Kokubunji, Tokyo

Kokubunji

国分寺市
Kokubunji 国分寺市
City
	Kokubunji City Hall
	Flag Seal
	Location of Kokubunji in Tokyo
	Kokubunji
	Coordinates: 35°42′39.4″N 139°27′43.8″E / 35.710944°N 139.462167°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Tokyo
First official recorded	741 AD (official)
Town settled	December 11, 1940
City settled	November 3, 1964
Government
• Mayor	Kunio Izawa (since July 2013)
Area
• Total	11.46 km2 (4.42 sq mi)
Population (March 2021)
• Total	126,791
• Density	11,000/km2 (29,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols
• Tree	Zelkova serrata
• Flower	Satsuki azalea
Phone number	042-325-0111
Address	1-6-1 Tokura, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo 185-8501
Website	Official website

Kokubunji (国分寺市, Kokubunji-shi) is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 1 March 2021^[update], the city had an estimated population of 126,791, and a population density of 11,000 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the city was 11.46 square kilometres (4.42 sq mi).

Geography

Kokubunji is located on the Musashino Terrace of western Tokyo, approximately in the geographic centre of Tokyo Metropolis. The city extends for about 5.68 kilometers east-to-west by about 3.86 kilometers north-to-south.

Surrounding municipalities

Tokyo Metropolis

Climate

Kokubunji has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kokubunji is 14.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1647 mm, with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August (at around 25.5 °C) and lowest in January (at around 2.6 °C).^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Kokubunji increased rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1920	4,618	—
1930	6,454	+39.8%
1940	9,324	+44.5%
1950	19,125	+105.1%
1960	39,098	+104.4%
1970	81,259	+107.8%
1980	91,010	+12.0%
1990	100,982	+11.0%
2000	111,404	+10.3%
2010	120,733	+8.4%

History

The area of present-day Kokubunji was part of ancient Musashi Province, and was the site of the Nara period Provincial temple of that province. In the post-Meiji Restoration cadastral reform of 1878, the area became part of Kitatama District in Kanagawa Prefecture. The village of Kokubunji was created on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. Kitatama District was transferred to the administrative control of Tokyo Metropolis on April 1, 1893. Kokubunji was elevated to town status in 1940, and to city status on November 3, 1964.

Government

Kokubunji has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 22 members. Kokubunji, together with the city of Kunitachi, contributes two members to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Tokyo 19th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Kokubunji is the home of the Hitachi Central Research Laboratory, which contains one of the largest natural preserves in the area surrounding Tokyo.^[4] The Railway Technical Research Institute, the technical research company under the Japan Railways group of companies is also located in Kokubunji.

Education

Kokubunji has ten public elementary schools and five public middle schools.^[5] The city has one public high school, Kokubunji High School, which is operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.^[6] There is also one private high school, affiliated with Waseda University. Tokyo Keizai University has a campus at Kokubunji.