Location

Sakai has been a major part of Japan's economic and cultural identity throughout the country's history. In ancient times, a local suburb, Mozu, was chosen as the site for a necropolis featuring the Nintoku-tennō-ryō Kofun and others. Later, in the middle ages, Sakai became an important hub for overseas trade, and developed as a city with a spirit of liberty and self-governance.
After World War II, the foundations of modern-day Sakai were laid through projects such as the creation of an extensive dockside industrial complex and Semboku New Town, a large-scale residential neighborhood. The city has a population of 840,000, and was made a "city designated by government ordinance" in 2006, which gives the city some powers normally reserved for prefectural governments. As such, Sakai is the major city in southern Osaka and a driving force behind the economy and culture of the Kansai Region.