FUNABASHI

city, Chiba ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, situated on the inner coast of Tokyo Bay. It was formed by the amalgamation of the post town of Funabashi with the fishing village of Katsushika in 1937. With the construction of a major railway along the east coast of the bay in 1894, the city lost its importance as a road transport centre. Army installations erected in the early 20th century contributed to Funabashi's recovery, however, and the later construction of two other railway lines to Tokyo made possible its growth as a residential suburb. After World War II parts of the coast were reclaimed and a seaside industrial zone of iron, steel, and petrochemical plants was developed. The northern part of the city is an agricultural zone producing for the Tokyo market. Pop. (1989 est.) 532,171.