Ube (宇部市, Ube-shi) is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan on the Seto Inland Sea. The city was founded on November 1, 1921.As of February 2010, the city has an estimated population of 179,000 and a population density of 622 persons per km2. The total area is 287.69 km2 (111.08 sq mi).On November 1, 2004, the town of Kusunoki (from Asa District) was merged into Ube.Its industrial base is in chemicals, concrete, and steel.