Mizukami, Kumamoto

Mizukami

水上村
Mizukami 水上村
Village
	Mizukami Village Hall
	Flag Chapter
	Location of Mizukami in Kumamoto Prefecture
	Mizukami Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 32°18′52″N 131°00′34″E / 32.31444°N 131.00944°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Kumamoto
District	Kuma
Area
• Total	190.96 km2 (73.73 sq mi)
Population (August 31, 2024)
• Total	1,946
• Density	10/km2 (26/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	90 Iwano, Minakami-mura, Kuma-gun, Kumamoto-ken 868-0795
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Wagtail
Flower	Rhododendron
Tree	Cryptomeria japonica

Mizukami (水上村, Mizukami-mura) is a village located in Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 August 2024^[update], the village had an estimated population of 1,946 in 839 households, and a population density of 10 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the village is 190.96 km² (73.73 sq mi).

Geography

Mizukami is located at the easternmost tip of the Kyushu Mountains and Hitoyoshi Basin, in southeast Kumamoto. The entire area is mountainous and forested.

Neighboring municipalities

Kumamoto Prefecture

Miyazaki Prefecture

Climate

Mizukami has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall.

Demographics

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

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1940	5,553	—
1950	6,944	+25.0%
1960	5,896	−15.1%
1970	4,410	−25.2%
1980	3,668	−16.8%
1990	3,115	−15.1%
2000	2,706	−13.1%
2010	2,405	−11.1%
2020	2,033	−15.5%

History

The area of Mizukami 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 Yuyama, Iwano and Edai were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. These three villages merged to form the village of Mizukami on November 1, 1895.

Government

Mizukami has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of eight members. Mizukami, collectively with the other municipalities of Kuma District, contributes two members to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of the Kumamoto 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The local economy is based on agriculture and forestry.

Education

Mizukami has one combined public elementary/junior high school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railways

Mizukami has no passenger railway services. The nearest train stations is Yunomae Station on the Kumagawa Railway Yunomae Line in neighboring Yunomae.