Seirō, Niigata

Seirō

聖籠町
Seirō 聖籠町
Town
	Seirō town hall
	Flag Seal
	Location of Seirō in Niigata Prefecture
	Seirō
	Coordinates: 37°58′28.3″N 139°16′27.3″E / 37.974528°N 139.274250°E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu) (Hokuriku)
Prefecture	Niigata
District	Kitakanbara
Area
• Total	37.58 km2 (14.51 sq mi)
Population (July 1, 2019)
• Total	14,025
• Density	370/km2 (970/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols
• Tree	Japanese black pine
• Flower	Rosa rugosa
Phone number	0254-27-2111
Address	1635-4 Suwayama, Seirō-machi, Kitakanbara-gun, Niigata-ken 957-0192
Website	Official website

Seirō (聖籠町, Seirō-machi) is a town located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 July 2019^[update], the town had an estimated population of 14,025 in 4715 households,^[1] and a population density of 373 persons per km². The total area of the town was 37.58 square kilometres (14.51 sq mi).

Geography

Seirō is located in central Niigata Prefecture, sandwiched between the cities of Niigata and Shibata, with a small coastline on the Sea of Japan.

Surrounding municipalities

Niigata Prefecture
- Kita-ku
- Shibata

Climate

Seirō has a humid climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Seirō is 13.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1940 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.5 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Seirō has grown slightly over the past 50 years.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1970	11,760	—
1980	12,232	+4.0%
1990	12,290	+0.5%
2000	13,313	+8.3%
2010	13,724	+3.1%
2020	14,259	+3.9%

History

The area of present-day Seirō was part of ancient Echigo Province. After the Meiji restoration, the area was organized as part of Kitakanbara District, Niigata. The village of Seirō was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to town status in August 1977.

Economy

The local economy was formerly dependent on commercial fishing, but is now dominated by industry, notably the production of precision components and food processing. The Higashi-Niigata Thermal Power Station, a large fossil-fuel thermal power station operated by Tohoku Electric, is located in Seirō. The Port of Niigata is a major employer.