A market town called 'Kaitaichi' developed around the mouth of the Seno River and became a post station on the Sanyōdō highway which connected Kyushu with the Kinai region.

Following the Meiji restoration, the town of Kaitaichi and the village of Okukaita were established within Aki District, Hiroshima with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

Kaita has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 16 members.

In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Hiroshima 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Kaita has a strong industrial base, with many automotive component suppliers related to Mazda located in the town.