Ashio, Tochigi

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Ashio (Japanese: 足尾町) was a town located in Kamitsuga District, Tochigi, Japan. On March 20, 2006, Ashio merged into the city of Nikkō.

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 3,465 and a density of 18.65 persons per km.² The total area was 185.79 km.²

Ashio was the location of a copper mine that caused a major pollution problem in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century. Subsequent environmental problems related to the mine are still evident along the river, in Tochigi, Gunma and Ibaraki Prefectures. In 1907 the miners here rioted.^[1]

The following communities agreed to seek the permission of the governor of the prefecture to merge on March 1, 2006:

[edit] References

^ Nimura Kazuo. (1997) "The Ashio Riot of 1907: A Social History of Mining in Japan", American Historical Review, Vol. 104, No. 3, June 1999.

Nimura Kazuo. (1997) The Ashio Riot of 1907: A Social History of Mining in Japan(Ashio bōdō no shiteki bunseki translated by Terry Boardman and Andrew Gordon). Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press. 10-ISBN 0-8223-2018-5; 13-ISBN 978-0-8223-2018-0 (paper)