Kawauchi (Fukushima)

Kawauchi-mura 川 内 村
Geographical location in Japan
Region :	Tōhoku
Prefecture :	Fukushima
Coordinates :	37 ° 20 '  N , 140 ° 49'  E Coordinates: 37 ° 20 '16 "  N , 140 ° 48' 33"  E
Basic data
Surface:	197.38 km²
Residents :	1856 (April 1, 2020)
Population density :	9 inhabitants per km²
Community key :	07544-2
Symbols
Flag / coat of arms:
Tree :	Momi fir
Flower :	Bell-shaped splendid bell
Bird :	Japanese Bush Warbler
town hall
Address :	Kawauchi Village Hall 11 - 24 , Aza Hayawata, OÁZA Kamikawauchi Kawauchi -mura, Futaba-gun Fukushima  979-1292
Website URL:	www.kawauchimura.jp
Location of Kawauchi in Fukushima Prefecture

Kawauchi ( Japanese 川 内 村 , - mura ) is a village community in Futaba County in the Japanese prefecture of Fukushima .

geography

Kawauchi is centrally located in the Abukuma highlands and is mostly at an altitude of 500 to 600 meters. Since the highlands are mainly characterized by forests, the municipality is only sparsely populated despite its size. The population is mainly concentrated in the river plains, especially along the Kido-gawa ( 木 戸 川 ) and its source rivers. The community consists of the two districts Kamikawauchi ( 上 川 内 , German "Upper Kawauchi") and Shimokawauchi ( 下 川 内 , German "Lower Kawauchi") in a northern and southern valley of the Kido-gawa.

The highest elevation, also of the Abukuma highlands, is the Ōtakine-yama ( 大 滝 根 山 ) with 1192.5 m on the border with Tamura .

Kawauchi is surrounded clockwise by Ōkuma , Tomioka , Naraha , Iwaki and Tamura .

history

The community of Kawauchi emerged in the course of the nationwide reorganization of the community system on April 1, 1889 from the administrative amalgamation of the villages of Kamikawauchi and Shimokawauchi in what was then the district of Naraha ( 楢葉郡 , - gun ). This district was on April 1, 1896 with the district Shineha ( 標葉郡 , -gun ) to the district Futaba ( 双 葉 郡 , -gun ), literally: "two ha ( 葉 )" merged.

Tōhoku natural and nuclear disaster 2011

The village of Kawauchi, with its location in the mountains, escaped major damage from the Tōhoku earthquake in 2011 and the tsunami triggered by the earthquake on March 11, 2011 , but the village was due to its proximity to the Fukushima nuclear power plant 20 km to the west Daiichi was badly affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster , which is why the entire village population was relocated to nearby evacuation centers.

Damage and sacrifice

In the Tōhoku earthquake of March 11, 2011, eight residential buildings were completely destroyed and 568 partially destroyed. The community, which had a population of 2,820 in the 2010 census, escaped severe damage from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami due to its mountain location.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) reported 27 deaths for Kawauchi as a result of the Tōhoku disaster of 2011 up to their 146th damage report of September 28, 2012, then increased their number in their 147th damage report of September 26, 2012 March 2013 to 49 deaths and by the 158th damage report from 7 September 2018 to 99 deaths.

Relation of Kawauchi to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant
and the long-term evacuation zones

As of April 22, 2011:
Orange = restricted area within a 20 km radius
Yellow = "Evacuation Prepared Area"
Pink = "Deliberate Evacuation Area"

As of June 15, 2012:
In addition to the restricted area and “Deliberate Evacuation Area”, there are 3 categories:
Area 1 : Area ready for the evacuation order to be lifted
Area 2 = residents are prohibited from permanent residence
Area 3 = long-term unsuitable for return of residents

Futaba is 20 km from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

evacuation

As a countermeasure to the nuclear disaster, a restricted area was designated around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant within a radius of 20 km. However, there were also many other locations with high radiation values ​​beyond this 20 km radius, as radioactive particles were carried away from the damaged power plant by the wind. These places included Kawauchi and 10 other villages and cities, including Minamisōma , Naraha , Tomioka , Ōkuma , Futaba , Namie , Katsurao , Iitate , Tamura and Kawamata . According to the evacuation orders of May 7, 2013, these regions were divided into the following four different categories according to their radioactive exposure: Areas with a radiation exposure of less than 20 mSv per year, which were treated by the government as a threshold value for permanent return the area 1 . Areas in Area 1 could be entered at their own discretion and without the use of protective equipment, with the only restriction that they were not allowed to stay overnight there. These areas were ready for the evacuation order to be lifted. In areas with a radiation exposure between 20 and 50 mSv per year ( Area 2 ), residents were not allowed to stay permanently. Areas with over 50 mSv per year ( Area 3 ) were seen as unsuitable for a return of residents in the long term. A fourth evacuation area had a special status.

