Nishiki is located in the southern part of Kumamoto prefecture, approximately 70 kilometers south-southeast of the prefectural capital at Kumamoto, Kumamoto. The northern portion of the town lies in flat terrain that forms part of the Hitoyoshi Basin; the Kuma River borders the town to the east and west. The southern reaches of the Kyushu Mountains adjoins one corner of the town limits. The southernmost corner of the townsland meets the prefectural border with Miyazaki Prefecture.
Nishiki has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nishiki is 14.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2328 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.7 °C.[2]
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Nishiki is as shown below
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1940
9,334
—
1950
13,891
+48.8%
1960
13,989
+0.7%
1970
10,859
−22.4%
1980
10,679
−1.7%
1990
11,728
+9.8%
2000
11,975
+2.1%
2010
11,075
−7.5%
2020
10,288
−7.1%
History
The area of Nishiki 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 Ichibu, Nishi and Kinoue were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The three villages were merged on July 1, 1955 to form the village of Nishiki, which was elevated to town status on April 1, 1965.
World War II
During the closing years of the Second World War, a major base of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Hitoyoshi Naval Air Group was located near the town.[3] Relatively little is currently known about the base and its operations due to a loss of records and institutional memory both during and after the war. The remains of the base extend over 36,000 m2 (390,000 sq ft) of land, and houses underground facilities in more than 10 locations, including an operations room and a large torpedo preparation area.[3] In 2015, a full archeological survey of the site was initiated by the municipal government via the Nishiki board of education to discover more about the base and its past, with a view to eventually opening it up to tourism.[3] This followed the discovery by the local government of a copy of a floor plan for the base.
Government
Nishiki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 11 members. Nishiki, collectively with the other municipalities of Kuma District, contributes two members to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Kumamoto 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Flag
The current town flag was adopted in 1956, however there is no formal flag law codifying this.[4] The flag is green with a town emblem in the center. The emblem is a stylized katakana ニNi of Nishiki. The circle "symbolizes a reconciliation and the mountain, the river and the sun do the town located in the center of Kuma Basin which is expanding to the future".[4]
Economy
The town's economy is primarily based around agriculture (primarily pear, peach and ricecultivation) and leisure tourism activities such as golf holidays, though the Nishiki plant of Renesas Semiconductor (formerly NEC Kumamoto) is also a major contributor. The Nishiki plant specializes in LSImanufacturing. The total economic output of Nishiki for fiscal year 2004 was ¥40.7 billion yen.
Education
Nishiki has three public elementary schools and one public junior high schools operated by the town government, and two public high schools operated by the Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education.
