Kasuya is located in northwestern Fukuoka Prefecture, and borders Fukuoka City's Higashi Ward and Hakata Ward on the west side. The Tatara River flows east-west through the northern part of the town, and the Sue River flows northwest through the southern and western parts. The town is included in the Fukuoka Plain and the topography is generally flat, but there are slightly higher mountains at the north and east ends.There are several large and small reservoirs in the town, including Kayoicho Pond.
Kasuya has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kasuya is 15.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1766 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.4 °C.[2]
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Kasuya is as shown below.
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1940
7,679
—
1950
11,259
+46.6%
1960
12,524
+11.2%
1970
18,691
+49.2%
1980
26,810
+43.4%
1990
29,697
+10.8%
2000
34,811
+17.2%
2010
42,002
+20.7%
2020
48,190
+14.7%
History
The area of Kasuya 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 Okawa and Nakabaru were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The villages merged on March 31, 1957 to form the town of Kasuya.
Government
Kasuya has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 16 members. Kasuya, together with the other municipalities in Kasuya District contributes three members to the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Fukuoka 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy
There used to be a coal mine in the northwestern part of town, but it closed in the 1960s. After that, an industrial park was established; however, the main focus of the local economy is on commerce with an increasing percentage of the working population commuting to nearby Fukuoka.
Education
Kasuya has four public elementary schools and two public junior high schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.