Wikipedia

Yokosuka

For other uses, seeYokosuka (disambiguation).

Yokosuka(Yokosuka thị,Yokosuka-shi)is acityinKanagawa Prefecture,Japan.

Yokosuka
Yokosuka thị
Core city
Top: View of downtown Yokosuka from Verny Seaside Park, Middle: Mikasa Battleship Monument and Heihachirō Togō Statue, Kurihama Matthew Perry Park, Bottom: Yokosuka Naval Curry, Kannon Cape, and seaside park (all item for left to right)
Top:View of downtown Yokosuka from Verny Seaside Park,Middle:Mikasa Battleship Monument and Heihachirō Togō Statue, Kurihama Matthew Perry Park,Bottom:Yokosuka Naval Curry,Kannon Cape,and seaside park (all item for left to right)
Flag of Yokosuka
Flag
Official seal of Yokosuka
Seal
Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture
YokosukainKanagawa Prefecture
Yokosuka is located in Japan
Yokosuka
Yokosuka
YokosukainJapan
Coordinates:35°16′53.4″N139°40′19.5″E/ 35.281500°N 139.672083°E/35.281500; 139.672083
CountryJapan
RegionKantō
PrefectureKanagawa
Government
• MayorKatsuaki Kamiji
Area
• Total
100.81 km2(38.92 sq mi)
Population
(February 1, 2024)
• Total
373,797
• Density3,708/km2(9,600/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00
Postal code
238-8550
Area code14201-8
Websitecity.yokosuka.kanagawa.jp

As of February 2024,the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of 3,708 inhabitants per square kilometre (9,600/sq mi).[1]The total area is 100.7 km2(38.9 sq mi). Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in theGreater Tokyo Area,and the 12th in theKantō region.The city is home toUnited States Fleet Activities Yokosuka.

Geography

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View ofMount Fujiand downtown Yokosuka, seen from Uraga Channel

Yokosuka occupies most ofMiura Peninsula,and is bordered by the mouth ofTokyo Bayto the east andSagami Bayon thePacific Oceanon the west.

Surrounding municipalities

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History

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Pre-modern period

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The area around present-day Yokosuka City has been inhabited for thousands of years. Archaeologists have found stone tools andshell middensfrom theJapanese Paleolithicperiod and ceramic shards from theJōmonandKofun periodsat numerous locations in the area. During theHeian period,local warlord Muraoka Tamemichi established Kinugasa Castle in 1063. He became the ancestor of theMiura clan,which subsequently dominated easternSagami Provincefor the next several hundred years. TheMiura clansupportedMinamoto no Yoritomoin the foundation of theKamakura shogunate,but were later annihilated byHōjō Tokiyoriin 1247. However, the family name was reassigned to a supporter of theHōjō clan,and the Miura continued to ruleMiura Peninsulathrough theMuromachi perioduntil their defeat at Arai Castle in a 1518 attack byHōjō Sōun.Following the defeat of theLater Hōjō clanat theBattle of Odawara,Toyotomi HideyoshitransferredTokugawa Ieyasuto take control over theKantō region,including Yokosuka in 1590.

The English sailorWilliam Adams,the first Briton to set foot in Japan, arrived atUragaaboard the Dutch trading vesselLiefdein 1600. In 1612, he was granted the title ofsamuraiand a fief in Hemi within the boundaries of present-day Yokosuka, due to his services to theTokugawa shogunate.A monument to Adams (calledMiura Anjinin Japanese) is a local landmark in Yokosuka.

During theEdo period,Yokosukatenryōterritory was controlled directly by theTokugawa shogunate,but administered through varioushatamoto.Due to its strategic location at the entrance toTokyo Bay,the Shogunate established the post of UragaBugyōin 1720, and all shipping into the bay was required to stop for inspection. As concerns over the increasing number of incursions by foreign vessels and attempts to end Japan's self-imposednational seclusion policy,the Shogunate established a number ofcoastal artillerybatteries around Yokosuka, including an outpost at Ōtsu in 1842. However, despite these efforts, in 1853, United States navalCommodoreMatthew Perryarrived in Tokyo Bay with his fleet ofBlack Shipsand came ashore at Kurihama, in southern Yokosuka, leading to the opening of diplomatic and trade relations between Japan and the United States. TheKanrin Marusailed from Yokosuka in 1860 with thefirst Japanese diplomatic embassy to the United Statesin 1860.

