Ashiya, Hyōgo

Ashiya (芦屋市, Ashiya-shi) is a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, between the cities of Nishinomiya and Kobe. The city was founded on November 10, 1940.

As of 2016, the city has an estimated population of 96,748.

History

Ashiya was established in 1871 as a township in Hyōgo Prefecture. In the early 1900s, it was designated as an urban planning area. This led to the building of large single-family homes with tennis courts, swimming pools, and tea houses, etc. along the hills overlooking Osaka Bay.

In 1945, the City of Ashiya prohibited the operation of pachinko parlors, gambling and entertainment facilities as well as small factories. Those laws still stand and there is no other municipal government with similar regulations in Japan.

In 1991, Ashiya residents elected Harue Kitamura (北村 春江 Kitamura Harue, born July 11, 1928) as the first woman to hold the office of mayor of a city in Japan. Kitamura was mayor when Ashiya suffered major damage during the Kobe earthquake on January 17, 1995.