However, the current Japanese pronunciation and meaning of the town's name, Hiranai (平内, 平 hira "flat", and 内 nai "inside") is descriptive of the valley, but is based on the flat area inside of the mountains or the bay that surrounds it.

[5] Up to the middle of the Edo period, the isolated areas of Hiranai were some of the last sanctuaries for the Ainu people in Honshu.

[7] On 15 July 1945, four seaplanes of the Imperial Japanese Army's Giretsu Kuteitai docked off the east coast of Natsudomari Peninsula were bombed.

[8] On the 9th and 10 August of the same year Grumman TBF Avengers bombed the entirety of the town and a troop transport ship, the Hanasaki Maru, was sunk.

[4] Hiranai occupies the Natsudomari Peninsula, the northern end of the Ōu Mountain Range that juts into central Mutsu Bay.

After passing through Kominato, it joins the Morita River, which empties into Mutsu Bay shortly after their confluence.

Aomori Prefecture Hiranai has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members.

[18] Tourism also plays a role in the economy, with beaches in close proximity to the city of Aomori in summer, ski resorts in winter, and onsen all year drawing tourists.

Following the high school's closure it was designated as a public venue for the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines beginning in April 2021.

[21] Hiranai Middle School commenced operations on 7 April 2022 after the completion of renovations on the building.

The private school gained national attention for its use of the deprecated Imperial Rescript on Education in its curriculum.