Named for the town in southern Kyushu where the Kagoshima {see planet  (4703)} Space Center of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) is located. A small fishing village, the town entered the limelight in 1962, when it was selected as the launching site for ISAS (now ISAS Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture). ISAS satellites are launched toward the Pacific Ocean from a plateau in the southeastern part of the town. The facilities are getting larger as the rockets also grow in size. The usual population of the town is about 10 000, but at the time of a launch staff and reporters typically cause a 20-percent increase. (M 34343) _ _.