Okagaki is located in the northern part of Fukuoka Prefecture, approximately 30 kilometers west of Kitakyushu and approximately 40 kilometers northeast of Fukuoka City. The northern part of the town faces the Gulf of Hibiki, and in the western part of the town, on the border with Munakata City, there is a series of mountains with heights of 300 to 400 meters called the Munakata Yotsuzuka.
Onga has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Onga is 15.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1560 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.0 °C.[2]
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Okagaki is as shown below
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1950
11,635
—
1960
14,339
+23.2%
1970
13,417
−6.4%
1980
16,760
+24.9%
1970
25,327
+51.1%
1990
27,896
+10.1%
2000
30,417
+9.0%
2010
32,101
+5.5%
2020
31,648
−1.4%
History
The area of Okagaki was part of ancient Chikuzen Province. During the Edo Period, the area was under the control of Fukuoka Domain. After the Meiji restoration, the villages of Okaken and Yahagi were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The two villages had many similarities in geography and customs, and had also worked together to attract a railway station (which culminated in Ebitsu Station in 1910), increasing the momentum for a merger, and in 1907, the two villages merged. Okagaki was raised to town status on October 1, 1962.
Government
Okagaki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 13 members. Okagaki, collectively with the other municipalities in the Onga District, contributes two members to the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Fukuoka 8th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy
Okagaki is largely a commercial center and commuter town for nearby Kitakyushu and Fukuoka. In terms of agriculture, the town is known within the region for its production of the loquat fruit.
Education
Okagaki has five public elementary schools and two public junior high school by the town government. The town does not have a high school.
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