is a town located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 15,571 in 6737 households, and a population density of 35 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography Located in the northwestern portion of Gunma Prefecture, Nakanojō is surrounded by high peaks of over 1000 m in height, with the Agatsuma River passing through the center of town from west to east. The town has a mean elevation of 400 meters above sea level. The town's area is 83% mountains and forests (197 km2). Rivers: Agatsuma River, Shima River Lakes: Shimagawa Dam Surrounding municipalities Gunma Prefecture Kusatsu Naganohara Higashiagatsuma Shibukawa Minakami Nagano Prefecture Sakae Yamanouchi Takayama Niigata Prefecture Yuzawa Climate Nakanojō has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by hot summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nakanojō is 8.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1489 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.2 °C. Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Nakanojō has declined steadily over the past 70 years. Neighborhoods within Nakanojō Akasaka (赤坂) Aoyama (青山) Arigawa (蟻川) Daidou (大道) Gotanda (五反田) Ichishiro (市城) Ise-machi (伊勢町) Iwamoto (岩本) Nakuta (名久田) Orida (折田) Ōtsuka (大塚) Upper Sawatari (上沢渡) Lower Sawatari (下沢渡) Shima (四万) Taira (平) Tochikubo (栃窪) West Nakanojo (西中之条) Yamada (山田) (former Kuni village) Akaiwa (赤岩） Hikage (日影) Iriyama (入山) Kosame (小雨） Ōshi (太子) History During the Edo period, the area around Nakanojō was part of the hatamoto-administered territory within Kōzuke Province. With the creation of the modern municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration on April 1, 1889, the town of Nakanojō was created within Agatsuma District of Gunma Prefecture. The villages of Isama, Sawada and Nakuta merged into Nakanojō on April 15, 1955. On March 28, 2010, the village of Kuni, also from Agatsuma District, merged into Nakanojō. Government Nakanojō has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 15 members. Nakanojō, collectively with the other municipalities in Agatsuma District, contributes two members to the Gunma Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Gunma 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Economy The economy of Nakanojō is heavily dependent on seasonal tourism primarily in