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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the

Greater Tokyo Area The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi) as well as the ...

, and the 12th in the

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Sl ...

. The city is host to United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka.

Geography

Yokosuka occupies most of

Miura Peninsula is a peninsula located in Kanagawa, Japan. It lies south of Yokohama and Tokyo and divides Tokyo Bay, to the east, from Sagami Bay, to the west. Cities and towns on the Miura Peninsula include Yokosuka, Miura, Hayama, Zushi, and Kamakur ...

, and is bordered by the mouth of

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populou ...

to the east and

Sagami Bay lies south of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshu, central Japan, contained within the scope of the Miura Peninsula, in Kanagawa, to the east, the Izu Peninsula, in Shizuoka Prefecture, to the west, and the Shōnan coastline to the north, while th ...

on the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

on the west.

Surrounding municipalities

Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama is one of the 18 wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the ward had an estimated population of 209,565 and a density of 6,760 persons per km². The total area was . The ward symbol, established 1987, expresse ...

* Miura * Hayama * Zushi

History

Pre-modern period

Archaeologists have found stone tools and

shell midden A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and eco ...

s from the

Japanese Paleolithic The is the period of human inhabitation in Japan predating the development of pottery, generally before 10,000 BC. The starting dates commonly given to this period are from around 40,000 BC; although any date of human presence before 35,000 BC ...

period and ceramic shards from the Jōmon and

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

s at numerous locations in the area. During the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...

, local warlord Muraoka Tamemichi established Kinugasa Castle in 1063. He became the ancestor of the

Miura clan Miura may refer to: Places *Miura, Kanagawa *Miurakaigan Station * Miura District, Kanagawa * Miura Peninsula * Ganadería Miura, the home of the Miura fighting bull line People * Miura (surname) * Miura clan, Japanese descended clan of the Ta ...

, which subsequently dominated eastern

Sagami Province was a province of Japan located in what is today the central and western Kanagawa Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kanagawa''" at . Sagami Province bordered the provinces of Izu, Musashi, and Suruga. It had access to the Pac ...

for the next several hundred years. The

supported

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...

in the foundation of the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no ...

, but were later annihilated by

Hōjō Tokiyori Hōjō Tokiyori (, June 29, 1227 – December 24, 1263) was the fifth shikken (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. Early life He was born to warrior monk Hōjō Tokiuji and a daughter of Adachi Kagemori. Rule Tokiyori became shikken f ...

in 1247. However, the family name was reassigned to a supporter of the

Hōjō clan The was a Japanese samurai family who controlled the hereditary title of ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate between 1203 and 1333. Despite the title, in practice the family wielded actual political power in Japan during this period ...

, and the Miura continued to rule

through the

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by ...

until their defeat at Arai Castle in a 1518 attack by Hōjō Sōun. Following the defeat of the

Later Hōjō clan The was one of the most powerful samurai families in Japan in the Sengoku period and held domains primarily in the Kantō region. Their last name was simply Hōjō (北条) but in order to differentiate between the earlier Hōjō clan with the s ...

at the Battle of Odawara,

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

transferred

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...

to take control over the

, including Yokosuka in 1590. The adventurer William Adams (inspiration for a character in the novel ''

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamaku ...

''), the first Briton to set foot in Japan, arrived at Uraga aboard the Dutch trading vessel ''Liefde'' in 1600. In 1612, he was granted the title of

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

and a fief in Hemi within the boundaries of present-day Yokosuka, due to his services to the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

. A monument to William Adams (called ''Miura Anjin'' in Japanese) is a local landmark in Yokosuka. During 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 ...

, Yokosuka ''

tenryō The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia' ...

'' territory was controlled directly by the

, but administered through various ''

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as '' gokenin.'' Howev ...

''. Due to its strategic location at the entrance to

, the Shogunate established the post of Uraga ''Bugyō'' in 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-imposed national seclusion policy, the Shogunate established a number of

coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form o ...

batteries around Yokosuka, including an outpost at Ōtsu in 1842. However, despite these efforts, in 1853, United States naval

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

Matthew Perry Matthew Langford Perry (born August 19, 1969) is an American-Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004). As well as starring in the short-lived television series '' St ...

arrived in Tokyo Bay with his fleet of

Black Ships The Black Ships (in ja, 黒船, translit=kurofune, Edo period term) was the name given to Western vessels arriving in Japan in the 16th and 19th centuries. In 1543 Portuguese initiated the first contacts, establishing a trade route linking ...

and came ashore at Kurihama, in southern Yokosuka, leading to the opening of diplomatic and trade relations between Japan and the United States. The ''Kanrin Maru'' sailed from Yokosuka in 1860 with the first Japanese diplomatic embassy to the United States in 1860. YokosukaConstruction

During the turbulent

Bakumatsu period was the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunate to the modern empire of the Meiji governm ...

