OMURA

city, Nagasaki Prefecture (ken), Kyushu, Japan, facing Omura-wan (Omura Bay), on the western slopes of Tara-dake (Mt. Tara). In the 12th century it was the residence of the Omura daimyo and later developed as a port and post town. It became a base for trade with Portugal and a centre of Christianity in the late 16th century. The city is now an industrial centre, producing processed foods and pearls farmed in the bay. Omura contains the Nagasaki Airport and a base of the Japanese Self-Defense Force. Pop. (1990) 73,437.