Wakkanai

Wakkanai (稚内市, Wakkanai-shi, Ainu: ヤㇺワッカナィ Yam-wakka-nay meaning "cold water river" or more literally "cold river valley") is a city located in Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Wakkanai is the capital of Sōya Subprefecture. Situated approximately 1,100 km north of Tokyo and 270 km north of Sapporo, it is the northernmost municipality under Japanese administration following the loss of Karafuto (present-day Sakhalin) and the Kuril Islands, with Benten-jima being the northernmost point under Japanese control.

Wakkanai started as the Matsumae Domain's trading post with the Ainu people in 1685. Edo-period explorer Mamiya Rinzō set sail for his famous Karafuto expedition from the settlement. After Japan regained Karafuto following its victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Wakkanai rose to prominence as a gateway to this reclaimed territory. Two railway lines, the Tempoku and Sōya lines, extended to Wakkanai, and the Chihaku ferry carried passengers further north to Ōdomari in Karafuto. This improved transport network enabled the commercial digging of local coal mines, which had remained untouched due to their remote location.

After the Second World War, Wakkanai lost its status as the gateway to Japan's northern frontier. All coal mines in the area were closed by the 1970s, and Wakkanai's primary industries shifted to fishing, dairy farming, and tourism. The city's population peaked at 55,464 in 1975. The Tempoku Line, which connected Wakkanai to Otoineppu via the coastal town of Hamatonbetsu, was discontinued in 1989. In 1995, the ferry route between Wakkanai and Sakhalin was reestablished for the first time since 1945 but ceased operations in 2015 due to low demand. Today, ferry routes connect the city to the islands of Rishiri and Rebun.

As of 31 July 2024, the city had an estimated population of 30,590 in 17150 households, and a population density of 40 persons per km². The total area of the city is 761.42 km² (293.99 sq mi).