, the Shogunate selected Yokosuka as the site for a modern naval base, and hired the French engineer Léonce Verny in 1865 to oversee the development of

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to bef ...

facilities, beginning with Yokosuka Iron Foundry. Yokosuka Naval Arsenal became the first modern

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...

to 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

After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, the arsenal was taken over by the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

, and the area of modern Yokosuka was reorganized into Uraga Town and numerous villages within Miura District,

. Yokosuka Village was elevated to town status in 1878 and was made the capital of Miura District. In 1889, the Yokosuka Line railway 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 the

Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal had many names, each depending on the period of its existence, and the circumstances at that time. Many of the names were acronyms that were derived from its military name or designation, which changed from time to time. The arsenal was sometim ...

, and many of the combat aircraft subsequently operated by the

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired their first aircraft in 1910 ...

were developed or tested at Yokosuka. Yokosuka Naval Arsenal also continued to expand in the early 20th century, and its production included

battleship A battleship is a large armour, armored warship with a main artillery battery, battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1 ...

s such as ''Yamashiro'', and

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

s such as ''Hiryū'' and ''Shōkaku''. Smaller warships were constructed at the privately owned Uraga Dock Company.

Yokosuka Naval District was the first of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included Tokyo Bay and the Pacific coasts of central and northern Honshū from the Kii Peninsula to Shimokita Peninsula. Its headquarters ...

was the home port of the

IJN 1st Fleet The was the main battleship fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. History First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 1st Fleet was created during the Russo-Japanese War when the Imperial General Headquarters divided the Readiness Fleet in ...

. The

Great Kantō earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

of 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 as Zushi. YokosukaBase

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Yokosuka was bombed on April 18, 1942 by American B-25 bombers in the

Doolittle Raid The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, was an air raid on 18 April 1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first American air operation to strike the Japa ...

with little damage as a retaliation to the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

. Aside from minor sporadic tactical air raids by

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

aircraft, 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 the

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Na ...

, 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. From the 1950s, United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka has been home port for the

United States Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of ...

, and played a critical support role in the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. Yokosuka was the site of many anti-war protests during the late 1960s and 1970s. The nuclear-powered USS ''George Washington'', formerly based at Yokosuka, was the first U.S. nuclear-powered ship that had been permanently based in Japan. The

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJ ...

also 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. Yokosuka Museum of Art 2009

In 2001, Yokosuka was designated as a core city, with increased autonomy from the central government.

Economy

Aside from the economic impact of its various military facilities, Yokosuka is also an industrial city, with factories operated by

Nissan Motors , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bran ...

and its affiliated subsidiaries employing thousands of local residents. The Nissan Leaf, Nissan Cube, and

Nissan Juke The is a subcompact crossover SUV (B-segment) produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Nissan since 2010. Debuted as a production vehicle at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March and positioned below the C-segment Qashqai, it was introduced to ...

models are assembled in the in Yokosuka. The factory began operations in 1961 where the

Nissan Bluebird The is a compact car with a model name introduced in 1957. It has been Nissan's most internationally recognized sedan, in multiple body styles, and is known for its dependability and durability. The Bluebird originated from Nissan's first vehic ...

was originally built. Every May, there is a festival celebrating Japanese curry, which draws 50,000 attendees each year. 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. The Yokosuka 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.

Demographics

Yokosuka's population is decreasing. Foreign citizens in Yokosuka are mainly

Filipinos Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or other ...

Koreans Koreans ( South Korean: , , North Korean: , ; see names of Korea) are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. Koreans mainly live in the two Korean nation states: North Korea and South Korea (collectively and simply r ...

, Chinese, and

Americans Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...

Transportation

Rail

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 ...

– Yokosuka Line ** – – – *

Keikyu Main Line (), also known as or, more recently, , is a private railroad that connects inner Tokyo to Kawasaki, Yokohama, Yokosuka and other points on the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture. It also provides rail access to Haneda Airport in Tokyo. ...

