27, 1903 Kure rail line opens providing direct rail access to Hiroshima April 1, 1928 — The towns of Kegoya, Yoshiura, and Aga merge into Kure. April 21, 1941 — The town of Nigata and the village of Hiro incorporated into Kure. March 19, 1945 — US Navy aircraft attack Japanese warships at Kure May 5, 1945 — Bombing of Hiro Naval Arsenal. June 22, 1945 — Bombing of Kure Naval Arsenal. July 1, 1945 — Kure Air Raid. July 24–28, 1945 — Battle of Kure, American bombers attack the remaining fleet in Kure Naval Base. July 1, 1954 — Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces founded. October 1, 1956 — The town of Tennō and the village of Shōwa in Aki District, and the village of Gōhara in Kamo District merge into Kure. November 1, 2000 — Kure becomes a Special City April 1, 2003 — The town of Shimokamagari (from Aki District) was merged into Kure. April 1, 2004 —The town of Kawajiri (from Toyota District) was merged into Kure. March 20, 2005 — The towns of Ondo, Kurahashi and Kamagari (all from Aki District), and the towns of Yasuura, Toyohama and Yutaka (all from Toyota District) were merged into Kure. April 1, 2016 — Kure officially became a Core city. List of mayors of Kure (from 1903 to present) Geography Kure is located south-east of Hiroshima city and faces the Seto Inland Sea. Surrounded by steep hillsides to the north, the two major commercial and industrial centers of the city are bisected by Mount Yasumi . The city is next to the Setonaikai National Park. As well as densely populated urban and industrial centers, the city also incorporates sparsely inhabited outlying islands such as Kurahashi, Shimo-kamagari and Kami-kamagari. Climate Kure has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year and is heaviest in summer. Transportation Kure is served by the Kure Line, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It leads to Hiroshima, which is a terminal station. There has been a municipal bus since December 1, 1942. The Kure City Transportation Bureau (Kure City Bus) started using natural gas in 2002. There is a bus route run by Hiroshima Electric Railway, too. In addition, there is Bōyo Kisen, which operates the San'yō Bus and Setouchi Sankō which runs two bus enterprises. National Route 31