| Sarufutsu | |||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||
| Settlement Type: | Village | ||
| Image Map1: | Sarufutsu in Hokkaido Prefecture Ja.svg | ||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Japan | ||
| Coordinates: | 45.3306°N 142.1089°W | ||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||
| Subdivision Name1: | Hokkaido | ||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||
| Subdivision Name2: | Hokkaido (Sōya Subprefecture) | ||
| Subdivision Type3: | District | ||
| Subdivision Name3: | Sōya | ||
| Leader Title: | Mayor | ||
| Leader Title1: | Vice Mayor | ||
| Unit Pref: | Metric | ||
| Area Total Km2: | 589.99 | ||
| Population Total: | 2647 | ||
| Population As Of: | June 30, 2024 | ||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||
| Timezone1: | JST | ||
| Utc Offset1: | +09:00 | ||
| Blank Name Sec1: | City hall address | ||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 172 Onishibetsu-nishi, Sarufutsu-mura, Sōya-gun, Hokkaidō 098-6292 | ||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate | ||
| Blank Info Sec2: | Dfb | ||
| Module: |
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right|thumb|290px|Sarufutsu Town Hallright|thumb|290px| Indigirka Memorial is a village located in Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan., the village had an estimated population of 2,647 in 1305 households, and a population density of 4.5 people per km2.[1] The total area of the village is .
Sarufutsu is the northernmost village in Japan and is the largest village in Hokkaido in area. Located on the Tonbetsu Plain, it faces the Sea of Okhotsk to the east where, during the winter, there is drift ice.[2] The western part is hilly and mountainous. 80% of the village's total area is covered by forests. Parts of the village are within the borders of the North Okhotsk Prefectural Natural Park.[3]
Sarufutsu has cold and temperate climate considered to be Dfb according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. There is a considerable amount of rainfall even during months that typically experience dry weather. The average annual temperature in Sarufutsu is 6.0 °C. Each year, there is an approximate 1089 mm of precipitation. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 19.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -6.5 °C.[4]
Per Japanese census data, the population of Sarufutsu is as shown below:
From around the middle of the Edo period, fishing grounds were established under a land contract system managed by Matsumae Domain. The name of "Sarufutsu" derives from the Ainu language word sar-put, which translates "river mouth reed plains", and which referred to a river which flows through the village. In 1878, Sarufutsu Village was established in Sōya District, Kitami Province. In 1909 it was merged with neighboring Soya Village (now part of Wakkanai City), and separated back out as a second-class municipality in October 1924. In 1936, a telephone relay station was established in Sarufutsu, which connected Karafuto with Honshu via a submarine cable. In December 1934, the Soviet prison ship SS Indigirka ran aground at Hamaonishibetsu in Sarufutsu, with the death of 741 prisoners. A cenotaph at Sarufutsu commemorates the tragic event.[5]
In June 1942, construction of the Asajino Airfield of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force began. Both the first and second airfields were completed at the end of 1944. Many villagers were mobilized for labor service as wella s many Korean Forced labourers. Approximately 80 Koreans died over the course of construction from abuse or malnutrition. In 2014, the village attempted to construct a monument in memory of the Korean prisoners who died there. However, construction was cancelled after Japanese nationalists orchestrated a protest movement via the internet. The village office was overwhelmed with threatening phone calls, who called the office workers traitors, and threatened the village with a boycott of its scallop industry.[6]
Sarufutsu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of eight members. Sarufutsu, as part of Soya sub-prefecture, contributes one member to the Hokkaido Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of the Hokkaido 12th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
The local economy of Sarufutsu is centered on commercial fishing and dairy farming. In particular, Sarufutsu is famous for its scallops, with one of the largest catches in Japan. Sarufutsu scallops were exported even to Hong Kong from the Meiji period. In the immediate post-war era, coal mining and forestry also had a role in the local economy, but when these resources were exhausted, the local government took steps to revive the scallop industry through better resource management and local food processing.. Sarufutsu has a fledgling tourist industry, as it is a highlight for motor bikers in the summer, who stop overnight at one of the biker camps. The tourist center is located a few kilometers south of Hamaonishibetsu.
Sarufutsu has four public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.
Sarufutsu has not had any passenger railway services since the closing of the JR Hokkaido Tempoku Line in 1989. The nearest railway station is Minami-Wakkanai Station or Otoineppu Station on the Sōya Main Line.
Sarufutsu's mascot is . He is a Japanese macaque who moved to Hokkaido. He is a skilled dancer and scallop sculptor. He also likes to travel around the world. His favourite foods are scallops and milk.[7] [8]