Higashikagawa, Kagawa

 is a city in eastern Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, population 28,305. The city, whose name means "east Kagawa," was formed in 2003 from the merger of three former towns in Ōkawa District, since dissolved: Hiketa, Ōchi and Shirotori. Higashikagawa lies in northeast Shikoku, bordering Tokushima Prefecture and the Sanuki Mountains to the south, and the Seto Inland Sea to the north.
Manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and fishing are important industries. The city is particularly famous for gloves, with a 90% market share in Japan. Yellowtail was first successfully farmed here. The former town of Hiketa is a center for producing "wasanbon", a fine-grained sugar traditional to the region.
The ruins of Hiketa Castle, where the Battle of Hiketa was fought in 1583, are in the eastern part of the city. A puppet theater, Toramaru Puppet Land, operates near Ōchi. Shirotori Zoo is the only zoo in Kagawa Prefecture.