was a town

Towns of Japan

A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...

 located in Motoyoshi District, Miyagi

Motoyoshi District, Miyagi

is a district located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of the Karakuwa merger but with 2010 population estimates, the district has an estimated population of 17,296 and a population density of 106 persons per km²...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

In 2003, the town had an estimated population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 11,716 and a population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 109.80 persons per km². The total area was 106.70 km². Motoyoshi was divided into four districts: Magome, Koizumi, Tsuya, and Ohya. Koizumi and Ohya were both home to spectacular beaches until the disaster of March 11th. Tsuya constitutes "downtown" Motoyoshi. Fishing and farming are the main industries though a printing company is also a large local employer. Motoyoshi, like many of Japan's smaller towns, had a declining population as young people increasingly moved to the large regional cities of Kesennuma and Sendai, or further South to Tokyo.

The Motoyoshi Board of Education also employs Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) that teach English at the local Elementary and Junior High Schools.

A planned merger of municipalities

Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan

Municipal mergers and dissolutions carried out in Japan can take place within one municipality or between multiple municipalities and are required to be based upon consensus.- Merger policy:...

 was implemented on September 1, 2009; Motoyoshi merged into the city of Kesennuma

Kesennuma, Miyagi

is a city located in the extreme northeast of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, founded on June 1, 1953. It wraps around the western part of Kesennuma Bay, and also includes the island of Ōshima...

.

Rail

• Kesennuma Line
  Kesennuma Line
  The is a local rail line in Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company system, it runs from Maeyachi Station in Ishinomaki, Miyagi to Kesennuma Station in Kesennuma, Miyagi...
  
  : Kurauchi
  Kurauchi Station
  Kurauchi Station is located on the JR Kesennuma Line in Kesennuma, Miyagi.It was damaged by the 2011 Japanese tsunami.- External links : video of a train trip from Motoyoshi Station to Utatsu Station in 2009, passing through Rikuzen-Koizumi Station, Kurauchi Station, and Rikuzen-Minato Station...
  
   - Rikuzen-Koizumi
  Rikuzen-Koizumi Station
  Rikuzen-Koizumi Station is located on the JR Kesennuma Line in Kesennuma, Miyagi.It was destroyed by the 2011 Japanese tsunami.- External links : video of a train trip from Motoyoshi Station to Utatsu Station in 2009, passing through Rikuzen-Koizumi Station, Kurauchi Station, and Rikuzen-Minato...
  
   - Motoyoshi
  Motoyoshi Station
  Motoyoshi Station is located on the JR Kesennuma Line in Kesennuma, Miyagi.It was undamaged by the 2011 Japanese tsunami.-Surrounding area:*Highway 346*National Health Insurance Hospital*Kesennuma City East Branch Office...
  
   - Koganezawa
  Koganezawa Station
  Koganezawa Station is located on the JR Kesennuma Line in Kesennuma, Miyagi.It was damaged by the 2011 Japanese tsunami.- External links : video of a train trip from Rikuzen-Hashikami Station to Motoyoshi Station in 2009, passing through Ōya-Kaigan Station and Koganezawa Station without stopping...
  
   - Ōya-Kaigan
  Oya-Kaigan Station
  Ōya-Kaigan Station is located on the JR Kesennuma Line in Kesennuma, Miyagi.It was badly damaged or destroyed by the 2011 Japanese tsunami.-History:*February 11, 1957: Station begins operation as Ōya Station....