Mutsu むつ市 |
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City | |||
![]() Mutsu City from Kamafuse-yama
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![]() Location of Mutsu in Aomori Prefecture |
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Coordinates: 41°17′34.2″N 141°11′1″E / 41.292833°N 141.18361°ECoordinates: 41°17′34.2″N 141°11′1″E / 41.292833°N 141.18361°E | |||
Country | Japan | ||
Region | Tōhoku | ||
Prefecture | Aomori Prefecture | ||
Government | |||
• - Mayor | Sōichirō Miyashita | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 864.16 km2 (333.65 sq mi) | ||
Population (February 2017) | |||
• Total | 59,807 | ||
• Density | 69.2/km2 (179/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | ||
City symbols | |||
-Tree | Asunaro | ||
-Flower | Rosa rugosa | ||
-Bird | Whooper swan | ||
Phone number | 0175-22-1111 | ||
Address | 1-1-1, Kanaya, Mutsu-shi, Aomori-ken 035-8686 | ||
Website | www |
Mutsu (むつ市 Mutsu-shi) is a city located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. As of 28 February 2017[update], the city had an estimated population of 59,807, and a population density of 69.2 persons per km², in 29,304 households. Its total area is 864.16 square kilometres (333.65 sq mi), making it the largest municipality in Aomori Prefecture in terms of area.
Mutsu occupies most of Shimokita Peninsula and is bordered by Mutsu Bay to the south and Tsugaru Strait to the north, and is the northernmost city on the island of Honshū. Parts of the city is within the limits of the Shimokita Hantō Quasi-National Park. The volcanic Osorezan Mountain Range extends across the northern portion of the city, and includes a number of caldera lakes.
Mutsu has a cold maritime climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) bordering on a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Mutsu is 7.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1339 mm with September as the wettest month.The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 20.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -4.6 °C.
Per Japanese census data, the population of Mutsu has declined over the past 40 years.
Mutsu was founded as September 1, 1959 through the merger of the former towns of Ōminato and Tanabu. Tanabu had been the location of a daikansho under the Morioka Domain in the Edo period, and was a resettlement and colonization zone for dispossessed ex-samurai of the defeated Aizu Domain after the Boshin War. Ōminato was a port town, and home to the Ōminato Guard District, a major base for the Imperial Japanese Navy until the end of World War II. The base facilities were used by the United States Navy during the occupation of Japan, and (on a reduced scale) by the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force to date.