status to become the city of Takahama, the town of Chiryū gained city status to become the city of Chiryū) May 1, 1971 Jōdō District (上道郡), Okayama (The town of Jōdō merged into the city of Okayama) November 1, 1971 Minamitama District (南多摩郡), Tokyo (The town of Tama gained city status to become the city of Tama and the town of Inagi gained city status to become the city of Inagi) November 3, 1971 Kitakawachi District (北河内郡), Osaka (The town of Katano gained city status to become the city of Katano) April 1, 1972 Soo District (囎唹郡), Kagoshima (renamed to Soo District (曽於郡)) March 20, 1973 Asa District (安佐郡), Hiroshima (The towns of Yasufuruichi, Satō, and Kōyō merged into the city of Hiroshima) March 1, 1975 Sawara District (早良郡), Fukuoka (The town of Sawara merged into the city of Fukuoka) February 1, 1979 Innan District (印南郡), Hyōgo (The town of Shikata merged into the city of Kakogawa) March 1, 1988 Natori District (名取郡), Miyagi (The town of Akiu merged into the city of Sendai) 1989~1998 February 1, 1991 Hōtaku District (飽託郡), Kumamoto (The towns of Hokubu, Kawachi, Akita, and Tenmei merged into the city of Kumamoto) April 1, 1991 Kimitsu District (君津郡), Chiba (The town of Sodegaura gained city status to become the city of Sodegaura) September 1, 1996 Sapporo District (札幌郡), Hokkaido (The town of Hiroshima gained city status to become the city of Kitahiroshima) 1999~2004 April 1, 1999 Taki District (多紀郡), Hyōgo (The towns of Sasayama, Nishiki, Tannan, and Konda merged to form the city of Sasayama) October 1, 2001 Kurita District (栗太郡), Shiga (The town of Rittō gained city status to become the city of Rittō) February 3, 2003 Ashina District (芦品郡), Hiroshima (The town of Shinichi merged into the city of Fukuyama) April 1, 2003 Yamagata District (山県郡), Gifu (The town of Takatomi, the village of Ijira, and the town of Miyama merged to become the city of Yamagata) April 1, 2003 Ōkawa District (大川郡), Kagawa (The towns of Hiketa, Shirotori, and Ōchi merged to form the city of Higashikagawa) April 21, 2003 Tsuno District (都濃郡), Yamaguchi (The town of Kano merged with the cities of Tokuyama, Shinnanyō, and the town of Kumage from Kumage District to form the city of Shūnan) March 1, 2004 Sado District (佐渡郡), Niigata (the towns of Aikawa, Kanai, Sawata, Hatano, Mano, Hamochi and Ogi; and the villages of Niibo, and