is a city

Cities of Japan

||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...

 located in Yamaguchi

Yamaguchi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

History

Hōfu(防府) means "the capital(国府) of Suō Province

Suo Province

was a province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suō bordered on Aki, Iwami, and Nagato Provinces....

(周防国)".
The eastern part of Yamaguchi prefecture was formerly called Suō Province.

The city was founded on August 25, 1936. The city's change during the past fifty years can be visualised in the animated film Mai Mai Miracle

Mai Mai Miracle

is a Japanese animated film based on Nobuko Takagi's novelization of her autobiography, Maimai Shinko. It was produced by the animation studio Madhouse, distributed by Shochiku, and directed by Sunao Katabuchi....

, with its story taking place in the year of 1955 (with flashbacks a 1,000 years further back).

Mazda

Mazda

is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...

 maintains a large automobile factory

Hofu Plant

Hofu Plant is an automobile manufacturing complex in Hofu, Yamaguchi, Japan operated by Mazda Motor Corporation. The complex consists of two main elements, an automobile assembly complex in Nishinoura District, and a transmission plant in nearby Nakanoseki District.-Nishinoura:Nishinoura has two...

 in Hōfu.

Sister Cities

• Akitakata
  Akitakata, Hiroshima
  is a city located in north-central Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.As of April 1, 2011, the city has a population of 31,565, with a household number of 13,223, and an area of 538.17 km²....
  
  , Hiroshima
  Hiroshima Prefecture
  is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...
  
  , Japan
  Japan
  Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
  
   since July 16, 1971
• Chuncheon
  Chuncheon
  Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city lies in the northeast of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. There are some large lakes around the city, most notably Lake Soyang and Lake Uiam...
  
  , Gangwon-do
  Gangwon-do (South Korea)
  Gangwon-do is a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Gangwon and its North Korean neighbour Kangwŏn formed a single province.-History:...
  
  , South Korea
  South Korea
  The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
  
   since October 29, 1991
• Monroe
  Monroe, Michigan
  Monroe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,733 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but both are politically independent. The city is located approximately 14 miles ...
  
  , Michigan
  Michigan
  Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
  
  , United States
  United States
  The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
  
  , since May 29, 1993

External links

• Hōfu official website
• Oidemase Hōfu website in Japanese