Hannō
Geography. Hannō is located on the southern border of Saitama Prefecture, bordered by the Tokyo to the south and the Chichibu region to the west. Both the Iruma River and the Koma River flow through the city. Hannō is mainly made up of urban and suburban areas, surrounded by mountains and rivers. Surrounding municipalities. Saitama Prefecture Tokyo Metropolis Climate. Hannō has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen "Cfa") characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hannō is 12.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1408 mm with September as  the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.0 °C. Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Hannō peaked around the year 2000 and has been in decline for the past 20 years. History. Hannō was traditionally noted for its lumber industry, which developed during the Edo period to supply Edo with timber needed for rebuilding after its frequent fires. The town of Hannō was established within Koma District, Saitama with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Koma District  was abolished in 1896, becoming part of Iruma District. Hannō annexed the neighboring villages of Seimei, Minami-Koma, Kaji and Moto-Kaji on April 1, 1943. It was elevated to city status on January 1, 1954. Hannō annexed the neighboring villages of Agano, Gigshi-Agano, Haraichiba on September 30, 1956. On January 1, 2005, the village of Naguri was merged into Hannō. Economy. The economy of Hannō is mixed, with a number of pharmaceutical firms and electronics firms maintaining factories in the area. A substantial fraction of the population commutes to Tokyo every day. Government. Hannō has a mayor-council  form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 19 members. Hannō contributes one member to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Saitama 9th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Transportation. Railway. JR East – Hachiko Line In popular culture. The anime series "Encouragement of Climb" is set in Hannō.