Kōriyama

Kōriyama (郡山市) is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 321,938 people in 141760 households, and a population density of 425 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 757.20 sqkm. Kōriyama is designated as a core city and functions as a commercial center for Fukushima Prefecture. Kōriyama is the third largest conurbation in the Tōhoku region.

Geography and climate
Kōriyama is located in the center of the Nakadōri region of Fukushima Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. The Adatara Mountains are to the north, Lake Inawashiro is to the west, and the Abukuma Highlands are to the east. The Abukuma River flows through downtown Kōriyama. The downtown area extends to the west of Kōriyama Station.

Neighboring municipalities

 * Sukagawa
 * Aizu-Wakamatsu
 * Nihonmatsu
 * Tamura
 * Motomiya
 * Otama
 * Ten-ei
 * Hirata
 * Miharu
 * Ono
 * Inawashiro

Climate
Kōriyama has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by hot wet summers and cool, quite dry winters. The average annual temperature in Kōriyama is 11.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1216 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.1 °C.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Kōriyama has increased over the past 60 years.

History
Kōriyama originated as a regional governmental center in the Nara period, when the area was on the frontier of Yamato settlement of the Tōhoku region. The surrounding area developed into shōen controlled by various samurai clans in the Heian and Kamakura periods. Nearby centers, such as Nihonmatsu developed into castle towns under Hatakeyama clan and which were later controlled by the Date clan, Kōriyama remained as a commercial center and thrived as a post town because of its importance as a traffic focal point into the Edo period and was part of the territory of Nihonmatsu Domain.

With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the town of Kōriyama was established within Asaka District. In the early Meiji period, many dispossessed samurai were assigned undeveloped lands in the area to reclaim and as a result, the population grew and region developed into an agricultural center. The relative abundance of hydroelectric power also helped with the development of local industry.

Kōriyama was raised from town to city status on September 1, 1924 with the annexation of neighboring Odawara Village. Kuwano Village was likewise annexed on June 1, 1925. During the 1930s, Kōriyama was noted a center for military equipment production. It was thus a target for American bombers during World War II, and the city was subject to three large-scale air raids during the war.

From 1954 to 1955, Kōriyama expanded by annexing the town of Otsuki and portions of the villages of Tomita and Iwae, and in 1965 annexed the villages of Nishida and Nakata. In 1997, the city received core city designation, giving it increased autonomy from national and prefectural governments.

On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake caused damage, but Kōriyama is located outside of the mandatory evacuation zone set by the Japanese government after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Many people from the evacuation zone relocated to Kōriyama. On 30 July 2020, a shabu-shabu restaurant exploded, damaging an area spanning several hundred meters.

Government
Kōriyama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 38 members. The city contributes nine members to the Fukushima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, Kōriyama is part of the Fukushima 2nd Electoral District, which includes neighbouring Nihonmatsu, Motomiya and Adachi District.

Mayors

 * 1st: Yoshiya Ōmori (大森吉弥、1925–1929)
 * 2nd: Jun Wada (和田 潤, 1929–1937)
 * 3rd: Hachirō Murai (村井 八郎, 1937–1940)
 * 4th: Ujirō Seki (関 卯次郎, 1940–1942)
 * 5th: Hachikurō Ōshima (大島 破竹郎, 1942–1947)
 * 6th: Shichiji Itō (伊藤 七司, 6 April - 2 May 1947)
 * 7th: Zenko Honma (本間 善庫, 1947–1951)


 * 8th: Morishige Tanji (丹治 盛重, 1951–1959)
 * 9th: Hiyoshi Hidese (秀瀬 日吉, 1959–1977)
 * 10th: Takashi Takahashi (高橋 堯, 1977–1985)
 * 11th: Hisashi Aoki (青木 久, 1985–1993)
 * 12th: Eiji Fujimori (藤森 英二, 1993–2005)
 * 13th: Masao Hara (原 正夫, 2005–2013)
 * 14th: Masato Shinagawa (品川萬里, current)

Sources:

Economy
Kōriyama city is called the "commercial capital in Fukushima" and the economic bloc is the biggest in Fukushima Prefecture.


 * Principal companies headquartered in Koriyama
 * XEBIO; sporting goods
 * Kourakuen; ramen noodle shop chain
 * York Benimaru; large supermarket retailer with networks in south Tōhoku, Nigata, and North Kanto
 * Banks headquartered in Koriyama
 * Daito Bank
 * Toho Bank

Transportation
Kōriyama is an important transportation hub, as it is located in the center of Fukushima Prefecture and is the nexus of several railway lines and expressways. Kōriyama Station is the central station for the city. However, Kōriyama does not have an airport.

