Akiōta, Hiroshima

Akiōta (安芸太田町) is a town in Yamagata District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 5,643 in 3066 households and a population density of 17 pd/sqkm. The total area of the town is 341.89 sqkm.

Geography
Akiōta is in the Chūgoku Mountains of north-western Hiroshima, bordered by Shimane Prefecture to the north. Due to its location and elevation, it is a heavy snowfall region.

Adjoining municipalities
Hiroshima Prefecture Shimane Prefecture
 * Hiroshima
 * Hatsukaichi
 * Kitahiroshima
 * Masuda

Climate
Akiōta has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by cool to mild winters and hot, humid summers. The average annual temperature in Akiōta is 13.4 C. The average annual rainfall is 1817.5 mm with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.6 C, and lowest in January, at around 2.0 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Akiōta was 38.8 C on 5 August 2018; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -12.8 C on 28 February 1981.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Akiōta in 2020 is 5,740 people. Akiōta has been conducting censuses since 1920.

History
The area of Akiōta was part of an ancient Aki Province, and was part of the holdings of Hiroshima Domain during the Edo Period. Following the Meiji restoration, the area was organized into villages within Yamagata District, Hiroshima with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, including the villages Kake, Togouchi and Tsutsuga. Kake was raised to town status on February 10, 1898 and Togouchi on August 1, 1933. The town of Akiōta was formed on October 1, 2004 from the merger of the towns of Kake and Togouchi, and the village of Tsutsuga, all from Yamagata District.

On April 7, 2020, Shinji Kosaka, the mayor of Akiōta resigned after having accepted 200,000 yen from former Minister of Justice Katsuyuki Kawai in a vote-buying scandal.

Government
Akiōta has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members. Akiōta contributes one member to the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Hiroshima 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy
The economy of Akiōta is largely based on agriculture and forestry, with seasonal tourism to its ski resorts.

Education
Akiōta has four public elementary schools and two public junior high schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education.

Railway
Akiōta does not have any passenger railway service. The nearest train station is Aki-Kameyama Station on the JR West Kabe Line in Asakita-ku, Hiroshima

Highways

 * JP Expressway E2A.svg Chūgoku Expressway

Notable places

 * Nukui Dam
 * Mount Osorakan
 * Sandan Ravine

Notable people from Akiōta

 * Minoru Genda (1904 – 1989) — commander of the JASDF and politician (from Kake)
 * Kimie Bessho — para table tennis player
 * Yasuhiko Moriwaki — judo wrestler (from the former town of Kake)