The area of present-day Sasebo was a rather insignificant fishing village under the control of nearby Hirado Domain until shortly after the start of the Meiji period. Imperial Japanese Navy Admiral T?g? Heihachir?, when surveying the coasts of northwestern Ky?sh? for the site of a navy base, selected his location based on its protected, deep-water harbor, geographic proximity to China and Korea, and the presence of nearby coal fields. Sasebo Naval District, founded in 1886, became the major port for the Japanese navy in its operations in the First Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War, and remained a major naval base to the end of World War II. Along with the base facilities, the navy also constructed the Sasebo Naval Arsenal, which included major shipyards and repair facilities.
Sasebo City was founded on April 1, 1902. The city which had 206.000 inhabitants in 1945 suffered severe damage by bombing on 29 June 1945 during World War II and was destroyed by 48%. After the end of the war, part of the base facilities were taken over by the United States Navy, forming U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo. Some parts of the base are shared with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The city was the site of the Sasebo slashing, the murder of a young girl in 2004, which received considerable media coverage
