city, Kyōto fu (urban prefecture), Honshu, Japan, facing Wakasa Bay. The city—then called Tanabe—developed around a castle built during the Muromachi period (1338–1573). It has one of the best natural ports on the Sea of Japan (East Sea) coast and prospered as a naval port before World War II. The naval facilities were later converted to industrial use, producing ships, textiles, chemical products, and pottery. The city is also a base for the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. In 1961 Maizuru became a sister city of Nakhodka, the civil port east of Vladivostok, Siberia, and regular service between the two was initiated. Pop. (2005) 91,733.