| Hirao | |||||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||||
| Settlement Type: | Town | ||||
| Seal Type: | Emblem | ||||
| Image Map1: | Hirao in Yamaguchi Prefecture Ja.svg | ||||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Japan | ||||
| Coordinates: | 33.9381°N 132.0733°W | ||||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||||
| Subdivision Name1: | Chūgoku San'yō | ||||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||||
| Subdivision Name2: | Yamaguchi | ||||
| Subdivision Type3: | District | ||||
| Subdivision Name3: | Kumage | ||||
| Extinct Title: | Now part of | ||||
| Leader Title: | Mayor | ||||
| Leader Name: | Kunihiro Asamoto | ||||
| Leader Title1: | Vice Mayor | ||||
| Unit Pref: | Metric | ||||
| Area Total Km2: | 34.59 | ||||
| Population Total: | 11,064 | ||||
| Population As Of: | May 31, 2023 | ||||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||||
| Timezone1: | JST | ||||
| Utc Offset1: | +09:00 | ||||
| Blank Name Sec1: | City hall address | ||||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 210-1 Hirao-cho, Hirao-cho, Kumage-gun, Yamaguchi-ken | ||||
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right|thumb|270px|Hirao Town Hallright|thumb|270px|View from Ohosi is a town located in Kumage District, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan., the town had an estimated population of 11,064 in 5394 households and a population density of 320 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the town is 34.59sqkm.
The town extends approximately 11 kilometers north to south and 9 kilometers east to west, and is located on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea in southeastern Yamaguchi Prefecture. Parts of the town are within the borders of the Setonaikai National Park.
Yamaguchi Prefecture
Hirao has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with very warm summers and cool winters. The average annual temperature in Hirao is 16.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1678 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 26.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.6 °C.[2]
Per Japanese census data, the population of Hirao has been steady for the past 50 years.
The area of Hirao was part of an ancient Suō Province. During the Edo Period, the area was part of the holdings of Chōshū Domain. Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Hirao within Kumage District, Yamaguchi was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Hirao was elevated to town status on April 1, 1903. On January 1, 1955 Tabuse annexed the villages of Ono, Saga and Sone.
Hirao has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members. Hirao, together with the towns of Kaminoseki and Tabuse contributes one member to the Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Yamaguchi 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Hirao has a rural economy based on agriculture and commercial fishing. There is one small industrial park.
Hirao has two public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Yamaguchi Prefectural Board of Education.
Hirao has no passenger railway service. The nearest station is the JR West Sanyo Main Line Yanai Station or Tabuse Station.[3]