This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012)

Yokkaichi 四日市市
—  Special city  —
四日市市 · Yokkaichi
View of Yokkaichi, include Yokkaichi Station, shopping center in Yokkaichi, Yokkaichi City Office<, Industrial complex zone in Yokkaichi
Flag
Location of Yokkaichi in Mie
Yokkaichi
Coordinates: 34°58′N 136°37′E / 34.967°N 136.617°E / 34.967; 136.617Coordinates: 34°58′N 136°37′E / 34.967°N 136.617°E / 34.967; 136.617
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Mie
Government
• Mayor	Toshiyuki Tanaka
Area
• Total	205.53 km2 (79.36 sq mi)
Population (October 1, 2010)
• Total	314,393
• Density	1,529.30/km2 (3,960.9/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Camphor tree
- Flower	Salvia
- Bird	Black-headed Gull
Phone number	059-354-8244
Address	1-5 Suwa-chō, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie-ken 510-8601
Website	www.city.yokkaichi.mie.jp

Yokkaichi (四日市市, Yokkaichi-shi^?, lit. "fourth day market") is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan.

As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 314,393. The total area is 205.53 km².

The closest major city is Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture.

It is a manufacturing center that produces banko ware (a kind of porcelain), automobiles, cotton textiles, chemicals, tea, cement, and computer parts such as flash memory by Toshiba subsidiary Yokkaichi Toshiba Electronics.

  History

In Azuchi-Momoyama period, the port was developed and a regular market was open on 4, 14, 24 in each month. Thus, the city is named Yokkaichi because "yokkaichi" means "market on fourth day." In Edo period, Yokkaichi-juku was the forty-third station on the Tōkaidō.

Yokkaichi's port advanced remarkably during the Meiji period, primarily under the guidance of Inaba Sanuemon, a resident merchant interested increasing trade into Yokkaichi and the Ise area by modernizing the port facilities. Started in 1872, the project took 12 years to complete due to typhoons and difficulties in financing the project. This led to the port city being designated an Official International Port in 1899. The primary trade items shipped through Yokkaichi were originally seed oil, Banko ceramics, and Ise tea; but now it has developed into a port that now handles cotton, wool, glass, and heavy equipment.

The city was designated a 'modern city' on August 1, 1897. From 1960 to 1972, the city residents suffered health problems caused by the emission of SOx into the atmosphere from local oil chemical plants. In Japan, a disease called Yokkaichi zensoku (Yokkaichi Asthma) derives its name from the city, and it is considered one of the Four Big Pollution Diseases of Japan.

  Downtown Yokkaichi

On February 7, 2005 the town of Kusu, from Mie District, was merged into Yokkaichi.

  Festival and events

• Amagasuka Ishideri Festival
• Great Yokkaichi Festivak
• Matsubara Ishidori Festival

  Transportation

Yokkaichi is served by both JR Central and Kintetsu rail lines.

The Higashi Meihan Highway (東名阪自動車道), which leads to Nagoya, was built along the foot of Suzuka Mountains.

Port of Yokkaichi is the secondary port in Ise Bay.

  International relations

Yokkaichi has two sister cities and one sister port.

• Long Beach, California, USA- October 7, 1963
• Tianjin, China - October 28, 1980
• Sydney Port, Australia- October 24, 1968

  Notable people from Yokkaichi

• Goseki Kojima - manga artist
• Miki Mizuno - actress
• Fumio Niwa - author
• Toshiya Fujita - movie director
• Katsuya Okada - Foreign Affairs Minister
• Takuya Okada - chairman emeritus of AEON Group
• Katsuaki Watanabe - president of Toyota Motor Corporation
• Satoshi Saida - wheelchair tennis player
• Yumehito of Ayabie (Ex-Soroban)- musician
• Ōzutsu Takeshi - sumo wrestler

  External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yokkaichi, Mie

• Official website (Japanese)
• Yokkaichi Information,Movie,and Community Portal TranslatablePage
• Hiroshige prints of the Tokaido - Station 44 Yokkaichi

Mie Prefecture Cities Tsu (capital) Yokkaichi Ise Matsusaka Kuwana Suzuka Nabari Owase Kameyama Toba Kumano Inabe Shima Iga Kuwana District Kisosaki Inabe District Tōin Mie District Komono Asahi Kawagoe Taki District Taki Meiwa Ōdai Watarai District Tamaki Watarai Taiki Minamiise Kitamuro District Kihoku Minamimuro District Mihama Kihō