Tōyō, Kōchi Prefecture, Shikoku Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Tōyō (東洋町, Tōyō-chō) is a town located in Aki District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. As of 28 February 2022, the town had an estimated population density of 30 persons per km².The total area of the town is 74.06 square km (28.59 sq mi).

Geography Tōyō is located in north-eastern tip of Kōchi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It is situated on a mountainous area of the ria coast of the Pacific Ocean, with the main urban area being strip of hamlets along the coastal highway. Much of the town is within the borders of the Muroto-Anan Kaigan Quasi-National Park.

Neighbouring municipalities Kōchi Prefecture • Muroto • Kitagawa; Tokushima Prefecture • Kaiyō.

History As with all of Kōchi Prefecture, the area of Tōyō was part of ancient Tosa Province. The name of Aki District appears in Nara period. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Tosa Domain ruled by the Yamauchi clan from their seat at Kōchi Castle. The villages of Kannoura (甲浦村) and None (野根村) were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889. Kannoura was raised to town status on April1, 1916, followed by None on February 11, 1938. The two towns merged on July 1, 1959 to form the town of Tōyō.

In 2007, Yasuoki Tashima, the former mayor of the town, brought national and worldwide attention when he applied to host Japan's high level nuclear waste repository in Tōyō without the knowledge or approval of the town assembly. The plan was met with resistance from the town council, the governors of both and Kōchi and Tokushima Prefecture, as well as outrage by local residents. He lost a subsequent election and resigned.

Government Tōyō has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of nine members. Tōyō, together with the city of Muroto, contributes one member to the Kōchi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Kōchi 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy In addition to the commercial fishery industry, Tōyō's economy is centered on forestry and fruit tree cultivation. In the past, bonito fishing and whaling were important, but now the main fishing industry is coastal fishing. The upper reaches of the None River are rainy areas and are noted for wood production.

Education Tōyō has two public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

Transport: Rail The Asa Kaigan Railway's Asatō Line passed through the town, but its terminus, Kannoura Station closed in 2020 when the line was covert from rail to Dual-mode vehicle operations.

Transport: Road • National Route 55 • National Route 193

Local attractions • Muroto-Anan Kaigan Quasi-National Park.