Settsu, Osaka

Settsu is located on the right bank of the Yodo River in the north-central part of Osaka Prefecture. The city limits are shaped like a wedge or square. The Hankyu Kyoto Line and the Tokaido Main Line (JR Kyoto Line) run east-west through the northern end of the city, and the Osaka Monorail runs north-south through the center of the city. The Yodo River flows from the northeast to the west at the southern end of the city, and the Kanzaki River splits from the Yodo River at the boundary with Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka at the southwestern end. In addition, the Ai River flows east and west through the center of the city. The whole city is flat with alluvial plains made up of deposits from the Yodo and Ai rivers, and there are no mountains or hills.

Settsu has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Settsu is 15.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1475 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.7 °C.[2]

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Settsu has remained relatively steady over the past 50 years.

The area of the modern city of Settsu was within ancient Settsu Province. In 785 AD, Wake no Kiyomaro constructed a canal between the Yodo River and the Kanzaki River in what is now Settsu, and the Heian period Emperor Uda built a village in what is now the Torikai neighborhood of Settsu. During the Sengoku period, the area was part of the holdings of Oda Nagamasu, the younger brother of Oda Nobunaga. During the Edo Period, the area was divided between the direct holdings of the Tokugawa shogunate and the holdings of Takatsuki Domain and Shibamura Domain. Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Mishima was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Mishima merged with Torikai and Mibu villages to form the town of Mishima on September 30, 1956. On November 1, 1966 Mishima was raised to city status and changed its name to Settsu.

Settsu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 19 members. Settsu contributes one member to the Osaka Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Osaka 7th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Settsu was traditionally known for a variety of eggplant. Modern Settsu is a regional commercial center and distribution hub for northern Osaka. Due to its proximity to the Osaka metropolitan area, it is also a commuter town. The city also has a growing and very diverse industrial base, including a major rolling stock factory for the Central Japan Railway Company and also for Hankyu Railway.

Settsu has ten public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Osaka Prefectural Department of Education. There are also one private middle school and two private high schools. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped. The Osaka University of Human Sciences and the Osaka Kun-ei Women's College are located in Settsu.

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• Keisuke Honda, football player
• Yosuke Ishibitsu, football player
• Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, baseball player
• Sarina Suzuki, singer and actress

• Media related to Settsu, Osaka at Wikimedia Commons
• Settsu City official website (in Japanese)