Tahara, Aichi
Geography. Tahara is situated in southern Aichi Prefecture, and occupies most of the hilly Atsumi Peninsula. The peninsula is bounded on the north by Mikawa Bay and to the south lies the Philippine Sea. Situated as it is between those two bodies of water, Tahara has a warm maritime climate. 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 Tahara 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 Tahara has been relatively steady over the past 60 years. History. Origin. The area of present-day Tahara has been continuously occupied since prehistoric times. Archaeologists have found numerous remains from the Jōmon period and burial mounds from the Kofun period. Ancient history. During the Nara period, the area was assigned to ancient Atsumi County, and was divided into several "shōen" during the Heian period. Middle Ages. During the Kamakura period, the area was noted for production of a certain type of pottery. During the Sengoku  period, the area was under the control of the Toda clan, who constructed Tahara Castle. Early modern period. The Toda, who were allied with Tokugawa Ieyasu were dispossessed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but returned as "daimyō" of Tahara Domain at the start of the Edo period. The Toda were later replaced by the Miyake clan, who ruled until the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. The noted scholar Watanabe Kazan was from Tahara. Late modern period. At the start of the Meiji period, on October 1, 1889, Tahara was organized into a number of villages within Atsumi District, Aichi Prefecture with the  establishment of the modern municipalities system. Tahara Village was elevated to town status on October 3, 1892, and Fukue village became Fukue Town on February 22, 1897. Contemporary history. Fukue later changed its name to Atsumi Town on April 15, 1955. On November 11, 1958, the village of was raised to town status. The city of Tahara was established on August 20, 2003, from the merger the former town of Tahara, absorbing the town of Akabane (both from Atsumi District) to elevate city status. On October 1, 2005, the town of Atsumi (also from Atsumi District) was merged into Tahara . Therefore, Atsumi District was dissolved as a result of this merger. Government. Tahara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members. The city contributes one member to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi District 15 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. External relations. Twin towns – Sister cities. National. Friendship city Economy. Tahara is a regional commercial center with a mixed economy of manufacturing and agriculture. Due to its long coastline, Tahara has many ports for commercial  fishing. Secondary sector of the economy. Manufacturing. The main industrial employer is Toyota Motor Corporation, which has its award-winning Tahara plant in Tahara which makes many Lexus-brand cars and some Toyota models. The Toyota Celica was manufactured in Tahara from 1979 to 1999. Many Lexus models are manufactured within this plant, as are many Toyota models for domestic and international markets. Lifeline. Energy. Tahara has a consortium of companies investing in renewable energy needs. , a new solar energy and wind energy power generation facility will provide 19,000 households with electricity on an infrequent basis that is dependent upon  the weather. JERA operates the Atsumi Thermal Power Station, an oil-fired power plant with capacity of 1400 MW in Tahara. Education. Schools. Tahara has 18 public elementary schools, five public middle schools operated by the city government and three public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education. Transportation. Bus. Bus services. Toyotetsu buses and city-operated environmentally friendly public transport facilitate access throughout Tahara, even to the westernmost point at Cape Irago. Seaways. Seaports. From the Port of Irago, the Ise-wan Ferry connects Tahara with the town of Toba, Mie prefecture. The ferry can accommodate  motor vehicles. The ferry also docks at the Central Japan International Airport, built on an artificial island in Ise Bay, south of Nagoya.