** Oppama – Keikyū Taura – Anjinzuka –

Hemi Hemi may refer to: People Surname * Jack Hemi (1914–1996), New Zealand freezing worker, rugby union and league player, shearer * Ronald Hemi (1933–2000), New Zealand rugby union player Given name * Hemi Bawa, Indian painter and sculptor * ...

– Shioiri – Yokosuka-Chūō – Kenritsu Daigaku – Horinouchi – Keikyū Ōtsu – Mabori-Kaigan – Uraga *

Keikyu Kurihama Line (), also known as or, more recently, , is a private railroad that connects inner Tokyo to Kawasaki, Yokohama, Yokosuka and other points on the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture. It also provides rail access to Haneda Airport in Tokyo. ...

** Horinouchi – Shin-Ōtsu – Kita-Kurihama – Keikyū Kurihama – YRP Nobi – Keikyū Nagasawa – Tsukuihama

Road

* National Route 16 * National Route 134 * National Route 357

Education

Yokosuka's public elementary and junior high schools are operated by the Yokosuka Education System, a department of the Yokosuka City Department of Education. Many of Yokosuka's public high schools, including

Yokosuka High School is a high school in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture Japan, founded in 1907. The school is operated by the Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education. As of 2014 the principal is . Notable alumni * Politician Junichirō Koizumi, 87th Prime Minister ...

, are operated by the

Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education The is the board of education for Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. The board consists of six members; one of them is elected as the chair, and one of them is appointed by the board as the superintendent. The board administers municipal education and ...

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

Energy disasters

On 26 October 2011 Yokosuka held its annual nuclear accident evacuation drill. This drill was first held in 2008 when the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS ''George Washington'' was 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 in all this, because of the impossibility of radiation leaking outside the base. However, 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. One unintended consequence of anti-nuclear sentiment is the construction of coal fired power plants, which causes

air pollution Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different type ...

and worsens

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

. As of 2020, two coal-fired power plants are proposed to be built in Yokosuka, even despite the climate emergency. These

coal-fired power plants Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dead ...

are being built without a full environmental review, and local residents are suing the government of Japan over its construction. Environment minister

Shinjirō Koizumi is a Japanese people, Japanese politician who served as the Minister of the Environment (Japan), Minister of the Environment from September 2019 to October 2021. He also serves as a member the House of Representatives (Japan), Member of the Hou ...

has been "a target of the activists' wrath" because of his support for this project.

Sister city relations

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

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "''Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio ...

, United States (since 18 October 1962) * Brest, France (since 26 November 1970) *

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

, Australia (since 25 April 1979) *

Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, UK (since 26 August 1998) *

Mazyr Mazyr ( be, Мазыр, ; russian: Мозырь ''Mozyr'' , pl, Mozyrz , Yiddish: מאזיר) is a city in the Gomel Region of Belarus on the Pripyat River about east of Pinsk and northwest of Chernobyl. It is located at approximately . The p ...

, Belarus (since 2008) Yokosuka has a friendship-city relationship with one city: * Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima, Japan (since 17 April 2005)

Local attractions

Sarushima is an uninhabited island in the

, accessible by ferry from Yokosuka. The ''Mikasa'', flagship of Admiral Togo at the

Battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima (Japanese:対馬沖海戦, Tsushimaoki''-Kaisen'', russian: Цусимское сражение, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known as the Battle of Tsushima Strait and the Naval Battle of Sea of Japan (Japanese: 日 ...

, built in Britain by

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public i ...

, 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. 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 the

Prince Hotel The is the name of a hotel chain company headquartered in Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan. It is a subsidiary of Seibu Holdings, Inc. Together with Seibu Railway, Prince Hotels is the core company of Seibu Group. Overview During the Allied occupati ...

. The old Club Alliance is where

Ryudo Uzaki is a Japanese musician, composer, and actor. His group, the Down Town Boogie-Woogie Band, was one of the most prominent 1970s Japanese rock music bands. He also composed many of Momoe Yamaguchi's songs with Yoko Aki. He is married to lyricist ...

got his start playing

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

. "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. The

Yokosuka Arts Theatre is part of the mixed-use Bay Square complex in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It opened in 1994. The horseshoe-shaped theatre seats 1,806 and there is a smaller hall, the Yokosuka Bayside Pocket, with a capacity of 600. The Bay Square comp ...

