shosanbetsu has one public elementary school and one public junior high school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.Transportation
Railways
After the closure of the Japan National Railway Teshio Line in 1987, the village has not had any passenger rail service. The closest train stations are or on the JR Hokkaido Sōya Main Line.Highways
*Local attractions
[file:Shosanbetsu observatory.jpg|right|thumb|280px| Shosanbetsu observatory]- Shosanbetsu observatory is a planetarium-cum-astronomical observatory which is a popular attraction in this region.
Noted local residents
- Yamamoto Heikichi, famed bear hunter noted in the Sankebetsu brown bear incident.