Akabira, Hokkaidō

nihongo|Akabira|赤平市|Akabira-shi is a city located in central Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. The name is Ainu for Mountain Ridge.

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 13,716 and the density of 115.59 persons per km². The total area is 129.88 km². The city was once a prosperous coal-mining city, its population reaching 59,430 in 1960. The population has been gradually declining.

History

*1891 Settlement begins
*1918 Moshiri Coal Mine opens
*1922 Second-class municipality Akabira Village split off of first-class municipality Utashinai
*1929 Akabira becomes a First-Class municipality
*1937 Shōwa Denkō Toyosato Mine opened
*1938 Sumitomo Coal Mine, Hokkaidō Coal Mine Railroad and Akama Coal Mine opened
*1943 Akabira Village becomes Akabira Town
*July 1, 1954 Akabira Town becomes Akabira City
*1967 Shōwa Denkō Toyosato Mine closesd
*1969 Moshiri Coal Mine closed
*1973 Akema Coal Mine closed
*1994 Sumitomo Coal Mine closed
*2003 Mid-Sorachi Merger Committee established.
*2007 A major elementary school in Akabira closed down. It once had about 5000 students but has dropped rapidly after the closure of the coal mines.

External links

* [http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~akabira/ Official website]