Sagamihara, Kanagawa

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**Sagamihara City**
**相模原市**
Sagamihara City's location in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Kanagawa Prefecture
Physical characteristics
Area	328.84 km² (126.97 sq mi)
Population (as of 2007)
Total	705,141
Location	35°34′N 139°22′E / 35.567, 139.367Coordinates: 35°34′N 139°22′E / 35.567, 139.367
Symbols
Flag
Sagamihara City Government Office
Mayor	Toshio Kayama
Official website: Sagamihara City

City hall of Sagamihara

Sagamihara (相模原市, Sagamihara-shi^?) is a city located in north central Kanagawa, bordering Tokyo, Japan. It is the third most populous city in the prefecture, after Yokohama and Kawasaki, and the fifth most populous suburb in Greater Tokyo. Its northern neighbor is Machida, with which a cross-prefectural merger has been proposed ([1]:Japanese).

As of 2007, the city has an estimated population of 705,141, and a total area of 328.84 km². It is the city that occupies the 2nd largest area in the prefecture, after Yokohama.

The city gained city status on November 20, 1954.

The main areas of commercial activity in Sagamihara are located near: Hashimoto Station on the JR East Yokohama Line and Keio Sagamihara Line; Sagamihara Station on the Yokohama Line; and Sagami-Ōno Station on the Odakyū Odawara Line.

[edit] Mergers

On March 20, 2006, the existing city of Sagamihara merged with Tsukui and Sagamiko. The merged city consisted of two geographically separate areas, as two other municipalities, Fujino and Shiroyama, elected to remain separate from the new city. A further merger on March 11, 2007 joined Fujino and Shiroyama with Sagamihara, thus the new city is no longer separated.