At his regular press conference on May 13, Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima announced that Fukuoka’s population had topped 1.5 million. Fukuoka was incorporated as a city of 50,847 in 1889 and reached the one million mark in 1975. With a current population of 1,500,899, Fukuoka is the sixth designated city in Japan to top 1.5 million residents. Amid a nationwide trend of depopulation, Fukuoka’s population has risen 2.1% since the 2010 census—the largest increase among designated cities. To commemorate this achievement, City Hall will implement various events and rollout a publicity campaign to spread the word about Fukuoka’s vitality and appeal throughout Japan and share this happy occasion with the citizens.
The City has created a bold, new logo with “1.5 million people” in big red letters that will be used on pamphlets, business cards and banners. The rest of 2013 has been designated as a commemorative period, and the City is considering holding guest lectures, free gift campaigns and other events. Event details will be announced when they are decided. Source: City Hall homepage (PDF: http://www.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/data/open/cnt/3/38766/1/siryo.pdf)
