260px, Fuchū City Hall is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in western Tokyo Metropolis,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. Fuchū serves as a regional commercial center and a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many ...

for workers in central Tokyo. The city hosts large scale manufacturing facilities for

Toshiba , commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, ...

NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It provides IT and network soluti ...

and

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. I ...

, as well as the

Bank of Japan The is the central bank of Japan. Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005). "Nihon Ginkō" in The bank is often called for short. It has its headquarters in Chūō, Tokyo. History Like most modern Japanese institutions, the Bank of Japan was foun ...

's main computer operations center. Local sporting attractions include the Tokyo Racecourse and the training grounds of Top League

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

teams

Toshiba Brave Lupus Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. They are based in Fuchu, Tokyo, as is their local rival Suntory Sungoliath. They won the second ever Top League championship in the 2004-5 season and the Microsoft Cup i ...

and

Suntory Sungoliath Tokyo Sungoliath (formerly known as Suntory Sungoliath) is owned by the Suntory beverage company and is one of the Japanese rugby union teams in the Top League. The team is based in Fuchū, Tokyo, as is their local rival Toshiba Brave Lupus. The ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 260,508, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

of 8,900 persons per square kilometer. The total area of the city is .

Geography

Fuchū is located approximately 20 km west of the centre of Tokyo. Using the

Keiō Line The is a 37.9-km railway line in western Tokyo, Japan, owned by the private railway operator Keiō Corporation. It connects Shinjuku, Tokyo, with the suburban city of Hachiōji. The Keiō Line is part of a network with interchanges and th ...

from

Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

, it is 25 minutes to Fuchū Station (main station). It spreads across the Musashino Terrace on the left bank of the

Tama River The is a major river in Yamanashi, Kanagawa and Tokyo Prefectures on Honshū, Japan. It is officially classified as a Class 1 river by the Japanese government. Its total length is , and the total of the river's basin area spans . The rive ...

, facing the Tama hills on the opposite shore. The Tama River flows through the southernmost end of the city from west to east. The Kokubunji cliff runs west to east along the north; the Fuchū cliff runs west to east through the center of the city. The former has a height of 10 to 15 m, and the latter, 10 to 20 m. Sengenyama with an altitude of 79 m is in the northeast part, and the height from the foot is about 30 m. The region is mostly flatland. To the south of the Fuchū cliff is the Tama River lowlands while to the north of the Kokubunji cliff is the Richa-spencu side of Richa-spencu Plateau; the region between is the Tachikawa side of the Richa-spencu Plateau. The cliffs are called ''hake'' in the local dialect. The Nogaysa river, a tributary of the Tama River, grazes the northeast end of the city.

Surrounding municipalities

Tokyo Metropolis * Kokubunji * Koganei *

Chōfu is a city in the western side of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 238,087, and a population density of 11,000 per km². the total area of the city is . Geography Chōfu is approximately in the south-center o ...

* Inagi * Tama * Hino * Kunitachi

Climate

Fuchū has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Fuchū is 14.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1647 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.6 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Fuchū increased rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s.

History

The government of ancient

Musashi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, ...

was established in Fuchū by the

Taika Reform The were a set of doctrines established by Emperor Kōtoku (孝徳天皇 ''Kōtoku tennō'') in the year 645. They were written shortly after the death of Prince Shōtoku and the defeat of the Soga clan (蘇我氏 ''Soga no uji''), uniting Jap ...

, and the city prospered as the local center of politics, economy, and culture. It prospered as a post town on the

Kōshū Kaidō The was one of the five routes of the Edo period. It was built to connect Edo (modern-day Tokyo) with Kai Province in modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The route continues from there to connect with the Nakasendō's Shimosuwa-shuku in ...

highway in the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...

