Akiōta, Hiroshima
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 . The total area of the town is . 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
 Hiroshima
 Hatsukaichi
Kitahiroshima
Shimane Prefecture
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 . The average annual rainfall is  with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Akiōta was  on 5 August 2018; the coldest temperature ever recorded was  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. Transportation

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 
  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)

References

External links

  

Towns in Hiroshima Prefecture
Akiōta, Hiroshima