is a city located in the southwest of Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 12,407 in 7004 households, and a population density of 47 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Tosashimizu is located in far western Kochi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. Parts of the city are within the borders of the Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park. Neighbouring municipalities Kōchi Prefecture Sukumo Shimanto City Ōtsuki Mihara Climate Tosashimizu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. There is significant precipitation throughout the year, especially during June and July. The average annual temperature in Tosashimizu is . The average annual rainfall is with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Tosashimizu was on 30 July 1942; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 26 February 1981. Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Tosashimizu in 2020 is 12,388 people. Tosashimizu has been conducting censuses since 1920. Of the 11 cities in Kochi Prefecture, Tosashimizu has the second lowest population which was over 30,000 in 1954 compared to 14,937 as of March 31, 2015. History As with all of Kōchi Prefecture, the area of Tosashimizu was part of ancient Tosa Province. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Tosa Domain ruled by the Yamauchi clan from their seat at Kōchi Castle. Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Shimatsu (清松村) within Hata District, Kōchi was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It changed its name to Shimizu and was elevated to town status in 1924. On August 1, 1954, Shimizu merged with the neighboring towns of Shimokawaguchi, Misaki and Shimokae to form the city of Tosashimizu. Government Tosashimizu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 12 members. Tosashimizu contributes one member to the Kōchi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kōchi 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Tosashimizu is the only city on Shikoku island that hosts a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) base. Economy The largest industry is fishing, especially deep-sea fishing. Sōdabushi, locally called mejikabushi, is