Osaka

Industrial port on the Pacific coast of Honshu island, Japan, 24 km/15 mi from Kobe; population (2000 est) 2,599,000. It is Japan's third-largest city. Industries include iron, steel, shipbuilding, chemicals, and textiles. Emperor Kotoku established it as a capital in 645. Osaka castle, built in 1583, was the scene of a siege in 1614–15. The city is the home of the bunraku puppet theatre.

Osaka is situated in the most densely populated part of the country on a plain sheltered by hills and opening on to Osaka Bay. Criss-crossed by waterways, it is a tourist centre for Kyoto and the Seto Inland Sea and is linked with Tokyo by fast electric train (travelling up to 200 kph/124 mph). An underground shopping and leisure centre (1951) has been used as a model for others throughout Japan. It was a mercantile centre in the 18th century, and in the 20th century set the pace for Japan's revolution based on light industries. Osaka is a major centre of higher education, with many universities and colleges, including Osaka University and Kansai University.