Railway
JR East - Tōhoku Shinkansen JR East - Tōhoku Main Line JR East - East Ban'etsu Line JR East - West Ban'etsu Line JR East - Suigun Line
 * Kōriyama
 * Asaka-Nagamori - Kōriyama - Hiwada
 * Kōriyama - Mōgi
 * Kōriyama - Kōriyamatomita - Kikuta - Akogashima] - Bandai-Atami - Nakayamajuku
 * Kōriyama - Asaka-Nagamori - Yatagawa - Iwaki-Moriyama

Highway

 * - Asaka PA - Kōriyama-minami IC - Kōriyama IC - Kōriyama JCT
 * - Kōriyama-higashi IC - Kōriyama JCT - Gohyakugawa PA - Bandai-Atami IC

Television
CATY
 * Fukushima Central Television (Nippon Television chain)
 * Fukushima Broadcasting (TV Asahi chain)
 * Information Network Kōriyama

Radio

 * FM Fukushima (JFN)

Newspaper

 * Fukushima Mimpō (Fukushima, Mainichi chain)
 * Fukushima Minyū (Fukushima, Yomiuri chain)
 * Kahoku Shinpō (Sendai)

Universities and colleges

 * Nihon University, Faculty of Engineering
 * Ohu University
 * Kōriyama Women's University & Colleges
 * Kōriyama Women's University Junior College
 * Open University of Japan, Fukushima Learning Center

Senior high schools
Kōriyama has ten public high schools operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education and six private high schools


 * Public (prefectural)
 * Asaka High School
 * Asaka Mitate Branch High School
 * Asaka Reimei High School
 * Kōriyama High School
 * Kōriyama Higashi High School
 * Kōriyama Shōgyō High School
 * Kōriyama Kita Kōgyō High School
 * Asaka Kaisei High School
 * Konan High School
 * Kōriyama Hōsei High School


 * Private
 * Tohoku High School of Nihon University
 * Shōshi Gakuen Shōshi High School
 * Teikyō Asaka High School
 * High School affiliated with Kōriyama Women's Colleges

Junior high schools

 * Public
 * Koriyama First Junior High School
 * Koriyama Second Junior High School
 * Koriyama Third Junior High School
 * Koriyama Fourth Junior High School
 * Koriyama Fifth Junior High School
 * Koriyama Sixth Junior High School
 * Koriyama Seventh Junior High School
 * Tomita Junior High School
 * Asaka Junior High School
 * Asaka Second Junior High School
 * Ōtsuki Junior High School
 * Mihota Junior High School
 * Futase Junior High School
 * Nishida Junior High School
 * Katahira Junior High School


 * Kikuta Junior High School
 * Midorigaoka Junior High School
 * Moriyama Junior High School
 * Hiwada Junior High School
 * Meiken Junior High School
 * Koharada Junior High School
 * Kohken Junior High School
 * Miyagi Junior High School
 * Ose Junior High School
 * Konan Junior High School
 * Mitate Junior High School
 * Takase Junior High School
 * Atami Junior High School


 * Private
 * Xaverio Junior High School

Multi-level schools

 * Fukushima Korean School ( - North Korean international school

Notable people from Koriyama

 * Takeshi Honda, Figure skater
 * Toru Iwaya, Mezzotint engraver, painter
 * Miki Nagasawa, voice actress
 * Eimi Naruse (成瀬 瑛美), Japanese idol and voice actress
 * Toshiyuki Nishida, actor
 * Saga (Alice Nine), musician
 * Masashi Ohuchi, Olympic weightlifter
 * Toshio Tamogami, chief of staff of Japan Air Self-Defense Force
 * Joji Yuasa, composer
 * Hidekaz Himaruya, creator Hetalia
 * Takumi Nemoto, Politician (Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare)
 * GReeeeN, band

Japanese sister cities

 * Nara, Nara (since 5 August 1971)
 * Kurume, Fukuoka (since 3 August 1975)
 * Tottori, Tottori (since 25 November 2005)

International relations

 * 🇳🇱 Brummen, Netherlands, sister city since 25 June 1988

Festivals

 * Kōriyama Uneme Festival
 * Koriyama Summer Festival - an Oktoberfest-style festival.
 * Koriyama Autumn Festival - includes children's activities, taiko and mikoshi parades.

National Historic Sites

 * Ōyasuba Kofun

Pop culture
Both Engaged to the Unidentified (未確認で進行形 - Mikakunin de Shinkoukei) and Kimi to Pico-Pico (きみとピコピコ) manga take place in the city. Fans have created maps in order to make related pilgrimages to their favorite locations.