, part of the Bay Square complex by

Kenzō Tange was a Japanese architect, and winner of the 1987 Pritzker Prize for architecture. He was one of the most significant architects of the 20th century, combining traditional Japanese styles with modernism, and designed major buildings on five co ...

, is a venue for opera, orchestral concerts, chamber music, and films. 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. A museum in memory of rock musician Hide, a native of Yokosuka, opened on July 20, 2000. 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 band

X Japan was a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive soun ...

. The museum stayed open, past its original three-year plan, for five years, before closing on 25 September 2005. Yokosuka is considered a place of origin of

sukajan A , or a souvenir jacket, is a type of blouse jacket dating from the end of the Second World War. It is inspired by baseball jackets, and it uses embroidery, silk and Japanese influences. History After the end of the Second World War, the re ...

jackets. These embroidered satin bombers are a popular souvenir from the city, especially the more expensive, handmade ones.

In popular culture

Yokosuka, including Dobuita Street, is the setting for the 1999 video game ''

Shenmue is an action-adventure game series created, produced and directed by Yu Suzuki. '' Shenmue'' (1999) and ''Shenmue II'' (2001) were developed by Sega AM2 and published by Sega for Dreamcast. '' Shenmue III,'' developed by Suzuki's company ...

''. Yokosuka is also depicted in the game's anime adaptation. City officials cooperated with animators. The 2000

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...

game '' Front Mission 3'', and Shohei Imamura's 1961 New Wave film '' Pigs and Battleships'' take place in Yokosuka. Additionally, Yokosuka is the location of the climactic battle in the

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produ ...

film '' Terror of Mechagodzilla''. Yokosuka is a major location in the ''

Arpeggio of Blue Steel is a Japanese manga series produced by Ark Performance and serialized in Shōnen Gahosha's '' Young King Ours''. Twenty-three manga volumes have been released and an anime series by Sanzigen aired from October to December 2013. The same s ...

'' franchise, 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 fleet ''Blue Steel'' that uses it as their home port.

Notable people from Yokosuka

* Rich Alvarez, professional basketball player * David Jay Reed, artist, actor, photographer, graphic designer, lecturer *

Donnalyn Bartolome Donnalyn Bartolome(born July 9, 1994) is a Filipino internet personality An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or d ...

, singer-actress * Caol Uno, professional mixed martial artist * Eri Shingyōji, singer * hide, musician * Hiroyuki Taniguchi, professional soccer player *

Hitoshi Ashinano is a Japanese manga artist. He is most noted for '' Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō'', for which he won the 2007 Seiun Award for Best Science Fiction Manga. Another notable work is ''PositioN''. Prior to his debut, Ashinano worked as an assistant to mang ...

, manga artist * Honoka Inoue, voice actress * Ichiro Ito, musician * Isao Inokuma, Olympic gold medalist judoka * Josh Kelly, actor * Junichiro Koizumi, former Prime Minister of Japan * Junya Ito, football player * Kaede, dancer, model and actress, member of

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the ...

girlgroups

Happiness Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. ...

and E-girls * Kazumasa Hirai, author *

Kazuo Kamimura was a Japanese manga artist, best known as the illustrator of '' Lady Snowblood'', which was adapted into film in 1973. Hitoshi Iwaaki, a manga artist was his assistant. Kamimura died at age 45 of a pharynx tumor A neoplasm () is a type of ...

, manga artist *

Kazutaka Miyatake is a visual artist and anime designer known for the mechanical design of the '' Macross'' TV series and a number of its continuations from Studio Nue, of which he is a founding member. He has also contributed to the mecha design of other series suc ...

, anime designer * Kie Kitano, gravure idol *

Kikuko Inoue is a Japanese voice actress, singer and narrator. She has been part of the singing groups DoCo and Goddess Family Club. She is the founder and manager of her voice-acting company, Office Anemone. Inoue tends to play the " perfect girlfriend" o ...

, voice actress *

Kōji Kumeta is a Japanese manga artist. His most famous works are '' Go!! Southern Ice Hockey Club'', '' Katteni Kaizō'', ''Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei'', and ''Joshiraku''. The bulk of Kumeta's work was published in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'', until the abrupt ...

