| Kure | |||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||
| Settlement Type: | Core city | ||
| Image Map1: | Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture Ja.svg | ||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Japan | ||
| Coordinates: | 34.2492°N 132.5658°W | ||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||
| Subdivision Name1: | Chūgoku (Sanyō) | ||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||
| Subdivision Name2: | Hiroshima | ||
| Subdivision Type3: | District | ||
| Leader Title: | Mayor | ||
| Leader Name: | Yoshiake Shinhara (from November, 2017) | ||
| Leader Title1: | Vice Mayor | ||
| Unit Pref: | Metric | ||
| Area Total Km2: | 352.80 | ||
| Population Total: | 208,024 | ||
| Population As Of: | April 30, 2023 | ||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||
| Timezone1: | JST | ||
| Utc Offset1: | +09:00 | ||
| Blank Name Sec1: | City hall address | ||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 4-1-6 Chūō, Kure-shi, Hiroshima-ken 737-8501 | ||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate | ||
| Blank Info Sec2: | Cfa | ||
| Module: |
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is a city in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 208,024 in 106,616 households and a population density of 590 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 352.8sqkm. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force.
The area of Kure is part of ancient Aki Province, and the port of Kure was an important seaport for Hiroshima Domain in the Edo period.
The Kure Naval District was first established in 1889, leading to the construction of the Kure Naval Arsenal and the rapid growth of steel production and shipbuilding in the city. Kure was formally incorporated on October 1, 1902. From 1889 until the end of the Pacific War, the city served as the headquarters of the Kure Naval District.
Kure dockyards recorded a number of significant engineering firsts including the launching of the first major domestically built capital ship, the battlecruiser (1905)[2] and the launching of the largest battleship ever built, the (1940).[3]
During the Pacific War, Kure acted as the Imperial Japanese Navy's single-largest naval base and arsenal. Most of the city's industry and workforce were employed in the service of the naval installations, munitions factories and associated support functions. In the later stages of the conflict Kure came under sustained aerial bombardment culminating in the bombing of Kure in June and July 1945.
From February 1946 until the end of Japan's postwar occupation in 1952, military establishments in Kure served at the operational headquarters for the British Commonwealth Occupation Force.
Since 2005, Kure has attracted attention as a tourism center with the Yamato Museum hosting a 1:10 scale model of the Yamato alongside a waterfront JMSDF museum of Japanese naval history.
The city continues as a major maritime center hosting both the dockyards of Japan Marine United and numerous shore-based facilities of the JMSDF including training centers and a major hospital. The city serves as the home port of an Escort Flotilla (Destroyers), a Submarine Flotilla and the Training Squadron of the JMSDF Regional Kure District.
Kure has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 31 members. Kure contributes five members to the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Hiroshima 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
| Name | Term start | Term end | Japanese name | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giichiro Sakuma | 佐久間義一郎 | |||
| 2-3 | Kingo Arao | 荒尾金吾 | |||
| 4-5 | Toshio Sawahara | 沢原俊雄 | |||
| 6 | Kentaro Amano | 天野健太郎 | |||
| 7 | Kahei Shundo | 春藤嘉平 | |||
| 8 | Masaharu Hashimoto | 橋本正治 | |||
| 9 | Toichi Katsuta | 勝田登一 | |||
| 10 | Hideo Sasaki | 佐々木英雄 | |||
| 11 | Atsumu Watanabe | 渡辺伍 | |||
| 12 | Katsutaro Matsumoto | 松本勝太郎 | |||
| 12-13, 15 | Jinjiro Mizuno | 4 May 1937 14 January 1946 | 13 December 1941 15 November 1946 | 水野甚次郎 | |
| 14 | Noboru Suzuki | 鈴木登 | |||
| 17-18 | Jyutsu Suzuki | 鈴木術 | |||
| 19-20 | Kenichi Matsumoto | 松本賢一 | |||
| 21-24 | Yoshito Okuhara | 奥原義人 | |||
| 25-28 | Ari Sasaki | 佐々木有 | |||
| 29-31 | Shinya Ogasawara | 小笠原臣也 | |||
| 32-34 | Kazutoshi Komura | 小村和年 | |||
| 35 | Yoshiake Shinhara | 新原芳明 |
right|270px|thumb|Kure City HallKure is located 20km (10miles) south-east of Hiroshima city and faces the Seto Inland Sea. Surrounded by steep hillsides to the north, the two major commercial and industrial centers of the city are bisected by Mount Yasumi 4970NaN0. The city is next to the Setonaikai National Park. As well as densely populated urban and industrial centers, the city also incorporates sparsely inhabited outlying islands such as Kurahashi-jima, Shimo-kamagari, Kami-kamagari and Toyoshima.
Per Japanese census data, the population of Kure has been declining for the past 40 years.
Kure has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year and is heaviest in summer.
Kure has 37 public elementary schools, 25 public junior high schools and one public high school operated by the city government, and seven public high school operated by the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education. There are also one private middle school and three price high schools. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the disabled.
, Kure has sister city agreements with the following cities.[7]