is the capital of
Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest
city in the
Chūgoku region of western
Honshu, the largest island of
Japan. The city's name, 広島, means "Wide Island" in Japanese. Hiroshima gained city status on April 1, 1889. On April 1, 1980, Hiroshima became a
designated city. As of 2006, the city had an estimated population of 1,154,391.
Kazumi Matsui has been the city's mayor since April 2011.