Demographics

thumb|200px|Toyota MEA

Per Japanese census data, the population of Toyota has been increasing over the past 50 years.

Surrounding municipalities

;Aichi Prefecture

  • Anjō
  • Chiryu
  • Kariya
  • Miyoshi
  • Nagakute
  • Nisshin
  • Okazaki
  • Seto
  • Shinshiro
  • Shitara

;Gifu Prefecture

  • Ena
  • Mizunami
  • Toki

;Nagano Prefecture

  • Neba

City scape

<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" caption="" heights="110px" perrow="3">

File:Toyota City Skyline001.jpg|Skyline of Toyota

File:Koromo-jo Castle（Shichishū-jo Castle）.jpg|Koromo Castle

File:Toyota-Pedestrian-Deck-1.jpg|Toyotashi Station Pedestrian Deck

File:Pedestrian Deck, Wakamiya-cho Toyota 2018.jpg|Downtown of Toyota

</gallery>

History

Origins

The area of present-day Toyota City has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and archaeologists have found a continuous record of artifacts from the Japanese paleolithic period onwards.

In early proto-historic times, the area was under the control of the Mononobe clan, who built numerous kofun burial mounds. The local place name "Koromo" is mentioned in the Kojiki and other early Japanese documents.

Edo period

During the Edo period, parts of the area of the current city were under the control of Koromo Domain, a feudal han under the Tokugawa shogunate; however, most of the area of the current city was tenryō territory controlled directly by the government in Edo and administered through hatamoto class appointed administrators. The village of "Matsudaira", from which Tokugawa Ieyasu took his clan name, was located within what is now the city of Toyota.

Meiji period

After the Meiji restoration, the area was organized into the towns of Asuke and Koromo and numerous villages under Higashikamo District and Nishikamo District with the establishment of the modern municipalities system.

The area was a major producer of silk and prospered from the Meiji period through the Taishō periods. As the demand for raw silk declined in Japan and abroad, Koromo entered a period of gradual decline after 1930. The decline encouraged Kiichiro Toyoda, cousin of Eiji Toyoda, to look for alternatives to the family's automatic loom manufacturing business. The search led to the founding of what became the Toyota Motor Corporation. Toyota built the first manufacturing facility, known as Toyota Honsha plant in November 1938, breaking ground in December 1935.

Modern history

On March 1, 1951, Koromo gained city status, and absorbed the village of Takahashi from Nishikamo District on September 30, 1956. Due to the fame and economic importance of its major employer, the city of changed its name to Toyota on January 1, 1959.

Toyota became a sister city with Detroit, Michigan, United States in 1960. It continued to expand by annexing the towns of Kamigo (Hekikai District) on March 1, 1964, and Takaoka (Hekikai District) on September 1, 1965, and Sanage (Nishikamo District) on April 1, 1967, as well as the village of Matsudaira (Higashikamo District) on April 1, 1970.

In 1979 the Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu) opened the Toyota New Line (now Toyota Line), and in 1988, the Aichi Loop Line was opened, thus considerably improving access to the city via rail transport.

Toyota became a Core City in 1998, with increased local autonomy.

On March 25, 2005, Expo 2005 opened with its main site in Nagakute and additional activity in Seto and Toyota. The Expo continued until September 25, 2005.

On April 1, 2005, Toyota absorbed the town of Fujioka, and the village of Obara (both from Nishikamo District), the towns of Asuke, Asahi and Inabu, and the village of Shimoyama (all from Higashikamo District) to create the new and expanded city of Toyota.

Mitsuru Obe and Eric Pfanner of The Wall Street Journal stated that by 2015 Toyota was recovering from an economic depression "so deep that some were comparing it to Detroit."

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File:Sanage-jinja Torii.jpg|Sanage shinto shrine

File:Chuma no Ohinasan 2012.jpg|Asuke area (Groups of Traditional Buildings)

File:Toyota museum 101.JPG|Koromo Castle

File:Toyota Sangokan exterior 2017-06 (1).jpg|City center of Toyota

</gallery>

Government

right|thumb|200px|Toyota City Hall

Mayor-council

Toyota has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 45 members.

Prefectural Assembly

The city contributes five members to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly.

House of Representatives

In terms of national politics, the city is divided between Aichi District 11 and Aichi District 14 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Public

Police

  • Aichi Prefectural Police
  • Asuke police station
  • Toyota police station

Firefighting

  • Fire department
  • Asuke fire department
  • Toyota-Kita fire department
  • Toyota-Minami fire department
  • Toyota-naka fire department

Health care

  • Hospital
  • Asuke Hospital
  • Toyota Kosei Hospital
  • TOYOTA Memorial Hospital

Post office

  • Toyota Post office

Library

  • Toyota City Library

<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" caption="" heights="110px" perrow="3">

File:Toyota Police station 2018.jpg|Toyota Police Station

File:Toyota City Fire Fighting Head Office, Chokoji Toyota 2019.jpg|Toyota Fire Department

File:Toyota-Kosei-Hospital-1.jpg|Toyota Kosei Hospital

File:Toyota Post Office, Totsuka-cho Toyota 2018.jpg|Toyota Post Office

File:Toyota City Central Library exterior ac (2).jpg|Toyota City Library

</gallery>

Sister cities

Toyota is twinned with:

  • Detroit, United States, since 1960
  • Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom, since 1998

Economy

thumb|Principal headquarters building of Toyota Motor Corporation

Primary sector of the economy

;Agriculture

  • Peach
  • Pyrus pyrifolia (Atago)

;Forestry

  • Cryptomeria
  • Chamaecyparis obtusa

Secondary sector of the economy

The main headquarters of Toyota is located in a 14-story building in Toyota. As of 2006 the head office has the "Toyopet" Toyota logo and the words "Toyota Motor". The Toyota Technical Center, a 14-story building, and the original Honsha plant, Toyota's first plant engaging in mass production and formerly named the Koromo plant, are adjacent to one another in a location near the headquarters. Vinod Jacob from The Hindu described the main headquarters building as "modest".

Tertiary sector of the economy

;Shopping center

  • Æon Takahashi (GREEN CITY)
  • Æon Toyota
  • KiTARA
  • Lut's
  • Meglia
  • T-FACE

<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" caption="" heights="110px" perrow="3">

File:Azakai-cho Toyota 2011.JPG|Azakai Town

File:Inabucho, Toyota, Aichi Prefecture 441-2513, Japan - panoramio (1).jpg|Inabu Town

File:JA Aichi Toyota, Nishi-machi Toyota 2018.jpg|JA Aichi Toyota

File:Toyota 86 GT Red.jpg|Toyota 86

File:Aeon-Style-Toyota-1.jpg|Æon Toyota

File:Toyota-KiTARA-1.jpg|KiTARA

</gallery>

Education

thumb|200px|[[Aichi Institute of Technology]]

Colleges and universities

  • Aichi Gakusen University
  • Aichi Institute of Technology
  • Aichi Mizuho College
  • Chukyo University – Toyota campus
  • Japanese Red Cross Toyota College of Nursing
  • Junior College of Toyota (1990–1999)
  • Ohkagakuen University – Toyota campus
  • Toyota National College of Technology

Primary and secondary education

Toyota has 78 public elementary schools and 27 public middle schools operated by the city government and 12 public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education. There are also two private middle schools and eight private high schools. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the disabled.

International schools

  • Escola Alegria de Saber – Brazilian school
  • Escola NECTAR – Brazilian primary school