Kariya, city in Japan, on east central Honshu Island, in central Aichi Prefecture 24 km (15 mi) southeast of Nagoya. Kariya is one of the principal satellite cities of the Nagoya metropolitan area. It is an important industrial center benefiting from its location in the Chukyo Industrial Zone on the Tokaido rail line. Many of its industries are linked to the production of automobiles in Toyota, a city 20 km (12 mi) to the northeast. Kariya's products include steel, machine tools, and automobile parts. There is also a ceramics industry related to automobile production. Industrialization of the city began shortly after an automated textile loom was invented by Toyoda Sakichi in 1924. The Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, the parent company of the Toyota Motor Corporation until 1937, was opened in Kariya in 1926 and is still headquartered here. Toyoda's invention was the most advanced weaving machinery in the world and revolutionized Japan's textile industry, causing Kariya to grow rapidly.
Kariya was established as a castle town in the mid-16th century. Through the Edo period (1603-1867) it retained its status as the administrative headquarters of the ruling daimyo (feudal lords). It belonged initially to the Mizuno family, but passed to a succession of other prominent families beginning in 1632. Population (1999) 128,349.
