Kushiro (釧路市, Kushiro-shi) is a city located in Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the capital city of Kushiro Subprefecture, as well as the most populous city in eastern Hokkaidō. On October 11, 2005 the town of Akan, from Akan District, and the town of Onbetsu, from Shiranuka District, was merged into Kushiro. In 2008 the city had an estimated population of 189,539 and a total area of 1,362.75 km², giving a population density of 140 persons per km². Kushiro has the Kushiro Airport. Kushiro was accorded city status on 1 August 1922. It is the sister city of Burnaby, British Columbia, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, and Kholmsk, Russia.