Yunomae is located in the outheastern corner of Kumamoto Prefecture, about 80 kilometers south-southeast in a straight line from Kumamoto City (about 110 km by road), and about 24 kilometers east-northeast from Hitoyoshi City. The western part of the town, which is the urban center, is at the eastern edge of the Hitoyoshi Basin (Kuma Basin). The eastern and southern parts of the town occupy a corner of the Kyushu Mountains and have a steep topography.
Yunomae has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Yunomae is 14.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2328 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.9 °C.[2]
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Yunomae is as shown below
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1940
5,899
—
1950
8,499
+44.1%
1960
8,622
+1.4%
1970
6,634
−23.1%
1980
6,038
−9.0%
1990
5,514
−8.7%
2000
5,018
−9.0%
2010
4,375
−12.8%
2020
3,627
−17.1%
History
The area of Yunomae was part of ancient Higo Province, During the Edo Period it was part of the holdings of Hitoyoshi Domain. After the Meiji restoration, the village of Yunomae was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on April 1, 1937.
Government
Yunomae has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of ten members. Yunomae, 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.
Economy
The local economy is largely based on agriculture and forestry.
Education
Yunomae has one public elementary school and one public junior high schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.
