Chūkyō Industrial Zone

Chūkyō Industrial Zone, Japanese Chūkyō Kōgyō Chitai, industrial region centring on Nagoya, Japan, and comprising portions of the ken (prefectures) of Aichi, Gifu, and Mie; Chūkyō is neither an administrative nor a political entity. Bordered by Ise Bay on the south, the region is drained by the Ibi River, Kiso River, and Nagara River through a terrain consisting of lowlands and hills. Chūkyō occupies an important place in Japan’s industrial scene because of its high standing in the production of textiles, ceramics, and motor vehicles.

During the Tokugawa period (1603–1867), the region produced cotton textiles; woolens were introduced after the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). Unlike the Keihanshin (Kyōto-Ōsaka-Kōbe) Industrial Zone, which was developed by government investment in heavy industries, Chūkyō developed spontaneously from local entrepreneurs’ investment in the production of consumer goods. During World War II, however, heavy war industries were settled in Chūkyō. These were converted to peacetime production after the war, and further industrial development occurred during the 1950s and ’60s. Major cities in Chūkyō, after Nagoya, include Toyota and Yokkaichi. Nagoya manufactures printed materials and nonferrous metals. Toyota, named for Toyoda Sakichi, the inventor of an automatic weaving machine, beside whose textile mills the manufacture of automobiles was begun in 1936, is a leading producer of motor vehicles. During the 1920s, Yokkaichi began producing chemicals, and oil refineries have operated there since the ’40s. Smaller industrial districts within Chūkyō include the Ise Bay Coast District, encompassing the cities of Nagoya, Yokkaichi, Tsu, and Matsuzaka and the Chita Peninsula District. West Mikawa District focuses on Toyota, and Bisa District is centred on Ichinomiya, a textile centre. Airline, railway, shipping, and highway connections are extensive. Air pollution and the scarcity of land and water are ongoing concerns for the Chūkyō region.