Ōita, Kyūshū Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Ōita is the capital city of Ōita Prefecture, located on the island of Kyushu, Japan. In 2005, the town of Notsuharu and the town of Saganoseki were merged into Ōita.

During the Sengoku period (15th–16th centuries), the powerful Ōtomo clan based in Funai and the area prospered as a key port of trade with Portugal and Ming-dynasty China. Ōtomo Sōrin, a famous Christian daimyō, first introduced western culture. It was in Funai that the first western style hospital was built and the first Japanese choir was formed.

The city is bordered by City of Beppu to the north-west, City of Yufu to the west, City of Taketa to the south-west, City of Bungo-ōno to the south, and City of Usuki to the south-east. The north of the city faces Beppu Bay and the Seto Inland Sea.

Economy During the 1960s and 1970s, an industrial region was formed along the Beppu Gulf coast. Among the plants in the region were flagship plants of Nippon Steel and Showa Denko.

In the 1970s, Toshiba and Canon built and expanded their plants in inland area. By then, the city emerged as a major production centre of electronics products such as LSIs and digital cameras.

The downtown and shopping districts are located to the north of Oita Station. Recently, however, the area has been gradually declining, because the main commercial areas have been dispersed due to the construction of big shopping malls in the suburbs.