Country Japan Prefecture Gunma Prefecture Population 216,465 (2010) | Region Kantō Area 175.5 km² Local time Monday 2:11 AM | |
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Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) - Tree Pine, Osmanthus, Maple, Ginkgo - Flower Chrysanthemum, Sage, Spring orchid, Azalea Weather 5°C, Wind NW at 3 km/h, 64% Humidity Colleges and Universities Kanto Gakuen University, Gunma Shorei Junior College of Welfare | ||
Ōta (太田市, Ōta-shi) is a city located in southeastern Gunma Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan . As of February 2015, the city had an estimated population of 75,560 and a population density of 1260 persons per km². Its total area was 60.97 km².
Contents
- Map of Ota Gunma Prefecture Japan
- Geography
- Surrounding municipalities
- History
- Economy
- Education
- University
- Railway
- Highway
- Local attractions
- Sister city relations
- Notable people
- References
Map of Ota, Gunma Prefecture, Japan
Geography
Ōta is located in the extreme southeastern portion of Gunma Prefecture in the northern Kantō Plains, bordered by Tochigi Prefecture to the east and Saitama Prefecture to the south. The city is located 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Tokyo between the Tone and Watarase rivers.
Surrounding municipalities
History
During the Edo period, the area of present-day Ōta contained two post towns on the Nikkō Reiheishi Kaidō, a subroute to Nikkō Kaidō which connected the Nakasendō directly with Nikkō, bypassing Edo., the Ōta-shuku (太田宿), (from which the city takes its name) and Kizaki-shuku (木崎宿).
Modern Ōta Town was created within Nitta District, Gunma Prefecture on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration. On April 1, 1940, Ōta merged with the villages of Kuai and Sawano from Nitta District, and with the village of Niragawa from Yamada District. On November 1, 1943, Ōta absorbed the village of Shimanogō, also from Nitta District. Ōta was elevated to city status on May 3, 1948. The city expanded on April 1, 1957, by annexing the village of Kyodo (from Nitta District), and the village of Kyūhaku (from Yamada District), and by annexing parts of the village of Yabakawa (Yamada District) on July 1, 1960. On April 1, 1963, Ōta absorbed the village of Hosen (Nitta District), followed by the village of Kesatoda (Yamada District) on December 1, 1963.
On March 28, 2005, the old city of Ōta absorbed the towns of Nitta, Ojima, and Yabuzukahon (all from Nitta District), and the area became the new city of Ōta. The former city of Ōta had a population of 152,000, with a total area of 97.96 km²; after the merger the total area became 176.49 km², and the population went to 217,000 people. On April 1, 2007, Ōta was designated special city (tokureishi) with expanded local autonomy.
Economy
During the years before World War II, airplane production was the industrial mainstay of Ōta. After the war, much of the skills and technology used in the production of aircraft was redirected into the production of automobiles. Ōta's leading industry is manufacturing, centered in the southeast part of the city. Ōta leads the prefecture in manufacturing revenue, which exceeds ¥1.3 trillion annually. It is the home of the car manufacturer Subaru, a subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. Subaru-chō is where the Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 is built, having been re-purposed from kei car production, Yajima Plant is where all current Subaru cars are built, Otakita Plant is where commercial kei trucks are built (originally the location of Nakajima Aircraft), and Oizumi Plant is where engines and transmissions are built.
The northern part of Ōta is characterized by its farms, most of which produce rice. Also, Ōta is a major transportation hub in the Tomo (Eastern Gunma) region and the home of the Panasonic Wild Knights rugby team.
Education
There are seven public and two private high schools, 17 public middle schools, 26 public elementary schools, and three private schools in Ōta.
Private schools:
University
Railway
Highway
Local attractions
Sister-city relations
Ota entered into a friendship agreement with Yingkou, China in September 1987. The city has also commenced an exchange relationship with Guilin, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China in 1997 and signed a friendship agreement with Hirosaki city, Aomori Prefecture in November 2006.