Ōta, Gunma

Not to be confused with Ōta, Tokyo.
Ōta
太田市
Special city

View of downtown Ōta

Flag
Seal

Location of Ōta in Gunma Prefecture
Ōta

 

Coordinates: 36°17′28.1″N 139°22′31.4″E / 36.291139°N 139.375389°E / 36.291139; 139.375389Coordinates: 36°17′28.1″N 139°22′31.4″E / 36.291139°N 139.375389°E / 36.291139; 139.375389
Country Japan
Region Kantō
Prefecture Gunma Prefecture
Government
 • - Mayor Masayoshi Suzuki
Area
 • Total 175.54 km2 (67.78 sq mi)
Population (February 2015)
 • Total 219,531
 • Density 1,250/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree Pine, Osmanthus, Maple, Ginkgo
- Flower Chrysanthemum, Sage, Spring orchid, Azalea
Phone number 0276-47-1111
Address 2-35 Hama-cho, Ōta-shi, Gumma-ken 373-8718
Website Official website

Ōta (太田市 Ōta-shi) is a city located in southeastern Gunma Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan .[1] 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.

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.[1]

Surrounding municipalities

History

Ōta city hall

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.,[2] the Ōta-shuku (太田宿), (from which the city takes its name) and Kizaki-shuku (木崎宿).[1]

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.[3]

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

Transportation

Railway

Highway

Local attractions

Sister-city relations

Ota entered into a friendship agreement with Yingkou, China in September 1987.[9] The city has also commenced an exchange relationship with Guilin, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China in 1997[10] and signed a friendship agreement with Hirosaki city, Aomori Prefecture in November 2006.[8]

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ōta". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2013. OCLC 56431036. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  2. ↑ Nikkō Reiheishidō. Mainichi Shinbun. Accessed August 29, 2007
  3. ↑ Subaru Japan Manufacturing locations
  4. 1 2 "Escolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão" (Archive). Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Escolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão" (Archive). Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. February 7, 2008. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.
  6. ↑ "アメリカ合衆国カリフォルニア州バーバンク市" [Burbank, California, United States of America] (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "アメリカ合衆国インディアナ州グレイターラフィエット" [Greater Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America] (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  8. 1 2 "太田市の国内姉妹・友好都市" [Ota's domestic sister/friendship cities] (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "中華人民共和国遼寧省営口市" [Yingkou, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China] (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "中華人民共和国広西壮族自治区桂林市" [Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China] (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 June 2016.

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