city, Hyōgo ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies along the Fukuchiyama railway line, 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Ōsaka. Itami was a castle town from the 13th to the 16th century and became a major sake-brewing centre in the Tokugawa period (1603–1867). The opening of the railway and the construction of company-owned housing made Itami a residential suburb of the Ōsaka-Kōbe metropolitan area. The city's industrial district was founded in the 1930s and has expanded since World War II. Itami contains most of Ōsaka International Airport. Pop. (2005) 192,250.