Iruma, city in central Japan, on Honshu Island, in southern Saitama Prefecture on the border of Tokyo Prefecture and 36 km (22 mi) northwest of downtown Tokyo. Iruma has long been a center for the production of tea. Despite increasing urbanization of the area, almost 700 hectares (1730 acres) of tea fields remain between Iruma and its neighboring city, Sayama. Iruma also has textile and brewing industries; a specialty is the dying of textiles with tea. Iruma also has developed into a suburb for commuters to Tokyo, to which it is connected by passenger rail. Otsuma Women's University (founded in 1942) and several small colleges are located in Iruma. A former United States military base in Iruma is now used by Japan's Self-Defense Forces. During the Edo period (1603-1867) the city was founded as a post-station town (an officially regulated settlement catering to travelers) on the Nikko Kaido, one of the five historic highways that connected Edo (now Tokyo) with surrounding provinces. Population (1999) 145,149.
