Kushiro [key], city (1990 pop. 205,640), SE Hokkaido, Japan, on the Pacific Ocean. The main port of E Hokkaido and the island's only ice-free trading port, it exports timber, fish, and coal. Kushiro is also a major base for fishermen. The city is the center of the huge Kushiro coal field, which extends far out to sea; mining is carried on in the sea. Industrialization has made Kushiro important in the production of marine products, dairy products, lumber, paper, pulp, and fertilizer. The city is traversed by the Kushiro River.
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