Ami, Ibaraki


Ami is a town located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2015, the town had an estimated population of 48,019, and a population density of 673 persons per km². Its total area is 71.40 km².

Geography

Located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, Ami is bordered to the north by Lake Kasumigaura

Surrounding municipalities

During the Edo period, the area around Ami was part of Hitachi Province. The villages of Ami, Kimihara, Asahi and Funashima were created with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. In 1921, the Imperial Japanese Navy established a naval aviation training base at Ami, with floatplane operations on nearby Kasumigaura. Zeppelin operations also began from 1929. In 1937, the Youth Aviation Squadron was transferred from Yokosuka. The base was repeated bombed in 1944 and 1945 during World War II, with the attack on June 10, 1945 killing over 300 people.
On April 1, 1955, the villages of Ami, Kimihara and Asahi merged to form the town of Ami. Most of the village of Funashima joined on April 20, 1955.

Economy

Ami has a mixed economy. Agriculture remains predominant; however, there are also numerous factories for chemicals, light manufacturing and electronics.

Education

Railway