Kawauchi, Fukushima

Coordinates: 37°20′15″N 140°48′34″E / 37.33750°N 140.80944°E / 37.33750; 140.80944
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Kawauchi
川内村
Village
Kawauchi Village Hall
Japanese bush-warbler
FlowerEnkianthus campanulatus
TreeAbies firma
Hebusu Swamp in Kawauchi

Kawauchi (川内村, Kawauchi-mura) is a

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, but in 2014, all restrictions were lifted. It is located in Futaba district

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 37°22′53″N 140°48′16″E / 37.38139°N 140.80444°E / 37.38139; 140.80444 (Kawauchi Substation) a substation of

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

Surrounding municipalities

Climate

Kawauchi 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

Per 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.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
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

The area of present-day Kawauchi was part of

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

See also:
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster

Kawauchi suffered moderate damage from 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

The economy of Kawauchi was formerly heavily dependent on agriculture.

Education

Kawauchi 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

Railway

  • Kawauchi is not served by any train stations.

Bus

  • Kawauchi is served by bus, taking you both east and west.[13]

Highway

References

  1. ^ "Home Page" (in Japanese). Katsurao Village. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  2. ^ Kawauchi climate data
  3. ^ 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  4. ^ 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Kawauchi population statistics
  6. ^ "Japan reopens parts of Fukushima evacuation zone", The Guardian, March 30, 2012.
  7. ^ NHK-World (16 April 2012) Govt. lifts evacuation order for Minamisoma City Archived 2015-02-10 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ 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.
  9. PMID 24567380
    .
  10. ^ "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.
  11. PMID 32384869
    .
  12. PMID 32931520
    .
  13. ^ "Kawauchi to Funehiki Station".

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kawauchi,_Fukushima&oldid=1188046652"