[3][4] Chiba Prefecture Sakura has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall.

[5] Per Japanese census data,[7] the population of Sakura increased rapidly in the late 20th century and has plateaued in the 21st.

On March 31, 1954, Sakura achieved city status through merger of the neighboring municipalities of Usui, Wada, Nego, Yadomi, and Shizu.

[2] Sakura has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 28 members.

In terms of national politics, the city is part of Chiba 9th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Sakura is a regional commercial center and, due to its numerous train connections, a bedroom community for nearby Chiba and Tokyo, with more than 24% of the population commuting, per the 2010 census.

In 1994 on the 40th anniversary of the city's foundation a Dutch windmill called De Liefde was erected by the Dutch millwright company "Verbij Hoogmade BV" on the south-eastern shore of Lake Inba as a landmark of Sakura Furusato Square.