Higashi-Maizuru (東舞鶴)
Higashi-Maizuru is the eastern half of Maizuru City. It corresponds to the old Higashi-Maizuru City that lasted until May 26 1943.
Summary
Higashi-Maizuru generally refers to the eastern half areas of Maizuru City including Yohoro, Yashima and Kitasui, where the City Hall is located. Unlike Nishi-Maizuru, which thrived as a castle town, Higashi-Maizuru developed with a naval and army base since the establishment of Maizuru Chinju-fu, Maizuru army and navy bases in 1901. When Hama area covering the area in front of Higashi-Maizuru Station was developed, a road system was laid out in a grid pattern following Kyoto City.
As for industry, Higashi-Maizuru's Maizuru Port offers an industrial site to Universal Shipbuilding Corporation, which is said to make up bout twenty percent of the total shipment value of Maizuru's manufacturing industry, and has many enterprises such as Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd. in Taira Industrial Park in Maizuru City. The Yohoro-gawa River, which the Japanese Imperial Navy once improved, is still a water resource in Higashi-Maizuru that supplies many Maizuru citizens with drinking water.
Higashi-Maizuru City
Higashi-Maizuru City, established as a city on August 1 1938, was requested to merge with the old Maizuru City (Nishi-Maizuru) by the navy during the Pacific War (or the Greater East Asia War), because the navy wanted to control both Higashi-Maizuru and Nishi-Maizuru as a whole in case the number of munitions facilities increased in areas due to the expansion of the war. On May 27, 1943, Higashi-Maizuru City was abolished and new Maizuru City was established by merging both Cities on an equal footing.
However, there were anti-merge sentiments due to the different background of people from both areas; Higashi-Maizuru had rapidly developed as a navy and army port in and after the Meiji period, but Nishi-Maizuru had developed as a castle town since the Sengoku period (period of Warring States). In 1950, in response to these sentiments, a plan to divide Maizuru city into two was adopted in a referendum, but was rejected by Kyoto Prefecture.
People still seem to bear ill feelings against each other and there is said to be an undeniable East-West confrontation in elections for the mayor and prefectural assembly members.