city, Tokushima Prefecture (ken), Shikoku, Japan, on the Naka-gawa (Naka River), facing the Kii-suidō (Kii Channel) between the Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean. It was created in 1958 by the merger of the former castle town of Tomioka and the fishing village of Tachibana. A market centre for the agricultural hinterland, its industry produces lime, timber, ships, and wooden goods. Pop (1985 prelim.) 60,752.