KOGA

city, Ibaraki ken (prefecture), eastern Honshu, Japan. It lies at the confluence of the Omoi and Watarase rivers. An important river port, Koga was a castle town and post town on the Nikko-kaido (Nikko Highway) in the Tokugawa period (16031867). It became a major trade centre for the surrounding agricultural region after the Tohoku Main Line railway opened in 1891. Silk manufacture, introduced in the late 19th century, has given way to heavier industries introduced from the Keihin Industrial Zone. Pop. (1985) 57,541; (1990) 58,227.