Construction of the Yokosuka arsenalc. 1870

During the turbulentBakumatsu period,the Shogunate selected Yokosuka as the site for a modern naval base, and hired theFrench engineerLéonce Vernyin 1865 to oversee the development ofshipbuildingfacilities, beginning with Yokosuka Iron Foundry.Yokosuka Naval Arsenalbecame the first modernarsenalto be created in Japan. The construction of the arsenal was the central point of a global modern infrastructure, that was to prove an important first step for the modernization of Japan's industry. Modern buildings, the Hashirimizu waterway, foundries, brick factories, and technical schools to train Japanese technicians were established.

Meiji period to present

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After theMeiji Restoration,the arsenal was taken over by theImperial Japanese Navy,and the area of modern Yokosuka was reorganized into Uraga Town and numerous villages withinMiura District,Kanagawa Prefecture.Yokosuka Village was elevated to town status in 1878 and was made the capital of Miura District. In 1889, theYokosuka Linerailway was opened, connecting Yokosuka to Yokohama and Tokyo. Yokosuka was elevated to city status on February 15, 1907. From 1916, Oppama in Yokosuka was developed as theYokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal,and many of the combat aircraft subsequently operated by theImperial Japanese Navy Air Servicewere developed or tested at Yokosuka. Yokosuka Naval Arsenal also continued to expand in the early 20th century, and its production includedbattleshipssuch asYamashiro,andaircraft carrierssuch asHiryūandShōkaku.Smaller warships were constructed at the privately ownedUraga Dock Company.Yokosuka Naval Districtwas the home port of theIJN 1st Fleet.[citation needed]

TheGreat Kantō earthquakeof 1923 caused severe damage to Yokosuka, including the naval base which lost two years' operations of oil supplies. The city continued to expand in 1933 with the annexation of neighboring Kinugasa Village and Taura Town in 1933 and Kurihama Village in 1937. In 1943, the city also annexed the neighboring towns and villages of Uraga, Kitashitaura, Okusu, Nagai and Takeyama, as well asZushi.[citation needed]

TheU.S. Navy baseat Yokosuka

DuringWorld War II,Yokosuka was bombed on April 18, 1942, by AmericanB-25 bombersin theDoolittle Raidwith little damage as a retaliation to theattack on Pearl Harbor.Aside from minor sporadic tactical air raids byUnited States Navyaircraft, it was not bombed again during the war; however, from 1938 to 1945 more than 260 caves in more than 20 separate tunnel/cave networks were built throughout the area, with at least 27 kilometers of known tunnels within the grounds of Yokosuka Naval Base. Many more tunnels are scattered throughout the surrounding areas. During the war, these tunnels and caves provided areas in which work could be done in secrecy, safe from air attacks. A 500-bed hospital, a large electrical power generating facility, and a midget submarine factory and warehouse were among the many facilities built. American occupation forces landed at Yokosuka on August 30, 1945, after thesurrender of Japan,and the naval base has been used by the US Navy since that time. The caves were used for storage and as an emergency shelter during the Korean War.[2]

From the 1950s,United States Fleet Activities Yokosukahas been home port for theUnited States Seventh Fleet,and played a critical support role in theKorean Warand theVietnam War.[3]Yokosuka was the site of many anti-war protests during the late 1960s and 1970s. The nuclear-poweredUSSGeorge Washington,formerly based at Yokosuka, was the first U.S. nuclear-powered ship that had been permanently based in Japan. TheJapan Maritime Self-Defense Forcealso operates a military port next to the American base, as well as numerous training facilities at scattered locations around the city. For those reasons, there are a few hundred Americans and a thousand Filipinos in Yokosuka.[4]

In 2001, Yokosuka was designated as acore city,with increased autonomy from the central government.[citation needed]

Economy

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Aside from the economic impact of its various military facilities, Yokosuka is also an industrial city, with factories operated byNissan Motorsand its affiliated subsidiaries employing thousands of local residents. TheNissan Leaf,Nissan Cube,andNissan Jukemodels are assembled in the 520,000-square-metre (5,600,000 sq ft)Oppama plant[ja]in Yokosuka. The factory began operations in 1961 where theNissan Bluebirdwas originally built.[5]Every May, there is a festival celebratingJapanese curry,which draws 50,000 attendees each year.[6]The plant is adjacent to Nissan's Research and Development Center, the Oppama Proving Ground and the Oppama Wharf, from which Nissan ships vehicles made at Oppama and Nissan's other two Japanese vehicle assembly plants to other regions of Japan and overseas.[citation needed]

