KODAIRA

city, Tokyo Metropolis (to), Honshu, Japan, in the Musashino Plateau, on the Shinjuku Line (railway). The surrounding area was developed as an agricultural region after the construction of a water supply system in the mid-1600s. The long, rectangular fields were planted with mulberry trees (for silk production) in the early 20th century, and Kodaira grew as a residential suburb of the TokyoYokohama Metropolitan Area after World War II. Industry has since developed, with several factories producing automobile tires and electrical machinery. Pop. (1983 est.) 157,010.