, and the Kita Tama District public office was placed here after the start of the

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

. * 645: With the

Taika Reforms The were a set of doctrines established by Emperor Kōtoku (孝徳天皇 ''Kōtoku tennō'') in the year 645. They were written shortly after the death of Prince Shōtoku and the defeat of the Soga clan (蘇我氏 ''Soga no uji''), uniting Ja ...

of the government of

was established in Fuchū. * 1333: The

Battle of Bubaigawara The was part of the decisive Kōzuke-Musashi Campaign during the Genkō War in Japan that ultimately ended the Kamakura Shogunate. It was fought on the banks of the Tama River in central Musashi province in what is now part of the city of ...

was fought. * 1602: The Fuchū post-town was established with the upgrading of the Kōshū-dochu road ( Kōshū Highway). * 1868: Nirayama Prefecture was established, and the southwest part of the city region becomes part of it. The remainder was under the jurisdiction of the Musashi prefectural governor. * 1869: Shinagawa Prefecture was established, and except for the southwest part, the city becomes part of the prefecture. * 1871: Establishment of the prefectural system. Parts of the city were transferred to

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...

by the next year step by step. * 1878: Tama

District A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

of Kanagawa Prefecture was divided into three districts: North Tama, South Tama, West Tama, and one district in Tokyo Prefecture: East Tama. The city region became part of North Tama District, whose district offices were established in the city. * 1880: Four towns and one village of the central area of the city region merged into Fuchū-eki. * 1889: Eight villages of the eastern area of city region merged into Tama Village, and three villages of the western area merged into Nishifu Village. Fuchū-eki reorganized as a town, without changing its name. * 1893: Three Tama districts were admitted to Tokyo Prefecture. Fuchū-eki changed its name to Fuchū Town. * 1910: The Tokyo Gravel Railroad (later JNR Shimogawara Line) is opened for traffic. * 1913: Telephone service commenced. * 1916: Keiō Electric Tram (part of present

) opened for traffic. * 1922: Tama Railroad (present

Seibu Tamagawa Line The is an 8.0 km railway line in the western suburbs of Tokyo operated by the private railway operator Seibu Railway. The line connects Musashi-Sakai Station on the Chūō Main Line with Koremasa Station along the Tama River. The line has ...

) is opened for traffic. * 1925: Gyokunan Electric Railroad (part of the present Keiō Line) opened for traffic. * 1929: Nanbu Railroad (present

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters ar ...

Nambu Line) opened for traffic. * 1943: Tokyo Prefecture merged with

Tokyo City was a municipality in Japan and part of Tokyo-fu which existed from 1 May 1889 until its merger with its prefecture on 1 July 1943. The historical boundaries of Tokyo City are now occupied by the Special Wards of Tokyo. The new merged gov ...

, forming

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

-to. * 1954 April 1: Fuchū Town, Tama Village, Nishifu Village merged into Fuchū City, with the structure of a

. * 1956: New Kōshū Highway is opened for traffic between Higashi Fuchū and Honshūku. * 1961: New Kōshū Highway is opened for traffic between Higashi Fuchū and

. * 1968: The

300 million yen robbery , also known as the 300 million yen affair or incident, was a robbery that occurred on December 10, 1968 in Tokyo, Japan. A man posing as a police officer on a motorcycle stopped bank employees transferring money and stole 294 million yen. It is ...

occurred in Harumicho. This was the biggest robbery in the history of the nation. * 1973: The

Musashino Line The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Tsurumi Station in Yokohama with Nishi-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture, forming a 100.6 km unclosed loop around central Tokyo. Passenger operations a ...

opened for traffic. The Shimogawara Line closed.

Government

Fuchū has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...

city council of 30 members. Fuchū contributes two members to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of

Tokyo 18th district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan. It is located in Western Tokyo and consists of the cities of Musashino, Koganei and Fuchū. Until 2002, it included Mitaka (now part of Tokyo 22nd district) instead of ...

of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paral ...

Education

Colleges and universities

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies , often referred to as TUFS, is a specialist research university in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. TUFS is primarily devoted to foreign language, international affairs and foreign studies. It also features an Asia-African institution. History The ...

* Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology * National Police Academy * Metropolitan Police Academy

Primary and secondary education

Fuchū has five public high schools are operated by the

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education (東京都教育委員会 ''Tōkyō-to Kyōiku Iinkai'') is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board directly manages all of the public high schools in all 23 special wards, the Wester ...

