city, Tokyo to (metropolis), Honshu, Japan. It lies on the Chūō Main Line railway, west of Tokyo city. During the mid-Tokugawa period (1603–1867) several settlements were established in the area. The opening of the Musashi-Koganei Line railway station in 1926 prompted increased construction of housing and educational facilities. After World War II the population increased rapidly, and Koganei became a residential suburb of the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area. The former military base northwest of the city contains a collective-housing area, a research institute, and such higher educational institutions as the Tokyo University of Liberal Arts. Pop. (2005) 114,112.