Setouchi

Setouchi, industrial region, southern Japan. Setouchi includes the southern portion of Chūgoku chihō (region) on the island of Honshu, the northern part of Shikoku, and many nearby industrial areas on islands of the Inland Sea. Setouchi is neither an administrative nor a political entity; it includes portions of the ken (prefectures) of Okayama, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi on Honshu, and Kagawa and Ehime on Shikoku. Most industrial activity occurs in cities located on the Inland Sea coast; agriculture includes rice paddies and orchards growing grapes, persimmons, and peaches farther inland.

During the Tokugawa period (1603–1867), Setouchi’s traditional industries produced tatami matting, cotton textiles, indigo dye, wooden clogs, and boats, which were transported to Ōsaka via the Inland Sea. Copper mining began near Niihama, a small farming and fishing village, in 1690. During the Meiji period (1868–1912), a copper refinery was built in Niihama by the Sumitomo zaibatsu (business combine). The copper refinery was relocated to Shisaka Island in 1905 because of air pollution. From 1926, Sumitomo operated chemical industries to convert sulfur dioxide by-products from the copper refineries into superphosphates and fertilizers. Subsequent factories produced sulfuric acid, ammonium, methanol, and nitric acid, establishing the area as a chemical-producing centre.

Meanwhile, a textile industry evolved in Setouchi, influenced by new techniques from the Keihanshin (Kyōto–Ōsaka–Kōbe) Industrial Zone. More chemical plants and most of Setouchi’s heavy industries, including iron, steel, transport machinery, and petrochemicals, were introduced to the area during World War II. Ube developed in chemical production, and Onoda evolved as a cement-producing centre. Hiroshima city concentrated on the building of ships, locomotives, and freight cars, and Himeji was a centre of iron and steel production. Much industrial expansion in the region occurred during the 1960s as the Keihin (Tokyo-Yokohama) and Keihanshin industrial zones expanded. Land was reclaimed from the Inland Sea, and former military-use land and salt fields were transformed for industrial use. Petrochemical complexes began operation in Iwakuni and Tokuyama, and steel plants were built in Fukuyama. The rapid industrialization caused shipping problems including traffic congestion, accidents, and pollution affecting both air and the Inland Sea. Air pollution has been ameliorated by new techniques, but the Inland Sea remains polluted. Fish-spawning areas were destroyed during land reclamation. Islands with historic relics have been designated as conservation areas. Railway, highway, and shipping connections are extensive.