Taragi, Kumamoto

Taragi

多良木町
Taragi 多良木町
Town
	Taragi Town Hall
	Flag Seal
	Location of Taragi in Kumamoto Prefecture
	Taragi Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 32°15′51″N 130°56′09″E / 32.26417°N 130.93583°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Kumamoto
District	Kuma
Area
• Total	165.86 km2 (64.04 sq mi)
Population (August 31, 2024)
• Total	8,200
• Density	49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC 09:00 (JST)
Website	Official website
Symbols
Flower	Azalea
Tree	Zelkova serrata

Taragi (多良木町, Taragi-machi) is a town located in Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.^[1]As of 31 August 2024^[update], the town had an estimated population of 8,200 in 3212 households, and a population density of 49 persons per km².^[2] The total area of the town is 165.86 km² (64.04 sq mi).

Geography

Taragi is located in the southeastern edge of Kumamoto Prefecture, about 70 kilometers southeast of Kumamoto City (about 100 km by road). The southeastern and southern parts of the town border Miyazaki Prefecture. The urban center is part of the Hitoyoshi Basin and is relatively flat, but the rest of the area is part of the Kyushu Mountains and has many mountains and forests. The Kuma River flows from east to west slightly north of the centre of the town.

Neighboring municipalities

Kumamoto Prefecture

Miyazaki Prefecture

Climate

Taragi has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Taragi 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 24.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.0 °C.^[3]

Demographics

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

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1940	14,853	—
1950	19,023	28.1%
1960	19,958	4.9%
1970	16,004	−19.8%
1980	14,598	−8.8%
1990	13,437	−8.0%
2000	12,072	−10.2%
2010	10,554	−12.6%
2020	9,076	−14.0%

History

The area of Taragi 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 Taragi was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on May 1, 1926.

Government

Taragi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members. Takagi, 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

Taragi has four public elementary schools and one public junior high schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.