The Yatsushiro Port is situated on the western coast of the central Kyushu and at the mouth of the Kuma River, which is said to be one of the three fastest-flowing rivers in Japan. The port has grown as an important center for international trade along with the distribution of agriculture, forestry, and marine resources, which have been abundant since ancient times. Since the port was modernized during the Meiji period to serve as a marine traffic base, many factories were set up in Yatsushiro. As a result, Yatsushiro has become southern Kyushu’s greatest industrial city.
Today, the Yatsushiro Port serves as a wharf for handling mainly foreign cargo, and it is the largest port in Kumamoto Prefecture, as it has a 10-meter deep quay with 4 berths, a 12-meter deep quay with 1 berth, and a 14-meter deep quay with 1 berth. In addition, a land and sea transportation network has been set up, as roads that leads the Yatsushiro Port with the Kyushu Expressway, the Minami-kyushu Expressway, National Route 3, Kyushu Shinkansen, etc. have been built.