Yunomae, Kumamoto

Yunomae

湯前町
Yunomae 湯前町
Town
	Yunomae station
	Flag Chapter
	Location of Yunomae in Kumamoto Prefecture
	Yunomae Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 32°16′34″N 130°58′51″E / 32.27611°N 130.98083°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Kumamoto
District	Kuma
Area
• Total	48.41 km2 (18.69 sq mi)
Population (August 31, 2024)
• Total	3,475
• Density	72/km2 (190/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	1989-1 Yunomae-cho, Kuma-gun, Kumamoto-ken 868-0621
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Warbling white-eye
Flower	Azalea
Tree	Hinoki Cypress

Yunomae (湯前町, Yunomae-machi) is a town located in Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 August 2024^[update], the town had an estimated population of 3,475 in 1515 households, and a population density of 860 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the town is 48.41 km² (18.69 sq mi).

Geography

Yunomae is located in the outheastern corner of Kumamoto Prefecture, about 80 kilometers south-southeast in a straight line from Kumamoto City (about 110 km by road), and about 24 kilometers east-northeast from Hitoyoshi City. The western part of the town, which is the urban center, is at the eastern edge of the Hitoyoshi Basin (Kuma Basin). The eastern and southern parts of the town occupy a corner of the Kyushu Mountains and have a steep topography.

Neighboring municipalities

Kumamoto Prefecture

Miyazaki Prefecture

Nishimera

Climate

Yunomae has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Yunomae is 14.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2328 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.9 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Yunomae is as shown below

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1940	5,899	—
1950	8,499	+44.1%
1960	8,622	+1.4%
1970	6,634	−23.1%
1980	6,038	−9.0%
1990	5,514	−8.7%
2000	5,018	−9.0%
2010	4,375	−12.8%
2020	3,627	−17.1%

History

The area of Yunomae was part of ancient Higo Province, During the Edo Period it was part of the holdings of Hitoyoshi Domain. After the Meiji restoration, the village of Yunomae was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on April 1, 1937.

Government

Yunomae has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of ten members. Yunomae, collectively with the other municipalities of Kuma District, contributes two members to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Kumamoto 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.