Kawauchi, Fukushima


Kawauchi is a village located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan., 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. The village was evacuated as a result of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, but in 2014, all restrictions were lifted.

Geography

Kawauchi 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 a substation of Kita–Iwaki powerline, a 500 kV-line already designed for future 1100 kV operation.

Surrounding municipalities

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kawauchi has declined steadily over the past 60 years and is now almost half what it was a century ago.

Climate

Kawauchi has a humid continental climate 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.

History

The 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

Kawauchi 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.
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.

Economy

The economy of Kawauchi was formerly heavily dependent on agriculture.

Education

Kawauchi had two high schools, one junior high school, one elementary school, and a kindergarten in March 2011. After the evacuation and re-opening of the town both high schools were closed. The junior high school, elementary school, and kindergarten remain open.

Transportation

Railway