, manga artist *

Kotaro Koizumi is a Japanese actor and the eldest son of the 56th Japanese Prime Minister, Junichirō Koizumi, and Kayoko Miyamoto. He studied economics at night classes of Nihon University, but dropped out. Filmography Television *''Who Wants to Be a Mill ...

, actor * MAA, singer * Keith McDonald, baseball player *

Stan McQuay Stan McQuay (born July 12, 1973 in Yokosuka, Japan) is a professional bodybuilder and businessman, known for his appearances in muscle championships and as the founder of Physique Inc., a bodybuilding coaching company. Early life Born in Yokosuk ...

, IFBB professional bodybuilder *

Minoru Nojima was a Japanese classical pianist. At the time of his death he was President of the Tokyo College of Music. Biography Minoru Nojima was a child prodigy in Japan, won a major nationwide competition there as a teenager, studied with Lev Oborin in ...

, pianist *

Miyako Ishiuchi , is a Japanese photographer. In 2005, she represented Japan at the Venice Biennale. In March 2014, she became the third Japanese photographer, following Hiroshi Hamaya and Hiroshi Sugimoto, to received the Hasselblad Foundation International A ...

, photographer * Mark Muñoz, mixed martial artist * Naohiro Ishikawa, professional soccer player * Naoyuki Kotani, professional mixed martial artist * Rei Nishiyama, Olympic gold medalist softball player *

Rika Ishikawa , is a Japanese actress and model associated with Hello! Project and best known as a former member of the pop group Morning Musume. She was the leader of the Japanese pop idol trio v-u-den until June 2008. She has performed as a solo singer, as a ...

, singer *

Susumu Ishii Susumu Ishii (石井進 ''Ishii Susumu''; 1924–1991) a.k.a. 石井隆匡 was the second ''kaicho'' (godfather) of the Inagawa-kai yakuza gang in Japan. He was also fifth ''socho'' of the Yokosuka-ikka. Ishii was born in Yokosuka in 1924. In ...

, yakuza godfather * Susumu Yokosuka, professional wrestler * Shuhei Terada, professional soccer player *

Tetsuya Ōkubo is a Japanese football player. Playing career Known by the nickname 'Jumbo' due to his size he plays primarily as a target man striker, getting the majority of his goals with his head. Popular with fans and teammates during his career due to his ...

, professional soccer player * Marcus Thomas, professional football player * Thomas Noguchi, doctor * Tsutsumi Sakamoto, lawyer *

Yoriko Madoka is a Japanese politician of the Kokumin Ikari no Koe who served in the House of Councillors from 1993 to 2010. Madoka was born in Yokosuka, Kanagawa and grew up in Yao, Osaka and Takamatsu, Kagawa. She graduated from Tsuda College in 1969, and ...

, politician *

Yōsuke Kubozuka is a Japanese actor and musician. Career Yosuke Kubozuka has been a model for many magazines and TV commercials before starting out his acting career where he debuted in a 1995 TV crime drama ''Kindaichi Case Files''. In 1998, he starred in the ...

, actor *

Yusuke Kamiji is a Japanese actor, singer, and tarento. In the music world, he is known simply as . Biography Kamiji graduated from Yokohama Senior High School. He belonged to the baseball club while in school, and played catcher. He and Daisuke Matsuzak ...

, actor * Yūto Yoshida, politician *

Ayumu Sasaki is a Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle racer, competing in Moto3 for Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max. Career Junior career In 2015 Sasaki was the Asia Talent Cup champion and also competed in the 2015 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, winning a race in Si ...

, motorcycle racer * MadeinTYO, rapper *

Kenchi Tachibana Kenichiro Teratsuji (寺辻健一郎; ''Teratsuji Kenichiro'', born September 28, 1979 in Yokohama, Japan), better known by his stage names Kenchi Tachibana (橘ケンチ) or simply KENCHI, is a Japanese dancer and actor. He is a member of J-Pop g ...

, dancer, member of

Exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

and

Exile The Second Exile The Second (stylized as EXILE THE SECOND, formerly known as THE SECOND from EXILE), or simply The Second, is a Japanese music group comprising Exile members Kenchi, Keiji, Tetsuya, Nesmith, Shokichi and Akira. Formed in 2012, the group ...

* Tetsuya, Dancer, member of

and

* Cameron Thomas, professional basketball player

References

External links

Official Website
* {{Authority control Cities in Kanagawa Prefecture Japanese Navy submarine bases Populated coastal places in Japan Port settlements in Japan