Iruma, Saitama

Iruma 入間市
City
Iruma City Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Iruma in Saitama Prefecture
Iruma Location of Iruma in Saitama Prefecture
Coordinates: 35°50′8.9″N 139°23′28.1″E / 35.835806°N 139.391139°ECoordinates: 35°50′8.9″N 139°23′28.1″E / 35.835806°N 139.391139°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Saitama Prefecture
Area
• Total	44.69 km^2 (17.25 sq mi)
Population (February 2016)
• Total	148,460
• Density	3,320/km^2 (8,600/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Zelkova serrata
- Flower	Camellia sinensis
- Bird	Eurasian skylark
Phone number	04-2964-1111
Address	1-16-1toyooka, Iruma-shi, Saitama-ken 358-8511
Website	Official website

Iruma (入間市 Iruma-shi) is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, in the central Kantō region of Japan. As of 1 February 2016, the city had an estimated population of 148,460 and a population density of 3,320 persons per km². Its total area was 44.69 square kilometres (17.25 sq mi).

Geography

Located in the Satama Highlands of far southern Saitama Prefecture, Iruma is bordered by Tokyo to the south. The Iruma River flows through the city.

Surrounding municipalities

• Saitama Prefecture
  • Sayama
  • Hannō
  • Tokorozawa
• Tokyo Metropolis
  • Oume
  • Mizuho

History

Iruma developed as a series of three post towns on the Nikkō Wakiōkan highway during the Edo period. The town of Toyooka and villages of Kaneko, Miyadera, Fujisawa and Higashikaneko were created within Iruma District, Saitama with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The Imperial Japanese Army Air Academy established an airfield in the area in 1938, which later developed into Iruma Air Base. On April 1, 1954 Higashikaneko became Seibu Town. On September 30, 1956, Toyooka, Kaneko, Miyadera, Fujisawa and Seibu merged to form the town of Musashi. Musashi was elevated to city status on November 1, 1966, becoming the city of Iruma.

Economy

Iruma has a mixed economy with numerous industrial parks for light manufacturing and also serves as a regional commercial center. Due to its location, it is also a bedroom community for people commuting to the Tokyo metropolis for work. In terms of agriculture, Iruma and neighboring Sayama are famous for the green tea they produce.

Education

• Musashino Academia Musicae – Iruma campus
• Iruma has 16 public elementary schools, 11 public and one private middle school, and two public and four private high schools.

Transportation

Railway

• JR East - Hachikō Line
  • Kaneko
• Seibu Railway - Seibu Ikebukuro Line
  • Musashi-Fujisawa --- Irumashi - Bushi - Motokaji

Highway

• Ken-O Expressway
• Japan National Route 16
• Japan National Route 299
• Japan National Route 463
• Japan National Route 407
• Japan National Route 468

Military facilities

• Iruma Air Base, located in Iruma and the neighboring the city of Sayama is a facility of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The base holds an open house annually in early November. This air base was formerly known as Johnson Air Base while under the control of the United States Air Force.

Twin towns and sister cities

Iruma is twinned with:

• Sado, Niigata, Japan (1986)
• Wolfratshausen, Germany,^[1] since October 14, 1987
• Fenghua, Zhejiang, China,^[1] friendship city since May 16, 2000

Local attractions

• Iruma City Museum

Noted people from Iruma

• Wataru Kozuki, Takarazuka performer
• Yūsei Matsui, manga artist

References

1. "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.

External links

• Official website (Japanese)