Tucked into the northeastern corner of Saskatchewan, just 800 metres west of the Manitoba border, this small village sits within the Rural Municipality of Cote No. 271 and Census Division No. 9. The city of Yorkton lies roughly 72 kilometres to the southwest, making it the nearest urban centre of note. The village received its unusual name in 1906, when communities along the CNR line were being established and the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 was fresh in public memory. Britain had been allied with Japan during that conflict, and Japan was widely admired throughout the British Empire. When the settlement formerly known as Pelly Siding was incorporated as a village on September 4, 1906, it was renamed Togo in honour of the Japanese admiral who had distinguished himself in that war. The neighbouring community just five miles to the east, across the border in Manitoba, was named Makaroff after the Russian admiral, creating an unusual pair of rival names separated by a provincial boundary. Three other places along the same CN line in Saskatchewan – Kuroki, Mikado, and a regional park called Oyama – were similarly named to reflect Japanese achievements in that war.
Togo covers a land area of 1.44 square kilometres and recorded a population of 83 residents in the 2021 federal census, a modest decline from 86 people counted in 2016 and 87 in 2011. Despite its small size, the village maintains a post office, a Lutheran church, a combined curling and skating rink, and a drop-in centre. Farming is the backbone of local life, though residents also enjoy fishing at the nearby Lake of the Prairies and playing hockey. Grain elevators once stood alongside the railway, though these have since disappeared from the landscape. The village is served by Via Rail passenger service at Togo station, though a train derailed near the community in April 2013 without causing any injuries. The village has produced two notable figures: NHL player Ted Hampson and Reginald John Marsden Parker, who went on to serve as the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan.