| Ichihara | |||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||
| Settlement Type: | City | ||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | |||
| Coordinates: | 35.4981°N 140.1154°W | ||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||
| Subdivision Name1: | Kantō | ||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||
| Subdivision Name2: | Chiba | ||
| Established Title: | First official recorded | ||
| Established Date: | mid 3rd century (official) | ||
| Established Title2: | Goi town settled | ||
| Established Date2: | May 20, 1891 | ||
| Established Title3: | Ichihara town settled | ||
| Established Date3: | March 31, 1955 | ||
| Established Title4: | Both town merged and city settled | ||
| Established Date4: | May 1, 1963 | ||
| Leader Title: | Mayor | ||
| Leader Name: | Joji Koide (since June 2015) | ||
| Area Total Km2: | 368.17 | ||
| Population Total: | 274117 | ||
| Population As Of: | December 1, 2020 | ||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||
| Timezone1: | Japan Standard Time | ||
| Utc Offset1: | +9 | ||
| Blank Name Sec1: | Phone number | ||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 0436-22-1111 | ||
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Address | ||
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | 1-1-1 Kokubunjidai Chūō, Ichihara-shi, Chiba-ken 290-8501 | ||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate | ||
| Blank Info Sec2: | Cfa | ||
| Module: |
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is a city, located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 274,117 in 128,316 households and a population density of 240 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 368.2sqkm. The city is home, together with the city of Chiba, to the JEF United football club. The whole city is also parts of Greater Tokyo Area.
Ichihara is located in the western part of the Bōsō Peninsula, and geographically is the largest of Chiba Prefecture's cities and towns. The south is a mountainous area connected to the Boso hills. The highly industrialized northern part of the city faces Tokyo Bay. Ichihara, dense in housing developments, serves as a satellite town of Tokyo and Chiba City.
Chiba Prefecture
Ichihara has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Ichihara is . The average annual rainfall is with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around, and lowest in January, at around .
The area of modern Ichihara is the center of ancient Kazusa province. The ruins of the Nara period Kazusa Kokubun-ji provincial temple have been found within the borders of Ichihara, although the exact location of the Nara-period provincial capital remains uncertain. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested between the Chiba clan to the north, and the Satomi clan to the south. During the Edo period, the area was divided between Goi Domain, Tsurumaki Domain and large areas of tenryō territory controlled directly by the Tokugawa shogunate and administered by various hatamoto.
Ichihara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 32 members. Ichihara contributes four members to the Chiba Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Chiba 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Ichihara has recently plateaued after several decades of strong growth.
The city's economy is fueled by a large industrial complex overlooking Tokyo Bay. It contains the largest number of oil refineries in Japan, as well as power, petrochemical and shipbuilding companies.[5]
Keisei Electric Railway – Keisei Chihara Line
Kominato Railway – Kominato Line
- Mobile, Alabama, United States, from November 10, 1993The Soai-kai yakuza syndicate is headquartered in Ichihara.[6] A designated yakuza group, the Soai-kai is one of the three dominating yakuza syndicates in Chiba Prefecture, along with the Sumiyoshi-kai and the Inagawa-kai.[7]