TheYokosuka Research Park,established in 1997, is a major center for the Japanese telecommunications industry, and is where many of the wireless, mobile communications related companies have set up their research and development centers and joint testing facilities.[citation needed]

Demographics

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Per Japanese census data,[7][8]Yokosuka's population peaked around the year 1990 and has declined since then. Foreign citizens in Yokosuka are mainlyFilipinos,Koreans,Chinese,andAmericans.[9]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
192096,351—
1930110,301+14.5%
1940237,523+115.3%
1950250,533+5.5%
1960287,309+14.7%
1970347,576+21.0%
1980421,107+21.2%
1990433,358+2.9%
2000428,645−1.1%
2010418,325−2.4%
2020388,078−7.2%

Transportation

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Rail

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Road

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Education

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Yokosuka's public elementary and junior high schools are operated by theYokosuka Education System,a department of the Yokosuka City Department of Education.[10]Many of Yokosuka's public high schools, includingYokosuka High School,are operated by theKanagawa Prefectural Board of Education.[11]

The city operates one municipal high school,Yokosuka Sogo High School.

Energy disasters

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On 26 October 2011 Yokosuka held its annual nuclear accident evacuation drill. This drill was first held in 2008 when the nuclear-powered aircraft carrierUSSGeorge Washingtonwas employed at the US naval base near this city. About 70 people, residents and firefighters took part in the drill. Firefighters ordered the residents of the city to stay indoors, assuming abnormally high levels of radiation around the US base. Radioactive contamination was controlled in the emergency response center by city officials. The US Navy refused to take part this, because of the supposed impossibility of radiation leaking outside the base.[citation needed]In December 2011, another drill was scheduled with Yokosuka and other cities to prepare for the possibility that people on board the ship might be exposed to radiation.[12]

One unintended consequence of anti-nuclear sentiment is the construction of coal fired power plants, which causesair pollutionand worsensglobal warming.As of 2020, two coal-fired power plants are proposed to be built in Yokosuka, even despite the climate emergency. Thesecoal-fired power plantsare being built without a full environmental review, and local residents are suing the government of Japan over its construction. Environment ministerShinjirō Koizumihas been "a target of the activists' wrath" because of his support for this project.[13]

Sister cities

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Yokosuka has twin-town relationships with four other cities.[14]They are (in chronological order):

Yokosuka has a friendship city relationship with one city:[14]

Local attractions

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Yokosuka Museum of Art, design byRiken Yamamotoin 2007

Sarushimais an uninhabited island in theTokyo Bay,accessible by ferry from Yokosuka.[15]

TheMikasa,flagship ofAdmiral Togoat theBattle of Tsushima,built in Britain byVickers,is preserved on dry land at Yokosuka. It is a museum, complete with actors dressed like members of the original crew, and can be visited for an entrance fee of 600 yen.[16]

The Club Alliance enlisted club, which lies just inside the main gate of Yokosuka Naval Base, opened in 1983. It replaced the old Club Alliance which was demolished to make way for thePrince Hotel.The old Club Alliance is whereRyudo Uzakigot his start playingrock and roll."The Honch", a mecca for shopping and nightlife and located just outside the Yokosuka Naval Base's main gates, is a popular attraction for tourists and sailors stationed nearby, as well as local Japanese residents.[citation needed]

TheYokosuka Arts Theatre,part of the Bay Square complex byKenzō Tange,is a venue for opera, orchestral concerts, chamber music, and films.[17]

Dobuita Street is situated in Yokosuka, close to the U.S. naval base. Therefore, this High Street has a very American influence, with many shops accepting U.S dollars. In the evening the street turns into the local bar and club district for the area.[citation needed]

A museum in memory of rock musicianHide,a native of Yokosuka, opened on July 20, 2000.[18]It has been reported that Japan's former prime minister,Junichiro Koizumi,was influential in getting it built as he was a big fan of Hide's bandX Japan.[19]The museum stayed open, past its original three-year plan, for five years, before closing on 25 September 2005.[18]

