Yamae, Kumamoto

Yamae

山江村
Yamae 山江村
Village
	Yamane Village Hall
	Flag Seal
	Location of Yamae in Kumamoto Prefecture
	Yamae Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 32°14′48″N 130°46′00″E / 32.24667°N 130.76667°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Kumamoto
District	Kuma
Area
• Total	121.19 km2 (46.79 sq mi)
Population (August 31, 2024)
• Total	3,177
• Density	26/km2 (68/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	1356-1 Yamada-ko, Yamae-mura, Kuma-gun, Kumamoto-ken 868-0092
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Warbling white-eye
Flower	Azalea
Tree	Cryptomeria japonica

Yamae (山江村, Yamae-mura) is a village located in Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 August 2024^[update], the village had an estimated population of 3,177 in 1194 households, and a population density of 26 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the village is 121.19 km² (46.79 sq mi).

Geography

Yamae is located in an inland region of southern Kumamoto prefecture. The southern part of the village is part of the Hitoyoshi Basin, which is contains the central urban area. The remainder, which accounts for 90% of the village area, is mountainous.

Neighboring municipalities

Kumamoto Prefecture

Climate

Yamae has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Yamae is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2283 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 3.5 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Yamane is as shown below

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1940	5,272	—
1950	6,051	+14.8%
1960	6,633	+9.6%
1970	4,765	−28.2%
1980	4,276	−10.3%
1990	4,237	−0.9%
2000	4,104	−3.1%
2010	3,681	−10.3%
2020	3,238	−12.0%

History

The area of Yamae was part of ancient Higo Province, During the Edo Period it was part of the holdings of Hitoyoshi Domain. After the Meiji restoration, the village of Yamane was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

Government

Yamane has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of eight members. Yamane, collectively with the other municipalities of Kuma District, contributes two members to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of the Kumamoto 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The local economy is based on agriculture and forestry.

Education

Yamane has two public elementary school sand one public junior high school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railways

Yamae has no passenger railway services. The nearest train stations is Hitoyoshi Station on the Kumagawa Railway or JR Kyushu, approximately 45 minutes away by car or bus.