Kawauchi (川内村, Kawauchi-mura) is a village located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 January 2020[update], the village had an official registered population of 1,861, and a population density of 9.5 persons per km². The total area of Kawauchi is 197.35 square kilometres (76.20 sq mi).[1] The village was evacuated as a result of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, but in 2014, all restrictions were lifted. It is located in Futaba district
Kawauchi
川内村 | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Kawauchi in Fukushima Prefecture | |
  Kawauchi | |
| Coordinates: 37°20′15″N 140°48′34″E / 37.33750°N 140.80944°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Tōhoku |
| Prefecture | Fukushima |
| District | Futaba |
| Area | |
• Total | 197.35 km2 (76.20 sq mi) |
| Population (January 1, 2020) | |
• Total | 1,861 |
| • Density | 9.4/km2 (24/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| Phone number | 0240-38-2111 |
| Address | Kamikawauchi, Kawauchi-mura, Futaba-gun, Fukushima-ken 979-1292 |
| Climate | Cfa |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Japanese bush-warbler |
| Flower | Enkianthus campanulatus |
| Tree | Abies firma |
Geography
editKawauchi is located in the Abukuma Plateau of central Fukushima with a mean altitude of between 400 and 500 meters. North of Kawauchi, there is at 37°22′53″N 140°48′16″E / 37.38139°N 140.80444°E a substation of Kita–Iwaki powerline, a 500 kV-line already designed for future 1100 kV operation.
Surrounding municipalities
editClimate
editKawauchi has a humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kawauchi is 10.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1431 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around -0.7 °C.[2]
| Climate data for Kawauchi (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.7 (60.3) |
20.1 (68.2) |
23.0 (73.4) |
29.7 (85.5) |
32.2 (90.0) |
34.1 (93.4) |
35.7 (96.3) |
36.5 (97.7) |
33.6 (92.5) |
28.2 (82.8) |
24.1 (75.4) |
20.3 (68.5) |
36.5 (97.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.3 (39.7) |
5.2 (41.4) |
9.1 (48.4) |
15.2 (59.4) |
20.4 (68.7) |
23.1 (73.6) |
26.9 (80.4) |
27.9 (82.2) |
23.7 (74.7) |
18.2 (64.8) |
13.1 (55.6) |
7.3 (45.1) |
16.2 (61.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.5 (31.1) |
0.0 (32.0) |
3.3 (37.9) |
8.8 (47.8) |
14.0 (57.2) |
17.7 (63.9) |
21.7 (71.1) |
22.5 (72.5) |
18.6 (65.5) |
12.6 (54.7) |
6.9 (44.4) |
2.1 (35.8) |
10.6 (51.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.3 (22.5) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
2.4 (36.3) |
7.8 (46.0) |
12.9 (55.2) |
17.5 (63.5) |
18.4 (65.1) |
14.2 (57.6) |
7.6 (45.7) |
1.2 (34.2) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
5.6 (42.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −17.7 (0.1) |
−18.4 (−1.1) |
−17.0 (1.4) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
1.4 (34.5) |
6.2 (43.2) |
6.2 (43.2) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−9.2 (15.4) |
−18.0 (−0.4) |
−18.4 (−1.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 62.3 (2.45) |
47.4 (1.87) |
95.1 (3.74) |
122.4 (4.82) |
111.3 (4.38) |
141.2 (5.56) |
181.2 (7.13) |
171.8 (6.76) |
234.1 (9.22) |
181.0 (7.13) |
70.2 (2.76) |
48.3 (1.90) |
1,484.1 (58.43) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 5.9 | 5.9 | 9.1 | 9.5 | 10.4 | 12.3 | 13.8 | 11.2 | 12.1 | 9.9 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 113.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 170.7 | 169.0 | 186.9 | 194.3 | 203.6 | 148.5 | 144.0 | 159.6 | 122.2 | 132.0 | 149.2 | 161.6 | 1,943.4 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][4] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
editPer Japanese census data,[5] the population of Kawauchi has declined steadily over the past 60 years and is now less than half what it was a century ago.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 5,573 | — |
| 1930 | 4,275 | −23.3% |
| 1940 | 4,540 | +6.2% |
| 1950 | 5,930 | +30.6% |
| 1960 | 5,966 | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 4,709 | −21.1% |
| 1980 | 4,132 | −12.3% |
| 1990 | 3,933 | −4.8% |
| 2000 | 3,384 | −14.0% |
| 2010 | 2,821 | −16.6% |
| 2020 | 2,044 | −27.5% |
History
editThe area of present-day Kawauchi was part of Mutsu Province. After the Meiji restoration, on April 1, 1889, the village of Kawauchi was created within Futaba District, Fukushima with the establishment of the modern municipalities system.