Yokosuka is considered a place of origin ofsukajanjackets. These embroidered satin bombers are a popular souvenir from the city, especially the more expensive, handmade ones.[20]

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Yokosuka, including Dobuita Street, is the setting for the 1999 video gameShenmue.[21]Yokosuka is also depicted in the game'sanime adaptation.City officials cooperated with animators.[22]The 2000PlayStationgameFront Mission 3,andShohei Imamura's 1961 New Wave filmPigs and Battleshipstake place in Yokosuka. Additionally, Yokosuka is the location of the climactic battle in theGodzillafilmTerror of Mechagodzilla.[citation needed]

Yokosuka is a major location in theArpeggio of Blue Steelfranchise, where it serves as one of Japan's few remaining naval facilities, the only one equipped with a functional shipyard and maritime academy. Due to rising sea levels, the port is built above the ruins of the submerged original city's remains. All the main cast lived and attended school there before forming the privateer fleetBlue Steelthat uses it as their home port.[citation needed]

Notable people from Yokosuka

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Politicians

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Culture and the arts

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Entertainment

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Athletes

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Others

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"Basic Resident Register registration population".Yokosuka City.Retrieved2018-02-21.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^"Yokosuka cave network dug by Japanese during World War II sealed".Stripes.RetrievedAugust 21,2017.
  3. ^"history.html".Navy.mil.RetrievedAugust 21,2017.
  4. ^"Demographics of Yokosuka".April 13, 2018. Archived fromthe originalon April 14, 2018.RetrievedApril 13,2018.
  5. ^Ngày sản tự động xe kabushiki gaisha.Ngày sản truy bang công trường ｜ようこそ, ngày sản の công trường へ.Nissan-Global.Archived fromthe originalon April 8, 2016.RetrievedAugust 21,2017.
  6. ^"Japanese curry loved by all generations".Stripes Japan.4 November 2018.Retrieved17 November2018.
  7. ^Yokosuka population statistics (in Japanese)
  8. ^Yokosuka population statistics (1995-2020)
  9. ^Yokosuka thị dân cư thống kê.Archived fromthe originalon 2018-04-14.Retrieved2018-04-13.
  10. ^"Yokosuka thị giáo dục ủy ban".Archived fromthe originalon September 28, 2007.RetrievedDecember 9,2005.
  11. ^[1]ArchivedDecember 16, 2005, at theWayback Machine
  12. ^NHK-world (26 October 2011)Yokosuka conducts nuclear accident drillArchivedMay 11, 2011, at theWayback Machine
  13. ^Tabuchi, Hiroko(2020-02-03)."Japan Races to Build New Coal-Burning Power Plants, Despite the Climate Risks".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2020-02-03.
  14. ^abYokosuka thị hành chính サービス tình báo – “Tỷ muội đô thị, hữu hảo đô thị” ( xí họa điều chỉnh bộ quốc tế giao lưu khóa )[Yokosuka Administrative Service Information– Sister Cities, Friendship Cities]. Yokosuka City. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-06-21.Retrieved17 December2013.
  15. ^Ryall, Julian (28 April 2010)."arushima: Welcome to Monkey Island".CNN Travel.Cable News Network.Retrieved21 November2012.
  16. ^"Japan's 114-year-old battleship Mikasa: A relic of another time".CNET.RetrievedAugust 21,2017.
  17. ^"Yokosuka Arts Theatre".Yokosuka Arts Theatre.Archived fromthe originalon 19 April 2016.Retrieved7 March2012.
  18. ^ab"Special Features: Hide Museum".musicjapanplus.jp.Archived fromthe originalon 2014-02-20.Retrieved2014-02-03.
  19. ^"Crystal Skulls: 'hatsumode' for the groove generation; Yokosuka joins the party".The Japan Times.2003-02-01.RetrievedJanuary 3,2014.
  20. ^"Yokosuka – Birthplace of One of a Kind" Japan Jackets "JAPAN Monthly Web Magazine".Archived fromthe originalon 2021-05-30.Retrieved2019-01-23.
  21. ^BATDORFF, ALLISON (21 April 2006)."Yokosuka street hosts players of video game".Stars and Stripes.Retrieved9 July2018.
  22. ^"Yokosuka City - Anime News Network".animenewsnetwork.Retrieved12 April2022.
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