Kumatori, Osaka
Geography. Kumatori is located 30 kilometers from central Osaka, in the southern part of Osaka Prefecture, east of Izumisano City, where Kansai International Airport is located. The town is roughly in the shape of a leaf, about 4.8 kilometers east-west and 7.8 kilometers north-south. The eastern part is the foothills of the Izumi Mountains, and the ground is gradually lower from the southeast toward the northwest. The Mide, Uyama, and Sumiyoshi rivers that originate in the Izumi Mountains flow through the central part of the town towards Osaka Bay. Climate. Kumatori has a Humid subtropical climate  (Köppen "Cfa") characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kumatori is . The average annual rainfall is with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Kumatori has been increasing over the past century. History. The area of the modern town of Kumatori was within ancient Izumi Province. As a place name, "Kumatori" appears in the ancient "Nihon Kōki" as a place where Emperor Kanmu went hunting in 804 AD . In the Kamakura period, the area was part of a landed estate called "Kumatori-no-shō". During the Edo Period, the area was largely under the control of Kishiwada Domain. The village Kumatori was established within Hine District with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. On April 1, 1896, the area became part of Sennan District, Osaka. Kumatori was elevated to town status on November 3, 195.1 Government. Kumatori has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 14 members. Kumatori collectively with the cities of  Kaizuka, Sennan, Hannan and the minor municipalities of Sen'nan District contributes two members to the Osaka Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Osaka 19th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Economy. Since then Meiji period, Kumatori has been noted for its production of textiles, notably cotton cloth. Agriculture and horticulture also play major roles in the local economy. In exchange for hosting Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science, the government agreed to make Kumatori Station on the Hanwa Line a stop for express trains, which has  contributed to large-scale residential land development and a rapid increase in population since 1963. Education. Primary and secondary education. Kumatori has five public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public combined middle/high school operated by the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education. Transportation. Railways. JR West – Hanwa Line