It was a small fishing village before the construction of Fukuyama Castle in 1619–22, and it subsequently developed as a commercial port for the surrounding region during the Edo (Tokugawa) period (1603–1868). Its importance grew with the opening of the railway line between Kōbe and Moji (now in Kitakyūshū) in 1901. Fukuyama was heavily damaged by Allied bombing during World War II, which also largely destroyed the castle; restoration of a portion of the castle was completed in 1966. Industrialization was rapid, however, from the mid-1960s.
Besides the traditional spinning industry, the manufacture of kotos (Japanese zithers), machinery, steel products, rubber, and processed foods is important. Pop. (2005) 459,087; (2010) 461,357.