Kōriyama

Kōriyama is located in the center of the Nakadōri region of Fukushima Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. The Adatara Mountains are to the north, Lake Inawashiro is to the west, and the Abukuma highlands are to the east. The Abukuma River flows through downtown Kōriyama. The downtown area extends to the west of Kōriyama Station.

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Kōriyama has increased over the past 60 years.

Kōriyama originated as a regional governmental center in the Nara period, when the area was on the frontier of Yamato settlement of the Tōhoku region. The surrounding area developed into shōen controlled by various samurai clans in the Heian and Kamakura periods. Nearby centers, such as Nihonmatsu developed into castle towns, Kōriyama remained as a commercial center and thrived as a post town because of its importance as a traffic focal point into the Edo period and was part of the territory of Nihonmatsu Domain.

With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the town of Kōriyama was established within Asaka District. In the early Meiji period, many dispossessed samurai were assigned undeveloped lands in the area to reclaim and as a result, the population grew and region developed into an agricultural center. The relative abundance of hydroelectric power also helped with the development of local industry.

Kōriyama was raised from town to city status on September 1, 1924 with the annexation of neighboring Odawara Village. Kuwano Village was likewise annexed on June 1, 1925. During the 1930s, Kōriyama was noted a center for military equipment production. It was thus a target for American bombers during World War II, and the city was subject to three large-scale air raids during the war.

From 1954–1955, Kōriyama expanded by annexing the town of Otsuki and portions of the villages of Tomita and Iwae, and in 1965 annexed the villages of Nishida and Nakata. In 1997, the city received core city designation, giving it increased autonomy from national and prefectural governments.

On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake caused damage, but Kōriyama is located outside of the mandatory evacuation zone set by the Japanese government after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Many people from the evacuation zone relocated to Kōriyama.

Kōriyama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 38 members. The city contributes nine members to the Fukushima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, Kōriyama is part of the Fukushima 2nd Electoral District, which includes neighbouring Nihonmatsu, Motomiya and Adachi District.

Kōriyama city is called the "commercial capital in Fukushima" and the economic bloc is the biggest in Fukushima Prefecture.

Principal companies headquartered in Koriyama

• XEBIO; sporting goods
• Kourakuen; ramen noodle shop chain
• York Benimaru; large supermarket retailer with networks in south Tōhoku, Nigata, and North Kanto

Banks headquartered in Koriyama

• Daito Bank
• Toho Bank

Kōriyama is an important transportation hub, as it is located in the center of Fukushima Prefecture and is the nexus of several railway lines and expressways. Kōriyama Station is the central station for the city. However, Kōriyama does not have an airport.

Railway

JR Koriyama Station

JR East - Tōhoku Shinkansen

• Kōriyama

JR East - Tōhoku Main Line

• Asaka-Nagamori - Kōriyama - Hiwada

JR East - East Ban'etsu Line

• Kōriyama - Mōgi

JR East - West Ban'etsu Line

• Kōriyama - Kōriyamatomita - Kikuta - Akogashima] - Bandai-Atami - Nakayamajuku

JR East - Suigun Line

• Kōriyama - Asaka-Nagamori - Yatagawa - Iwaki-Moriyama

Highway

Koriyama Junction

•  E4  Ban-etsu Expressway Tōhoku Expressway - Asaka PA - Kōriyama-minami IC - Kōriyama IC - Kōriyama JCT
•  E49  Ban-etsu Expressway - Kōriyama-higashi IC - Kōriyama JCT - Gohyakugawa PA - Bandai-Atami IC
• National Route 4
• National Route 49
• National Route 228
• National Route 294

• Takeshi Honda, Figure skater
• Toru Iwaya, Mezzotint engraver, painter
• Miki Nagasawa, voice actress
• Eimi Naruse (成瀬 瑛美), Japanese idol and voice actress
• Toshiyuki Nishida, actor
• Saga (Alice Nine), musician
• Masashi Ohuchi, Olympic weightlifter[8]
• Toshio Tamogami, chief of staff of Japan Air Self-Defense Force
• Joji Yuasa, composer
• Hidekaz Himaruya, creator Hetalia
• Takumi Nemoto, Politician (Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare)
• GReeeeN, band

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kōriyama.

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Koriyama City Guide 2017 (Japanese/English)