Akitakata

The city of Akitakata was established on March 1, 2004, from the merger Yoshida with the towns of Kōda, Midori, Mukaihara, Takamiya, Yachiyo (all from Takata District).

Akitakata has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 16 members.

In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Hiroshima 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

The mayor of Akitakata, Hiroshi Kodama, admitted receiving 600,000 yen from former Minister of Justice Katsuyuki Kawai and appeared at a news conference on 26 June 2020 with a shaved head to express his remorse.

Other recipients of the cash gifts included several elected representatives in the city, amongst them the Speaker and the vice-Speaker of the Municipal Assembly.

Another is yuzu juice (柚子ジュース), a product of the Kawane area of Takamiya town in the northeastern part of the city.

ruins of Yoshida Koriyama Castle
Aerial view of Yoshida urban center