en Miho, Ibaraki

Miho

美浦村
Miho 美浦村
Village
	Miho Village as seen from the west. Lake Kasumigaura on the left.
	Flag Seal
	Location of Miho in Ibaraki Prefecture
	Miho
	Coordinates: 36°0′16.3″N 140°18′6.8″E / 36.004528°N 140.301889°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Ibaraki
District	Inashiki
Area
• Total	66.61 km2 (25.72 sq mi)
Population (October 2020)
• Total	14,504
• Density	220/km2 (560/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Wild cherry tree
- Flower	Golden-rayed lily
Phone number	029-885-0340
Address	1515 Ukeryo, Miho-mura, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki-ken 300-0492
Website	Official website

Miho (美浦村, Miho-mura) is a village located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2020^[update], the village had an estimated population of 14,504 in 5907 households and a population density of 218 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 32.0%.^[1] The total area of the village is 66.61 square kilometres (25.72 sq mi). The village holds one of the two Japan Racing Association's training centers (the other is in Ritto, Shiga).

Geography

Located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, Miho is bordered by Lake Kasumigaura to the north and east.

Surrounding municipalities

Ibaraki Prefecture

Ami
Inashiki

Climate

Miho has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Miho is 13.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1344 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.1 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Miho peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1950	9,992	—
1960	9,178	−8.1%
1970	8,066	−12.1%
1980	13,509	+67.5%
1990	14,348	+6.2%
2000	18,219	+27.0%
2010	17,299	−5.0%
2020	14,602	−15.6%

History

The villages of Kihara and Anju were created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The two villages were merged to form the village of Miho on April 1, 1955.

Government

Miho has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of 12 members. Miho contributes one member to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of Ibaraki 6th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The economy of Miho is primarily agricultural, including aquaculture on Lake Kasumigaura.

Education

Miho has three public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the village government. The village does not have public high school, but the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education operates a special education school for the handicapped..