Following the defeat of the Later Hōjō clan at the Battle of Odawara, Toyotomi Hideyoshi transferred Tokugawa Ieyasu to take control over the Kantō region, including Yokosuka in 1590.

The English sailor William Adams, the first Briton to set foot in Japan, arrived at Uraga aboard the Dutch trading vessel Liefde in 1600.

Modern buildings, the Hashirimizu waterway, foundries, brick factories, and technical schools to train Japanese technicians were established.

After the Meiji Restoration, the arsenal was taken over by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the area of modern Yokosuka was reorganized into Uraga Town and numerous villages within Miura District, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Yokosuka Naval Arsenal also continued to expand in the early 20th century, and its production included battleships such as Yamashiro, and aircraft carriers such as Hiryū and Shōkaku.

[citation needed] The Great Kantō earthquake of 1923 caused severe damage to Yokosuka, including the naval base which lost two years' operations of oil supplies.

[citation needed] During World War II, Yokosuka was bombed on April 18, 1942, by American B-25 bombers in the Doolittle Raid with little damage as a retaliation to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Aside from minor sporadic tactical air raids by United States Navy aircraft, it was not bombed again during the war; however, from 1938 to 1945 more than 260 caves in more than 20 separate tunnel/cave networks were built throughout the area, with at least 27 kilometers of known tunnels within the grounds of Yokosuka Naval Base.

American occupation forces landed at Yokosuka on August 30, 1945, after the surrender of Japan, and the naval base has been used by the US Navy since that time.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force also operates a military port next to the American base, as well as numerous training facilities at scattered locations around the city.

[citation needed] Aside from the economic impact of its various military facilities, Yokosuka is also an industrial city, with factories operated by Nissan Motors and its affiliated subsidiaries employing thousands of local residents.

This drill was first held in 2008 when the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington was employed at the US naval base near this city.

[citation needed] In December 2011, another drill was scheduled with Yokosuka and other cities to prepare for the possibility that people on board the ship might be exposed to radiation.

[12] One unintended consequence of anti-nuclear sentiment is the construction of coal fired power plants, which causes air pollution and worsens global warming.

These coal-fired power plants are being built without a full environmental review, and local residents are suing the government of Japan over its construction.

[15] The Mikasa, flagship of Admiral Togo at the Battle of Tsushima, built in Britain by Vickers, is preserved on dry land at Yokosuka.

"The Honch", a mecca for shopping and nightlife and located just outside the Yokosuka Naval Base's main gates, is a popular attraction for tourists and sailors stationed nearby, as well as local Japanese residents.

[citation needed] The Yokosuka Arts Theatre, part of the Bay Square complex by Kenzō Tange, is a venue for opera, orchestral concerts, chamber music, and films.

[citation needed] Yokosuka is a major location in the Arpeggio of Blue Steel franchise, where it serves as one of Japan's few remaining naval facilities, the only one equipped with a functional shipyard and maritime academy.