Kodaira

Kodaira, city, central Tokyo to (metropolis), east-central Honshu, Japan. It is situated in the Musashino Plateau, bordered on all sides by other cities in the metropolis, including Higashimurayama (north) and Koganei (southeast).

The area surrounding present-day Kodaira was developed as an agricultural region after the construction of a water-supply system in the mid-1600s. The long rectangular fields were planted with mulberry trees (for silk production) in the early 20th century. The construction of a rail line from central Tokyo to the east, however, facilitated Kodaira’s growth as a residential suburb of the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area after World War II. Industry has since developed, with several factories producing automobile tires and electrical machinery. Pop. (2005) 183,796; (2010) 187,035.