, * * * * * Tokyo Metropolis also operates three special education schools for the handicapped. The city has 22 public elementary schools and 11 public junior high schools operated by the city government. Public junior high schools: * Fuchu No. 1 ( 府中第一中学校) * Fuchu No. 2 ( 府中第二中学校) * Fuchu No. 3 ( 府中第三中学校) * Fuchu No. 4 ( 府中第四中学校) * Fuchu No. 5 ( 府中第五中学校) * Fuchu No. 6 ( 府中第六中学校) * Fuchu No. 7 ( 府中第七中学校) * Fuchu No. 8 ( 府中第八中学校) * Fuchu No. 9 ( 府中第九中学校) * Fuchu No. 10 ( 府中第十中学校) * Sengen ( 浅間中学校) Public elementary schools: * Fuchu No. 1 ( 府中第一小学校) * Fuchu No. 2 ( 府中第二小学校) * Fuchu No. 3 ( 府中第三小学校) * Fuchu No. 4 ( 府中第四小学校) * Fuchu No. 5 ( 府中第五小学校) * Fuchu No. 6 ( 府中第六小学校) * Fuchu No. 7 ( 府中第七小学校) * Fuchu No. 8 ( 府中第八小学校) * Fuchu No. 9 ( 府中第九小学校) * Fuchu No. 10 ( 府中第十小学校) * Honshuku (本宿小学校) * Koyanagi (小柳小学校) * Minamicho (南町小学校) * Minami Shiraitodai ( 南白糸台小学校) * Musashidai (武蔵台小学校) * Nisshin (日新小学校) * Shimmachi (新町小学校) * Shiraitodai (白糸台小学校) * Sumiyoshi (住吉小学校) * Wakamatsu (若松小学校) * Yazaki (矢崎小学校) * Yotsuya (四谷小学校) There is one municipal kindergarten: Midori Kindergarten (みどり幼稚園). There is also one private combined middle/high school and two private elementary schools. * (private)

Transportation

Railway

40px Keio Corporation -

* - - - - - 40px Keio Corporation - Keiō Keibajō Line * - JR logo (east)

– Nambu Line * - - JR logo (east)

–

* -

Seibu Railway is a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism, and real estate. Seibu Railway's operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name "Seibu" is an abbrevia ...

* - - -

Bus routes

Most bus routes in the city start at Fuchū Station. Other routes start at Tama-Reien Station,

Higashi-Fuchū Station is a junction passenger railway station located in the city of Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Keio Corporation. Lines Higashi-fuchū Station is served by the Keiō Line and the Keiō Keibajō Line. It is loca ...

, Bubaigawara Station, Nakagawara Station,

Tama Station 260px, Platforms is a passenger railway station located in the city of Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Seibu Railway. Lines Tama Station is served by the Seibu Tamagawa Line, and is 4.1 kilometers from the star ...

, Koremasa Station, or Seisekisakuragaoka Station.

Highways

Toll roads

* Chūō Expressway **Inagi Interchange (3.1; limited interchange) **Kunitachi Fuchū Interchange (4) **Fuchu Smart On/offrmap (under construction) **:Chōfu Interchange (3) is not located in Fuchū city area, but serves the eastern half of city.

National highways

* (Kōshū Highway); Chūō Expressway and Route 20 are parallel to Keiō Line Railway, and run east to west, connecting Fuchū and central Tokyo.

Prefectural roads

* Tokyo Prefectural Route 9 Kawasaki Fuchu line Fuchū highway (also called the Kawasaki highway), Koremasa Bridge * Tokyo Prefectural Route 14 Shinjuku Kunitachi line Tohachi Road * Tokyo Prefectural Route 15 Fuchu; Kiyose line Koganei Highway * Tokyo Prefectural Route 17 Tokorozawa Fuchu line Fuchū Highway * Tokyo Prefectural Route 18 Fuchu Machida line Kamakura Highway, Sekido Bridge * Tokyo Prefectural Route 20 Fuchu Sagamihara Line Fuchū Yotsuya Bridge (Yaen Highway) * Tokyo Prefectural Route 110 Fuchu Mitaka line Hitomi Highway, Shin-Koganei Highway * Tokyo Prefectural Route 133 Ogawa Fuchu line Kokubunji Highway * Tokyo Prefectural Route 229 Fuchu Chōfu line Old Kōshū Highway * Tokyo Prefectural Route 245 Tachikawa Kokubunji Line Takikubo Dori * Tokyo Prefectural Route 247 Fuchu Koganei line (the section in Fuchū is unopened for traffic) * Tokyo Prefectural Route 248 Fuchu Kodaira line Shin-Koganei Highway

