Ōmachi, Saga

Ōmachi

大町町
Ōmachi 大町町
Town
	View of Omachi and Rokkaku river
	Flag Seal
	Location of Ōmachi in Saga Prefecture
	Ōmachi Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 33°12′50″N 130°6′58″E / 33.21389°N 130.11611°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Saga
District	Kishima
Government
• Mayor	Hiroshisei Takemura
Area
• Total	11.50 km2 (4.44 sq mi)
Population (May 31, 2023)
• Total	5,960
• Density	520/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	5017 Ōmachi, Ōmachi-chō, Kishima-gun, Saga-ken 849-2101
Website	Official website
Symbols
Flower	Pansy
Tree	Sweet Osmanthus

Ōmachi (大町町, Ōmachi-chō) is a town located in Kishima District, Saga Prefecture, Japan.^[1]^[2] As of 31 May 2024^[update], the town had an estimated population of 5,960 in 2646 households, and a population density of 520 persons per km².^[3] The total area of the town is 11.50 km² (4.44 sq mi)

Geography

Ōmachi is located about 20 kilometers inland west of Saga City. Its total area is the smallest in Saga Prefecture.

Mountains: The northern part of town gradually becomes mountainous.
Rivers: Rokkaku River
Lakes: The northern, mountainous part of town is dotted with ponds.

Adjoining municipalities

Saga Prefecture

Climate

Ōmachi has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Ōmachi is 16.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1864 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.2 °C.^[4]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Ōmachi is as shown below. ^[5]

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1940	20,938	—
1950	23,276	+11.2%
1960	20,427	−12.2%
1970	10,649	−47.9%
1980	9,776	−8.2%
1990	9,239	−5.5%
2000	8,503	−8.0%
2010	7,364	−13.4%
2020	6,293	−14.5%

History

The area of Ōmachi is part of ancient Hizen Province. During the Edo period it was part of the holdings of Saga Domain until the Meiji restoration. The village of Ōmachi was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Ōmachi was elevated to town status on January 1, 1936.

Government

Ōmachi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of eight members. Ōmachi, together with the other municipalities in Kishima District contributes two members to the Saga Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Saga 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The main industries are agriculture (rice, wheat, cucumbers, strawberries, etc.) and livestock (chicken farming). The town once prospered as a coal-producing area due to the Kishima coal mine, but it closed in the 1960s due to changes in the energy situation.

Education

Ōmachi has one public combined elementary/junior high school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Saga Prefectural Board of Education.