Namikata, Ehime
Namikata (波方町, Namikata-chō) was a town located in Ochi District, Ehime Prefecture, Japan.
As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 9,794 and a density of 625.02 persons per km². The total area was 15.67 km².
On January 16, 2005, Namikata, along with the towns of Hakata, Kamiura, Kikuma, Miyakubo, Ōmishima, Ōnishi, Tamagawa and Yoshiumi, and the villages of Asakura and Sekizen (all from Ochi District), was merged into the expanded city of Imabari and no longer exists as an independent municipality.
Namikata was remarkable because despite its small size and tranquil location it is home to the offices of numerous ship owning and ship finance companies, the business of which developed over many years in parallel with the fortunes of shipbuilders in the area, notably, Imabari Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. Collectively, Namikata-based shipowners owned hundreds of ocean-going ships with a total value of Billions of U.S. Dollars.
