Nankan, Kumamoto

Nankan

南関町
Nankan 南関町
Town
	Nankan town office
	Flag Chapter
	Location of Nankan in Kumamoto Prefecture
	Nankan Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 33°03′35″N 130°32′38″E / 33.05972°N 130.54389°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Kumamoto
District	Tamana
Area
• Total	68.92 km2 (26.61 sq mi)
Population (July 31, 2024)
• Total	8,741
• Density	130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	64 Sekimachi, Minamiseki-machi, Tamana-gun, Kumamoto-ken 861-0898
Website	Official website
Symbols
Flower	Rhododendron
Tree	Fagaceae

Nankan (南関町, Nankan-machi) is a town in Tamana District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 July 2024^[update], the town had an estimated population of 8,741 in 4075 households, and a population density of 120 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the town is 68.92 km² (26.61 sq mi).

Geography

Nankan is located in the northwestern tip of Kumamoto Prefecture. It borders Fukuoka Prefecture in the north and west. It is about 50 kilometers northwest of Kumamoto City.

Neighboring municipalities

Kumamoto Prefecture

Fukuoka Prefecture

Climate

Nankan has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nankan is 16.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1932 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.0 °C.^[2]

Demographics

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

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1960	17,679	—
1970	14,278	−19.2%
1980	12,498	−12.5%
1990	12,247	−2.0%
2000	11,821	−3.5%
2010	10,564	−10.6%
2020	8,979	−15.0%

History

The area of Nankan was part of ancient Higo Province, and developed as a post town and barrier gate guarding the northern border Higo from the Nara period. During the Edo Period it was part of the holdings of Kumamoto Domain. After the Meiji restoration, the town of Nankan was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

Government

Nankan has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members. Nankan, collectively with the other municipalities of Tamana District, contributes one member to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Kumamoto 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The local economy is based on agriculture, with rice and bamboo as the main crops.

Education

Nakan has four public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railways

The Kyushu Shinkansen passes through the western part of the town, but there is no passenger railway services within the town. The nearest train stations are JR Kyushu's Shinkansen Shin-Omuta Station or the Kagoshima Main Line's Ginsui Station.