Kōnan, Aichi
Overview. The name of the city means "south of the river", referring to the Kiso River. Geography. Kōnan is located in the northern part of the Nōbi Plain, on the southern bank of the Kiso River. The city extends from east to west and from north to south. The landform is generally a flat, fertile alluvial fan. Located approximately from the Nagoya metropolis, it is also a traffic node bordering Gifu Prefecture. Climate. The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification "Cfa"). The average annual temperature in Kōnan  is . The average annual rainfall is with September 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 Kōnan has increased steadily over the past 70 years. History. The area of Kōnan is located in ancient Owari Province and was largely part of the holdings of Owari Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa Shogunate. After the establishment of the modern municipalities system in the early Meiji period, the area was organized into villages within Niwa District, Aichi Prefecture. The area was noted  for sericulture during this period. The village of Koori became the town of Hotei on November 26, 1894. Hotei and the town of Kochino, together with the town of Miyata and village of Kusai (both from Haguri District) merged on June 1, 1954 to form the city of Kōnan. The Kōnan reached 100,000 people. Government. Kōnan has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 22 members. The city contributes one member to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi District 10 of  the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Economy. Kōnan is a local commercial center and a center for transshipment and light manufacturing. Due to its proximity to the Nagoya metropolis, it is increasing becoming a commuter community Education. Kōnan has ten public elementary schools and five public junior high schools operated by the city government, and three public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private junior high school and one private high school. The Aichi Konan College, a two-year junior college is also located in Kōnan.