Amagasaki

Amagasaki (尼崎市) is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 455,555 in 223812 households, and a population density of 9000 persons per km². The total area of the city is 50.72 sqkm.

Geography
Amagasaki is located in far southeastern Hyōgo Prefecture, next to Osaka. It has the fourth largest population in Hyōgo Prefecture after Kobe, Himeji, and Nishinomiya. Residential areas account for most of the rest of the coastal areas, industrial areas along the Meishin Expressway and JR West Fukuchiyama Line, commercial areas around Hanshin Amagasaki Station and JR JR Amagasaki Station, and its population density is the highest among municipalities in Hyogo Prefecture. Ground subsidence caused by the pumping up of groundwater by factories has reduced one-third of the city's area to sea level, causing flooding damage due to storm surges.

Neighboring municipalities
Hyōgo Prefecture Osaka Prefecture
 * Itami
 * Nishinomiya
 * Osaka (Nishiyodogawa-ku, Yodogawa-ku)
 * Toyonaka

Climate
Amagasaki has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Amagasaki is 15.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1475 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.7 °C.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Amagasaki peaked around the 1970s has been decreasing steadily since.

History
The area of Amagasaki was part of ancient Kawabe District of Settsu Province and has been inhabited since ancient times, with the traces of Yayoi period settlements and many kofun burial mounds found within the city limits. From the Heian period, the area was known for its port of Daimotsuura. During the Edo period, Amagasaki prospered as the castle town of Amagasaki Domain undertake Aoayama and subsequently the Matsudaira clans. The town of Amagasaki was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was elevated to city status on October 1, 1916.

The 1934 Muroto typhoon caused 145 fatalities and much of the city was destroyed by air raids on June 1 and June 15, 1945 during World War II. The 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake also caused considerable damage and 49 fatalities. Amagasaki was designated a special city on April 1, 2001 with increased local autonomy. A commuter train derailed on the Fukuchiyama Line near Amagasaki on April 25, 2005, resulting in more than 100 dead and 550 injured. On April 1, 2009, Amagasaki was elevated to the status of a core city.

Government
Amagasaki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 42 members. Amagasaki contributes seven members to the Hyōgo Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is in the Hyōgo 8th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Politics of Amagasaki
On 22 November 2010 Kazumi Inamura became the first popularly elected Greens Japan Mayor as well as the youngest popularly-elected female mayor of the city with 54% of the vote.
 * 2002 Amagasaki mayoral election

Economy
Amagasaki is a major part of the Hanshin Industrial Region. Businesses headquartered in the city include manufacturers such as Osaka Titanium Technologies. The value of manufactured goods shipments in Amagasaki was 1,288 billion yen in 2004.

Education
Amagasaki has 42 public elementary schools and 17 public middle schools operated by the city government, 11 public high schools operated by the Hyōgo Prefectural Board of Education, and two combined private middle/high schools. In addition, the city also operates one special education school for the handicapped. The College of Industrial Technology, a junior college, and the Sonoda Women's University, a women's four-year college with associated junior college are located in the city.

The city has a North Korean school, Amagasaki Korean Elementary and Middle School (尼崎朝鮮初中級学校). It previously had a second school, Amagasaki East Korean Elementary School (尼崎東朝鮮初級学校).

Railways
JR West - Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kobe Line) JR West - Fukuchiyama Line (JR Takarazuka Line) JR West - JR Tōzai Line Hankyu - Kobe Line Hankyu - Itami Line Hanshin Electric Railway - Hanshin Main Line Hanshin Electric Railway - Hanshin Namba Line
 * Amagasaki - Tachibana
 * Amagasaki - Tsukaguchi - Inadera
 * Amagasaki - Tsukaguchi - Inadera
 * Sonoda - Tsukaguchi  - Mukonoso
 * Tsukaguchi
 * Kuise - Daimotsu - Amagasaki - Deyashiki - Amagasaki Center Pool-mae - Mukogawa
 * Amagasaki - Daimotsu

Highways

 * JP Expressway E1.svg Meishin Expressway
 * Hanshin_Urban_Expwy_Sign_0003.svg Hanshin Expressway Kobe Route
 * Hanshin_Urban_Expwy_Sign_0005.svg Hanshin Expressway Bayshore Route (Port of Osaka-Kobe)

Sister city relations

 * 🇩🇪 Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany - since April 7, 1959
 * Anshan, Liaoning, China - since February 2, 1983 (friendship city)
 * 🇯🇵 Kami, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan (Formerly Mikata) - since 1974 (friendship city)

Local attractions

 * Tano Site, Yayoi period settlement trace, National Historic Site
 * Amagasaki Castle

Notable people from Amagasaki

 * Chiyu (ex. bassist of the band Sug and solo singer)
 * Mitsue Aoki (manga artist)
 * Chikamatsu Monzaemon (dramatist of the Edo period)
 * Cobra (punk rock band)
 * Downtown (comedy duo)
 * Hitoshi Matsumoto
 * Masatoshi Hamada (Originally from Naniwa-ku, Osaka)
 * Gero (singer)
 * Heath (bassist of the band X Japan)
 * Kunio Hiramatsu (politician)
 * Kojin Karatani (philosopher)
 * Toshiki Kashu (actor)
 * Ryuto Kazuhara (vocalist of boy band Generations from Exile Tribe)
 * Keichū (Kokugaku scholar from the Edo period)
 * Yoshitada Konoike (politician)
 * Maggy (fashion model)
 * Ryo Matsuda (actor)
 * Shōta Matsushima (actor)
 * Kaho Minami (actress)
 * Akihiro Murata (shogi player) - Originally from Uozu, Toyama
 * Ramo Nakajima (novelist)
 * Yuma Nakakita (member of Japanese boy group &Team)
 * Ai Okawa (fashion model, former idol from Idoling!!!)
 * Kazuo Shiraga (modern artist)
 * Keiko Tobe (manga artist)
 * Rena Uehara (singer) - Born in Amagasaki, based in Osaka
 * Yu Yagami (manga artist)
 * Seiichi Yamamoto (musician) - Born in Amagasaki, based in Osaka
 * Kinuyo Yamashita (video game music composer)
 * Shota Yasuda (guitarist of boy band Kanjani Eight)
 * Ai Yazawa (manga artist)

Athletes

 * Ritsu Doan (football player)
 * Yutaka Enatsu (baseball player) - Originally from Nara Prefecture
 * Megu Hirose (softball player)
 * Daisuke Hosokawa (swimmer)
 * Takahiro Ikeyama (baseball player)
 * Hideki Irabu (former baseball player) - Originally from Hirara, Okinawa (currently Miyakojima, Okinawa)
 * Norihito Kaneto (baseball player)
 * Ayumi Karino (softball player)
 * Kamui Kobayashi (auto racing driver)
 * Jay Litherland (swimmer)
 * Naoki Miyanishi (baseball player) - Originally from Nishinomiya, Hyogo
 * Minoru Murayama (former baseball player) - Originally from Kita-ku, Kobe
 * Takahiko Nomaguchi (baseball player)
 * Kengo Nomoto (basketball player)
 * Daisuke Oku (football player)
 * Hiroaki Saiuchi (baseball player)
 * Tochinowaka Michihiro (former sumo wrestler)
 * Andy Wu (professional wrestler)