Katsurao, Fukushima

Katsurao
葛尾村
Village

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Location of Katsurao in Fukushima Prefecture
Katsurao
 
Coordinates: 37°30′12.7″N 140°45′51.5″E / 37.503528°N 140.764306°E / 37.503528; 140.764306Coordinates: 37°30′12.7″N 140°45′51.5″E / 37.503528°N 140.764306°E / 37.503528; 140.764306
Country Japan
Region Tōhoku
Prefecture Fukushima
District Futaba
Area
 • Total 84.37 km2 (32.58 sq mi)
Population (May 2017)
 • Total 18
 • Density 0.21/km2 (0.5/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
City symbols  
• Tree Pinus densiflora
• Flower Azalea
• Bird Green pheasant
Phone number 0247-61-2850
Address Ochiai 16, Katsurao-mura, Futaba-gun, Fukushima-ken 979-1602
Website http://www.katsurao.org/

Katsurao (葛尾村, Katsurao-mura) is a village located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2017, the village had a nominal registered population of 1,463, and a population density of 17.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (45/sq mi) in 469 households.[1] The total area is 84.37 square kilometres (32.58 sq mi).[2] However, on March 2011, the entire population was evacuated as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and as of May 2017, the actual number of residents was 18.

Geography

Katsurao is located in the Abukuma Plateau of central Fukushima in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan, with a mean altitude of over 500 metres (1,600 ft).

Surrounding municipalities

Climate

Katsurao has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Katsurao is 10.4 °C (50.7 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,374 mm (54.1 in) with September as the wettest month.The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23 °C (73 °F), and lowest in January, at around −0.7 °C (30.7 °F).[3]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Katsurao was relatively constant over the past 40 years.

Census Year Population
1970 2,397
1980 1,992
1990 1,866
2000 1,736
2010 1,531

History

The area of present-day Katsurao was part of Mutsu Province. The remains of Kofun period burial mounds have been found in the area. During the Nara period, it was part of ancient Futaba District in Iwaki Province. During the Edo period, it was part of Sōma Domain, ruled by the Sōma clan until the Meiji restoration. After the Meiji restoration, on April 1, 1889, the village of Katsurao was created within Futaba District, Fukushima.

2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster

Although Katsurao escaped significant damage from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, it was located downwind of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Although outside the nominal 20-kilometre (12 mi) exclusion zone, 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. In March 2013, the government divided the village into three zones, with the majority of the village area cleared for unrestricted return of its inhabitants by spring of 2014, a smaller area cleared for daylight return only, and a larger area in which the existing restrictions against entry would be maintained until at least 2017. [5] However, in March 2014, the government postponed lifting of the restrictions on return for a year due to remaining high levels of radiation.[6][7] On June 12, 2016, the evacuation order was lifted for approximately two-thirds of the village area, with the mountainous region bordering neighbouring Namie remaining restricted due to high residual radiation.[8]

Economy

The economy of Katsuro was formerly heavily dependent on agriculture.

Education

Katsurao had one public elementary school and one public junior high school operated by the village government in March 2011. Both schools remain closed. The village did not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

  • Katsurao is not served by any passenger train stations.

Highway

References

  1. ↑ Katsurao village official home page (in Japanese)
  2. ↑ "Home Page" (in Japanese). Katsurao Village. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  3. ↑ Katsurao climate data
  4. ↑ Katsurao population statistics
  5. ↑ "Katsurao, Tomioka, Namie to be reclassified into 3 zones", Fukushima Minpo News, March 8, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Lifting of Fukushima villages’ evacuation advisory to be delayed ", The Japan Times, March 1, 2014.
  7. ↑ Myoraku, Asao "Fukushima villages face 1-year delay in lifting of evacuation orders Archived 2015-02-10 at the Wayback Machine.", The Asahi Shimbun, February 28, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Evacuation lifted for Fukushima village; only 10% preparing return：The Asahi Shimbun". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 2016-06-13.

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