A city located in Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of Sōya Subprefecture and
the northernmost city in Japan. It contains Japan's northernmost point, Cape Soya, from which the Russian island of Sakhalin can be seen. As of October 2013, the city has an estimated population of 37,011 and a population density of 48.65 persons per km² (126 persons per mi²] 1879. The village of Wakkanai was founded
- 1897 Sōya Subprefecture established.
- 1901 Wakkanai village became Wakkanai town.
- 1949 Wakkanai town became Wakkanai city.
- 1955 Soya village was merged into Wakkanai city.
- 1959 Wakkanai Airport opened.
The short timeline above illustrated how fast and dynamically the city developed and progressed.
During WW II: The Imperial Japanese Navy used the harbor and port as a submarine base. Wakkanai was far enough north to be outside the range of American heavy bombers and was safe from air attack. Until the early to mid-1960s, the northern portion of the harbor remained divided by concrete sub-mooring pens. The large breakwater structure (which still exists) was actually a sub-repair facility. At the shore end there was a huge winching mechanism capable of hauling subs up into the partially enclosed structure where they could be repaired while completely out of the water. Built into the hills above the city there were several reinforced concrete bunker-type caves where (anecdotally) they were used either to store ammunition and armament, or as air raid shelters for the civilian populace.
History would suggest the former use, rather than the latter. During a renovation of the harbor sometime during the 1960s or 1970s, the harbor was cleared of the concrete pens and the machinery was removed from the breakwater structure which was reconfigured. Cape Soya is located near Wakkanai, which is on a peninsula jutting towards Sakhalin. There is Benten-jima by northwest of Cape Soya.
- Rivers: Koetoi River
- Lakes: Ōnuma
Wakkanai has the typical humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) of Hokkaido, with cold winters, warm summers and generally heavy precipitation from the Aleutian Low, whose winds hit the city direct from the Sea of Japan. The mean annual temperature, at 6.8 °C (44.2 °F), is the second lowest for a significant population centre in Japan after Nemuro. Snowfall at 6.6 metres (260 in), the third highest for a big city in Japan after Asahikawa and Aomori and one of the highest anywhere in the world. For comparison, Nain in Canada receives 194 inches (4.9 m) of snow. The Aleutian Low also makes the sunshine hours the lowest of Japan's major population centres and in the winter the wind speeds are the highest in Japan with an average of 20.2 km/h (12.6 mph), which adds to the −4.7 °C (23.5 °F) cold of a typical winter day. The city's port is usually usable throughout the year, but does occasionally freeze in cold winters.
Bibliography:
- アイヌ語地名リスト [Ainu Language Place Name List] (PDF) (in Japanese). Office of Ainu Measures Promotion, Department of Environment and Lifestyle, Hokkaido Government. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
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