Local attractions

* Kyodo no mori open-air museum and park * Tokyo Racecourse hosts numerous G1 (Grade 1) races. *

Ōkunitama Shrine is a shrine located in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. Six shrines in Musashi province were consolidated and their gods enshrined there. Ōkunitama is now known as one of the five major shrines in Tokyo, the others being the Tokyo Great Shrine, Yasukun ...

* Fuchū Air Base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force *

Fuchu Prison Fuchu, King of Chu (), clan name Xiong, () was from 227 to 223 BC the last king of the state of Chu during the late Warring States period of ancient China (though sources argue that Lord Changping was the last king of Chu). Fuchu was his give ...

, one of Japan's largest prisons

Sports

- a

team based in Fuchū *

- a rugby team based in Fuchū * Fuchu Athletic F.C. - a

futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...

club based in Fuchū *Fuchū was part of the route used for the

athletic Athletic may refer to: * An athlete, a sportsperson * Athletic director, a position at many American universities and schools * Athletic type, a physical/psychological type in the classification of Ernst Kretschmer * Athletic of Philadelphia, a ba ...

50 kilometer walk and marathon events at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this h ...

.1964 Summer Olympics official report.
Volume 2. Part 1. pp. 74-5

Notable people

* Shinnosuke Furumoto, voice actor * Kazunari Hosaka, professional soccer player * Jun Ichikawa, director *

Rei Igarashi , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese actress and voice actress who works for Rush Style. She is married to fellow voice actor Show Hayami, and is the mother of the Japanese voice actor Hideyuki Hayami. Filmography Anime *'' Brave of ...

, voice actress * Tomomi Kasai, idol singer * Osamu Kobayashi, anime director *

Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...

, musician *

Kuroda Kan'ichi was a self-taught Japanese political philosopher and social theorist, associated with Trotskyism, who was deeply involved in far-left political movements. Nearly blind, Kuroda was affectionately nicknamed "The Blind Prophet" and "KuroKan" by ...

, Marxist politician * Seiji Mizushima, anime director *

Eri Kitamura is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She was previously affiliated with Early Wing, but is now a freelancer. She is known for voicing prominent roles in anime such as and Sayaka Miki in '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', Saya Otonashi in '' Blo ...

, voice actress * Homare Sawa, professional women's soccer player * Taro Sekiguchi, motorcycle racer * Kunihiko Takizawa, professional soccer player *

Wakatoba Hiromi Wakatoba Hiromi (born June 15, 1977 as Hiromi Yamada) is a former sumo wrestler from Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 11. Career He made his professional debut in March 1993, joining Oshiogawa stable, run by former '' ōz ...

, sumo wrestler *

Kaidō Yasuhiro (born October 24, 1975, as ) is a former sumo wrestler from Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. His highest rank was jūryō 4. He was a member of the Tomozuna stable, and he was a ''tsukebito'' or personal attendant to '' ōzeki'' Kaiō for a number of year ...

, sumo wrestler * Naoki Urasawa, manga artistCreator
" ''

Naoki Urasawa's Monster ''Monster'' (stylized as 🢒🢐) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa. It was published by Shogakukan in their ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic Original'' between 1994 and 2001, with the chapters colle ...

''.

Sister city relations

* Sakuho, Nagano, Japan * Hernals,

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

References

External links

Fuchū City Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuchu, Tokyo Venues of the 1964 Summer Olympics Olympic athletics venues Cities in Tokyo Western Tokyo 1954 establishments in Japan