Chōshi is the easternmost city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and Cape Inubō, within the city, is the easternmost point in the Kantō region. Chōshi is noted for its dramatic sea coast.
Chōshi has a humid subtropical climate with very warm summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, although the winter months are slightly drier.
History
The commercial fishing and soy sauce industries were developed in Chōshi by the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period. Their development continued in the early industrialization of Japan in the Meiji period. Noted soy sauce producer Yamasa Corporation was incorporated in 1928, and Higeta Corporation in 1932. Chōshi was elevated to city status on February 11, 1933. Chōshi was a center of industrial unrest in the early 20th century; there were numerous strikes and labor disputes at the soy sauce factories, and residents attacked the government offices in 1930 over heavy taxation and unaccounted expenditures by municipal authorities.
Attack on Chōshi during WWII
Chōshi was an important military target during World War II due to its fishing industry and canneries. Before and during the war, Choshi was Tokyo's main food supplier. The first air raid on Chōshi by USAAFB-29 Superfortress bombers took place on March 10, 1945 causing minor damage. This was followed by the Chōshi Air Raid of July 19, 1945, during which time over 150 B-29s rained bombs on the city, destroying 33.8% of the urban area, killing 1,181 civilians and destroying 5,142 homes. The city was bombed again on August 1, 1945. Emperor Hirohito made an official visit to the ruined city on June 6, 1946, after the surrender of Japan.
Economy
Chōshi is known as a center of soy sauce production. Production methods were introduced to Chōshi in 1616 from Settsu Province, and later from Kii Province, both near the Seto Inland Sea. Soy sauce manufacturers Higeta and Yamasa are based in Chōshi. The Port of Kashima in nearby Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture, is utilized to import soybeans for use in soy sauce production. The remains of soybeans not used in soy sauce production in Chōshi are returned to Kashima for production into feed for livestock. The city is home to the Chōshi Fishing Port. Its catches of sardines, bonito, and tuna are the largest in Chiba Prefecture. Wind power is actively being developed off the rugged coast of Chōshi for use in the city and the greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area. Amber is also found in the area.
