Hasuda, Saitama
Geography. Located in east-central Saitama Prefecture, Hasuda is directly north of the prefectural capital of Saitama City. It consists of the Hasuda Plateau in the center of the city, which is part of the Omiya Plateau , the Shiraoka (Kurohama) Plateau in the east, with Motoara River in between, and the lowlands around the Ayase River that runs west and south. Surrounding municipalities. Saitama Prefecture Climate. Hasuda has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen "Cfa") characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hasuda is 14.7 °C. The average  annual rainfall is 1363 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.8 °C. Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Hasuda peaked in around the year 2000, and has been slightly declining since. History. The area of modern Hasuda has been settled since the prehistoric period, and there are numerous archaeological sites, including shell middens and burial mounds within the city limits. In addition, traces of samurai residences and castles from the Sengoku period remain. Much of what is  now Hasuda was part of Iwatsuki Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji restoration, the village of Ayase was created within Minamisaitama District with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on October 1, 1934 and renamed Hasuda. Hasuda annexed the neighboring villages of Kurohama and Hirano on May 3, 1954 and was elevated to city status on October 1, 1972. On March 31, 2010, Hasuda was to be merged with the neighboring town of Shiraoka (from Minamisaitama District). However, the merger was canceled shortly after Shiraoka  managed to grow its population to 50,000 people, qualifying it as a city. Government. Hasuda has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 20 members. Hasuda contributes one member to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Saitama 13th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Economy. Due to this location, Hasuda is primarily a bedroom community with over half of its population commuting to neighboring Saitama City or to the Tokyo metropolis for work. However, much of the city  remains agricultural. Education. Hasuda has eight public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped. Transportation. Railway. JR East – Utsunomiya Line