Yamamoto, Miyagi Prefecture, Tōhoku Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Yamamoto (山元町, Yamamoto-chō) is a town located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 May 2020, the town had an estimated population density of 190 persons per km² in 4,794 households. The total area of the town is 64.58 square km (24.93 sq mi).

Geography Yamamoto is located in south-east Miyagi Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, and Fukushima Prefecture to the south.

Neighboring municipalities Miyagi Prefecture • Kakuda • Watari • Marumori; Fukushima Prefecture • Shinchi.

Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Yamamoto peaked at around the year 2000, and has dropped rapidly since.

History The area of present-day Yamamoto was part of ancient Mutsu Province and was part of the holdings of Sendai Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. The village of Yamamoto was established on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of a post-Meiji restoration modern municipalities system. It was raised to town status on February 1, 1951, by merging with the neighboring village of Sakamoto.

Yamamoto was devastated by the 9.0 – 9.1 moment magnitude scale (Mw) 2011 Tōhoku earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March 2011 and resultant tsunami. Eyewitness accounts describe Yamamoto as "one of the worst-hit areas" with no houses left undamaged. On February 13, 2021, Yamamoto was devastated by a M 7.3 earthquake that struck off the coast of Fukushima prefecture, with a Shindo 7 rating.

Government Yamamoto has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 13 members. Yamamoto and the town of Watari together contribute two seats to the Miyagi Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Miyagi 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy The economy of Yamamoto is largely based on agriculture and commercial fishing.

Education Yamamoto has four public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a public high school; however, there is a special education school for the handicapped operated by the Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education.

Transport: Rail East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Jōban Line • Sakamoto - Yamashita.

Transport: Road • Jōban Expressway • National Route 6.