Ashibetsu, Hokkaidō

Ashibetsu 芦別
—  City  —
Location of Ashibetsu in Hokkaidō (Sorachi Subprefecture)
Ashibetsu
Coordinates: 43°31′N 142°11′E
Country	Japan
Region	Hokkaidō
Prefecture	Hokkaidō (Sorachi Subprefecture)
Government
• Mayor	Masashi Hayashi
Area
• Total	865.02 km2 (334 sq mi)
Population (June 30, 2008)
• Total	17,984
• Density	20.8/km2 (53.9/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Mizunara (Quercus crispula)
- Flower	Lily
- Bird	Great Tit
Phone number	0124-22-2111
Address	1-3 Kita-ichijō Higashi, Ashibetsu-shi, Hokkaidō 075-8711
Website	City of Ashibetsu

Five-storied pagoda in Ashibetu

Ashibetsu (芦別市, Ashibetsu-shi, Ainu: Aspet) is a city located in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan.

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 17,984 and a density of 20.8 persons per km². The total area is 865.02 km². The city was once a prosperous coal mining city, its population exceeding 70,000 at its peak, but its population has fallen since the closing of the coal mines.

History

• 1893 Satō Denjirō (originally from Yamagata Prefecture) founds Ashibetsu
• 1897 Nae Village (now Sunagawa City) and part of Takikawa Village (now City) split off to form Utashinai Village
• 1900 Ashibetsu Village split off of Utashinai Village.
• 1906 Ashibetsu becomes a Second Class Municipality
• 1923 First Class Municipality
• 1924 Ashibetsu Mine opened
• 1935 Kamiashibetsu Mine opened
• 1938 Ashibetsu-Takane? Mine opened
• 1941 Ashibetsu Village becomes Ashibetsu Town
• 1943 Mitsui?-Ashibetsu Mine opened
• April 1, 1953 Ashibetsu Town becomes Ashibetsu City
• 1991 Canadian World park opened
• 1999 Canadian World business failure

External links

Media related to Ashibetsu, Hokkaidō at Wikimedia Commons

• (Japanese) Official website