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Otsu has long served as an important link in the region's transportation. For geographical reasons, all northbound travelers from Kyoto and Osaka have had to pass through Otsu on the way toward Tokyo; so major roads were established through the territory centuries ago. Even today, despite advances in construction technology, the Meishin Expressway, National Road No. 1, and the main trunks of the Shinkansen and Tokaido Line railway systems pass through Otsu, highlighting the continued importance of the city's location.
The territory around Otsu was caught up in numerous wars and political upheavals throughout more than 1,000 years of its history, from the end of the 8th century to the middle of the 19th century, due to its proximity to the former capital of Kyoto. Despite the instability surrounding them, the people of Otsu prospered not only in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, but also in the fields of commerce and manufacturing, thanks to their adaptability in the face of a changing environment. For example, when farms were devastated in battle, the people supported themselves with weaving work at home. Based on such a tradition of industriousness, the Otsu area is now home to an abundance of factories in the textiles, electrical machinery, electronics, glass and chemical industries, creating an ideal setting that brings both residential areas and the workplace into comfortable proximity.
Of the companies operating here, Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd. was born in 1949 when the vacuum-tube glass production unit of NEC Corp.'s Otsu Plant was spun off as an independent company. Nippon Electric Glass expanded its business through volume production of glass tubes for fluorescent lighting and by launching into the production of glass for cathode ray tubes. The company has established itself as a prominent global manufacturer of special high-tech glass for electronic and electrical components. The Nippon Electric Glass Group currently employs about 11,000 people, including overseas personnel and about 1,000 people at its Otsu plant and headquarters. Kuniaki Kimura, General Manager of the Public Relations Group Administrative Division, looks back on the company's history with a deep sense of pride. "Indeed," he says, "our company has been established in this city for almost half a century." |
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| The historical city of Otsu, located almost in the center of Japan, celebrates the centennial of its incorporation as a city with a yearlong succession of commemorative events that started in October 1998. |
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