Urayasu, city in central Japan on central Honshu Island in northwestern Chiba Prefecture on Tokyo Bay. Urayasu is part of the Tokyo metropolitan area and borders Tokyo's Edogawa Ward. It is about 27 km (about 17 mi) east of downtown Tokyo. Urayasu is part of the Keiyo (Tokyo-Chiba) Industrial Zone, a mammoth coastal industrial zone for the petrochemical, shipbuilding, and steel industries. The city is also a growing residential area for commuters to Tokyo, to which it is connected by the Tozai and Keiyo passenger-rail lines and by expressway. In 1983 Tokyo Disneyland opened in Urayasu on a site near the waterfront. Hotels and other facilities have been developed nearby to accomodate visitors.
Urayasu was a prosperous fishing village during the Edo period (1603-1867). It became industrialized in the early part of the 20th century and later developed as a commuter suburb of Tokyo. Housing units continue to be constructed in large numbers. The population of Urayasu increased by 23.4 percent between 1985 and 1990. Population (1999) 126,057.
