Ōta, Gunma


Ōta is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2015, the city had an estimated population of 219,531, and a population density of 1260 persons per km². Its total area is 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 northwest of Tokyo between the Tone and Watarase rivers.

Surrounding municipalities

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., the Ōta-shuku, and Kizaki-shuku.
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, and the village of Kyūhaku, and by annexing parts of the village of Yabakawa on July 1, 1960. On April 1, 1963, Ōta absorbed the village of Hosen, followed by the village of Kesatoda on December 1, 1963.
On March 28, 2005, the old city of Ōta absorbed the towns of Nitta, Ojima, and Yabuzukahon, 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 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 annually. It is the home of the car manufacturer Subaru, a subsidiary of Subaru Corporation, formerly known as 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, and Oizumi Plant is where engines and transmissions are built.
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 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:

Railway

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

Notable people