Sasebo
Sasebo (佐世保市, Sasebo-shi) is a city in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the population density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The city includes a part of Saikai National Park. Located in the southern part of the city is the Dutch-styled theme park Huis ten Bosch.
History
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The area of present-day Sasebo was a rather insignificant fishing village under the control of nearby Hirado Domain until shortly after the start of the Meiji period. Imperial Japanese Navy Admiral Togo Heihachiro, when surveying the coasts of northwestern Kyūshū for the site of a navy base, selected his location based on its protected, deep-water harbor, geographic proximity to China and Korea, and the presence of nearby coal fields. Sasebo Naval District, founded in 1886, became the major port for the Japanese navy in its operations in the First Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War, and remained a major naval base to the end of World War II. Along with the base facilities, the navy also constructed the Sasebo Naval Arsenal, which included major shipyards and repair facilities.
Sasebo City was founded on April 1, 1902. The city which had 206.000 inhabitants in 1945 suffered severe damage by bombing on 29 June 1945 during World War II and was destroyed by 48%[1]. After the end of the war, part the base facilities were taken over by the United States Navy, forming U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo. Some parts of the base are shared with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The city was the site of the Sasebo slashing, the murder of a young girl in 2004, which received considerable media coverage.
Mergers
- On April 1, 2005 the towns of Sechibaru and Yoshii, both from Kitamatsuura District, were merged into Sasebo.
- On March 31, 2006 the towns of Kosaza and Uku, both also from Kitamatsuura District, were merged into Sasebo.
- On March 31, 2010 the towns of Emukae and Shikamachi, both also from Kitamatsuura District, were merged into Sasebo.[2]
Economy
Shipbuilding and associated heavy industries continue to dominate the economy of Sasebo. Adjacent to the naval base is the Sasebo Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. shipyard. Sasebo Station is the westernmost station in the JR passenger train system.
Sister city relations
Sasebo has sister-city relations with three places outside Japan and one within the country:[3]
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Coffs Harbour, Australia
Xiamen, China
Kokonoe, Ōita
Points of interest
- Seishin Cathedral, a large church which was built in a neogothic style in 1930, is the symbol of Sasebo. It is opposite the main railway station in Miura-cho district.[4]. Sasebo is the only Japanese city the symbol of which is a Christian church.
- Huis Ten Bosch (theme park)
- Sasebo Zoological Park and Botanical Garden
- Kujū-ku Islands
- Kōzakihana, westernmost point on the island of Kyūshū
- ShinSaikai Bridge is a place where one can see many exciting whirlpools.
- Tenkaihō
- Saikai Pearl Sea Resort
References
- ^ John Keegan: Atlas Zweiter Weltkrieg, S. 196. Augsburg 1999
- ^ http://www.kokudo.or.jp/new/cities/sub/kyusyu/42.htm
- ^ Sasebo City office (2008). 姉妹・友好都市等との交流事業 (Shimai Yūkō Toshi to no Kōryū Jigyō), Sasebo City office. Retrieved on 2009-02-08 from http://www.city.sasebo.nagasaki.jp/www/contents/1053317965925/index.html.
- ^ Chris Taylor: Japan, p. 632. Berlin 1998.
External links
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