Sagara, Kumamoto

Sagara

相良村
Sagara 相良村
Village
	Sagara Village Hall
	Flag Seal
	Location of Sagara in Kumamoto Prefecture
	Sagara Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 32°14′07″N 130°47′52″E / 32.23528°N 130.79778°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Kumamoto
District	Kuma
Area
• Total	94.54 km2 (36.50 sq mi)
Population (August 31, 2024)
• Total	3,987
• Density	42/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	2500-1, Fukamizu, Soragamura, Kumamoto-ken 868-0094, Japan
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Wagtail
Flower	Adonis
Tree	Camellia sinensis

Sagara (相良村, Sagara-mura) is a village located in Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. located in Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 August 2024^[update], the village had an estimated population of 3987 in 1589 households, and a population density of 42 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the village is 94.54 km² (36.50 sq mi).

Geography

Sagara is located in the western part of the Hitoyoshi Basin in southern Kumamoto Prefecture. The northern part is mostly mountainous, and the Kawabe River runs through it from north to south.

Neighboring municipalities

Kumamoto Prefecture

Climate

Sagara has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Sagara is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2283 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.5 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Sagara is as shown below

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1940	6,369	—
1950	5,902	−7.3%
1960	8,830	+49.6%
1970	6,241	−29.3%
1980	5,932	−5.0%
1990	5,941	+0.2%
2000	5,526	−7.0%
2010	4,934	−10.7%
2020	4,070	−17.5%

History

The area of Sagara was part of ancient Higo Province, During the Edo Period it was part of the holdings of Hitoyoshi Domain. After the Meiji restoration, the villages of Kawamura and Youra were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The town villages merged to form the village of Sagara on September 1, 1956.

Government

Sagara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of eight members. Sagara, collectively with the other municipalities of Kuma District, contributes two members to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of the Kumamoto 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The local economy is based on agriculture and forestry.

Education

Sagara has two public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.