2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
editKawauchi suffered moderate damage from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. However, the eastern portion of the village is located within the nominal 20-kilometer exclusion zone of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and as a result of wind patterns following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the entire population of the village was evacuated by government order by May 2011. A portion of the village was re-opened in March 2012.[6][7]
In August 2014, the government divided the remaining portion of the village into two zones, and projected a lifting of the evacuation order for 275 residents in one of the zones in October.[8]
The ambient radiation dose was lower than that of the surrounding municipalities, and as of 2012, the average exposure dose among residents was reported to be below 1 millisievert per year.[9] By 2017, more than 80% of the villagers had returned, but many were older and the younger generation had a lower return rate than the whole.[10] It was reported that lifestyle-related diseases after the earthquake were increasing with the aging of the population.[11] More than 100 Bq/kg of radioactive cesium has been detected in 76% of wild mushrooms collected between 2016 and 2019.[12]
Economy
editThe economy of Kawauchi was formerly heavily dependent on agriculture.
Education
editKawauchi had two high schools (one public, one private), one junior high school, two elementary schools, and a kindergarten in March 2011. After the evacuation and re-opening of the town both high schools were closed. The junior high school, 1 elementary school, and kindergarten remain open.
Transportation
editRailway
edit- Kawauchi is not served by any train stations.
Bus
edit- Kawauchi is served by bus, taking you both east and west.[13]
Highway
edit
References
edit- ^ "Home Page" (in Japanese). Katsurao Village. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ Kawauchi climate data
- ^ 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- ^ 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- ^ Kawauchi population statistics
- ^ "Japan reopens parts of Fukushima evacuation zone", The Guardian, March 30, 2012.
- ^ NHK-World (16 April 2012) Govt. lifts evacuation order for Minamisoma City Archived 2015-02-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Myoraku, Asao "Second group of Fukushima residents given OK to return home in evacuation zone", Archived 2015-02-16 at the Wayback Machine The Asahi Shimbun, August 18, 2014.
- ^ Harada, Kouji H.; Niisoe, Tamon; Imanaka, Mie; Takahashi, Tomoyuki; Amako, Katsumi; Fujii, Yukiko; Kanameishi, Masatoshi; Ohse, Kenji; Nakai, Yasumichi; Nishikawa, Tamami; Saito, Yuuichi (2014-03-11). "Radiation dose rates now and in the future for residents neighboring restricted areas of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 111 (10): E914–E923. Bibcode:2014PNAS..111E.914H. doi:10.1073/pnas.1315684111. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 3956155. PMID 24567380.
- ^ "NHK仙台放送局 ｜ 被災地からの声". NHK仙台放送局 ｜ 被災地からの声 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ^ Chung, Yun-Shan; Harada, Kouji H.; Igari, Keiko; Ishizuka, Jinrou; Koizumi, Akio (December 2020). "The incidence of diabetes among the non-diabetic residents in Kawauchi village, Fukushima, who experienced evacuation after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster". Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. 25 (1): 13. doi:10.1186/s12199-020-00852-x. ISSN 1342-078X. PMC 7210664. PMID 32384869.
- ^ Cui, Limeng; Orita, Makiko; Taira, Yasuyuki; Takamura, Noboru (2020-09-15). Mousseau, Tim A. (ed.). "Radiocesium concentrations in mushrooms collected in Kawauchi Village five to eight years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident". PLOS ONE. 15 (9): e0239296. Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1539296C. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239296. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 7491737. PMID 32931520.
- ^ "Kawauchi to Funehiki Station".
External links
edit
Media related to Kawauchi, Fukushima at Wikimedia Commons- Official Website (in Japanese)
