Yoshikawa, Saitama

"Yoshikawa" redirects here. For the surname, see Yoshikawa (surname).

Yoshikawa 吉川市
City
Flag of Yoshikawa Flag
Location of Yoshikawa in Saitama Prefecture Location of Yoshikawa in Saitama Prefecture
Yoshikawa Location in Japan
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Saitama Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Taneshige Tobari (since February 1999)
Area
• Total	31.62 km2 (12.21 sq mi)
Population (May 1, 2011)
• Total	66,773
• Density	2,111.73/km2 (5,469.4/sq mi)
Symbols
• Tree	Osmanthus
• Flower	Azalea, Rhododendron
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City Hall Address	2-1-1 Yoshikawa, Yoshikawa-shi, Saitama-ken 342-8501
Website	www.city.yoshikawa.saitama.jp

Yoshikawa (吉川市, Yoshikawa-shi) is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.

As of May 1, 2011, the city had an estimated population of 66,773, with 25,194 households and a population density of 2,111.73 persons per km². The total area is 31.62 km² (12.21 sq mi).

The modern city of Yoshikawa was established on April 1, 1996. The area was previously Yoshikawa-machi, but population increase necessitated the change to 'shi' (city)

It is approximately 20 km (12 mi) north-west of Tokyo and bordered on both sides by two small rivers; Edogawa to the west and Nakagawa to the east. Due to this location, Yoshikawa is known for its high-quality river eel production or 'unagi'. Its main industries are farming and retail.

Yoshikawa is infamous among foreigners living in the area for having city hall officials and a police force that discriminates heavily against any non Japanese person. One British national complained of being stopped by 2 police cars where 8 officers got out, surrounded him, and asked him for identification, referring to the incident as a 'routine check'. Another foreigner, a Pakistani national, claimed to have been stopped routinely for ID and that often the officer in question had stopped him numerous times before.

Transportation

Yoshikawa is serviced by the JR East Musashino line, and the nearby Misato Junction provides access to the nation's expressways.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Japan

Twin towns — Sister cities

Yoshikawa is twinned with:

• Lake Oswego, Oregon, United States (1996)
• Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan (1997)

External links

• Yoshikawa City official website (Japanese)