| Soeda | |||||||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||||||
| Settlement Type: | Town | ||||||
| Seal Type: | Emblem | ||||||
| Image Map1: | Soeda in Fukuoka Prefecture Ja.svg | ||||||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||||||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Japan | ||||||
| Coordinates: | 33.5719°N 130.8539°W | ||||||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||||||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||||||
| Subdivision Name1: | Kyushu | ||||||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||||||
| Subdivision Name2: | Fukuoka | ||||||
| Subdivision Type3: | District | ||||||
| Subdivision Name3: | Tagawa | ||||||
| Leader Title: | Mayor | ||||||
| Leader Title1: | Vice Mayor | ||||||
| Unit Pref: | Metric | ||||||
| Area Total Km2: | 132.20 | ||||||
| Population Total: | 8,725 | ||||||
| Population As Of: | March 31, 2023 | ||||||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||||||
| Timezone1: | JST | ||||||
| Utc Offset1: | +09:00 | ||||||
| Blank Name Sec1: | City hall address | ||||||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 2151 Soeda, Soeda-cho, Tagawa-gun, Fukuoka-ken 824-0691 | ||||||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate | ||||||
| Blank Info Sec2: | Cfa | ||||||
| Module: |
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right|thumb|270px|Hikosan Jingu is a town located in Tagawa District, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan., the town had an estimated population of 8725 in 4496 households, and a population density of 66 persons per km2. [1] The total area of the town is .
Soeda is located in the southeastern part of the Chikuhō region, in the southern part of Tagawa District, and borders Oita Prefecture in the Chikushi Mountains, which is home to a series of mountains such as Mt. Hiko. The Aburagi Dam is located in the upper reaches of the Imagawa River, and much of the town is in the mountains.
Fukuoka Prefecture
Soeda has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa). The average annual temperature in Soeda is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around, and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Soeda was on 14 August 2018; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 9 January 2021.
Per Japanese census data, the population of Soeda in 2020 is 8,801 people. Soeda has been conducting censuses since 1920.
The area of Soeda was part of ancient Buzen Province, and artifacts from as early as the late Jōmon period have bene found within town limits, including large jade stones which had been imported from distance Itoigawa, Niigata. During the Edo Period, the area was part of the holdings of Kokura Domain. The village of Soeda was established on May 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to town status on April 1, 1912. On February 11, 1942 Soeds annexed the neighboring village Hikoyama, and on January 1 1955 the village of Tsuno. The town was severely damaged by torrential rains on On July 5, 2017.
Soeda has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 11 members. Soeda, collectively with the other municipalities of Tagawa District contributes two members to the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Fukuoka 11th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
During the Meiji period, Soeda, along with the other municipalities of the Chikuho area, developed with the Kitakyushu industrial zone through coal mining, and is still considered part of to the Greater Kitakyushu Metropolitan Area. However, as the demand for coal decreased due to the energy revolution, the coal mines that had sponsored prosperity have all closed, leading to depopulation. The main economic activity is now agriculture.
Soeda has four public elementary high schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government and one public high school operated by the Fukuoka Prefectural Board of Education.