Due to its proximity of 20 km to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the community was divided into two by the evacuation ordered by the government on March 16, 2011:

Exclusion zone

The eastern part of the municipality is within the 20 km exclusion zone, so that 350 people were forced to leave this area. In April 2012, the evacuation order for the village of Kawauchi, which was imposed on March 16, 2011 due to the threat of radiation exposure, was lifted by the government and allowed to return to the village: the northwest and southwest areas of the 20 km zone in Kawauchi, out of which 276 Evacuees from 134 households were assigned to Area 1 on April 1, 2012 (“Areas to which evacuation orders are ready to be lifted”), while the central-eastern area of ​​the 20 km zone in Kawauchi, from which 58 evacuates came from 18 households to which Area 2 was assigned (“Areas in which the residents are not permitted to live”). For the part of Kawauchi that belonged to Area 1 , the lifting of the evacuation order was determined for October 1, 2014. The cumulative annual dose of radiation exposure in the areas where the evacuation order was to be lifted was measured on residents who had temporarily returned home between August 2013 and January 2014.

"Evacuation Prepared Area"

The most heavily populated areas are within the 20-30 km zone for which evacuation was recommended. The local government and parts of the population evacuated to Kōriyama and were housed there in the Big Palette Abukuma event center. Overall, the entire population of the village of Kawauchi moved to nearby evacuation centers such as in the city of Kōriyama. At the end of September 2011, the government withdrew the evacuation recommendation for this zone. The return of the residents to Kawauchi was initially planned by March 2012.

Reconstruction and returnees

The nuclear disaster hit the village of Kawauchi in many ways. The changes in the demographic development of the population, the ongoing imposition of evacuation areas and the closure of companies led to a decline in municipal resources. Important parts of the village, including commercial and welfare institutions, health facilities and schools, relied on the neighboring nuclear power plant in the adjacent area of ​​the city of Tomioka, which was entirely within the 20 km exclusion zone. When these areas were closed, there was little or no replacement for them. As a result, younger villagers did not return to Kawauchi, resulting in a demographic collapse. After the government allowed return to the village in April 2012, by April 2013 only 26% of former residents under 50 had returned to the village, while 58% of returned villagers were 50 or older. As of April 2013, 1,299 (46.1%) of the originally 2,816 villagers had returned, with over 70% of the returnees being older than 50 years. In particular, parents of working age and their children did not return, which, in addition to the rapid aging of the village, also resulted in the separation of families and the resulting reduction in local support. In 2012, the residents could not farm the land in 2012, but have started growing rice again since 2013.

When the evacuation order was lifted on October 1, 2014 in the part of the village of Kawauchi previously assigned to Area 1 , the progress made in the general restoration of the necessary infrastructure and public services for daily life as well as the decontamination of the affected evacuation areas was considered sufficient for Kawauchi.

traffic

The main highway from Kawauchi is National Road 399 to Iwaki or Nan'yō . There is no connection to the rail network.

education

In Kawauchi there is the Kawauchi Elementary School ( 川 内 村 立 川 内 小学校 , Kawauchi-sonritsu Kawauchi shōgakkō ) and the Kawauchi Middle School ( 川 内 村 立 川 内 中 学校 , Kawauchi-sonritsu Kawauchi chūgakkō ). In addition, despite the small population, there are two secondary schools: the prefectural secondary school Tomioka , Kawauchi ( 福島 県 立 富 岡 高等学校 川 内 校 , Fukushima-kenritsu Tomioka kōtō gakkō Kawauchi-kō ) as a branch of the secondary school Tomioka ( 大智ichichi学園 高等学校 , Daichi gakuen kōtō gakkō ).

Web links

Commons : Kawauchi  - collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Daniel K. Ebner, Megumi Ohsawa, Keiko Igari, Kouji H. Harada, Akio Koizumi: Lifestyle-related diseases following the evacuation after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident: a retrospective study of Kawauchi Village with long-term follow-up . In: BMJ Open . tape 6 , 2016, p. e011641-1-e011641–8 , doi : 10.1136 / bmjopen-2016-011641 .
2. ↑ ^{a b} 平 成 23 年 （2011 年） 東北 地方 太平洋 沖 地震 （第 158 報） ( Memento from October 3, 2018 on WebCite ) ( ホ ー ム> 東北 地方 太平洋 沖 地震 (東 日本 大 震災) 被害 報> 【過去】 被害 報> 平 成 23 年 （2011 年） 東北 地方 太平洋 沖 地震 被害 報 157 報 ～ (1 月 ～ 12 月) ( Memento from October 3, 2018 on WebCite ) , 総 務 省 消防 庁 (Fire and Disaster Management Agency), 158. Damage report, September 7, 2018.
3. ↑ 東 日本 大 震災 図 説 集 . (No longer available online.) In: mainichi.jp. Mainichi Shimbun- sha, May 20, 2011, archived from the original on June 19, 2011 ; Retrieved December 22, 2011 (Japanese, overview of reported dead, missing and evacuated). 
4. ↑ 平 成 22 年 国 勢 調査 - 人口 等 基本 集 計 結果 - （岩手 県 ， 宮城 県 及 び 福島 県） ( Memento from March 24, 2018 on WebCite ) (PDF, Japanese), stat.go.jp (Statistics Japan - Statistics Bureau , Ministry of Internal Affairs and communication), 2010 Census, Summary of Results for Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures, URL: http://www.stat.go.jp/data/kokusei/2010/index.html .
5. ↑ 平 成 23 年 (2011 年) 東北 地方 太平洋 沖 地震 （東 日本 大 震災） に つ い て (第 146 報) ( Memento from April 12, 2018 on WebCite )
   PDF ( Memento from April 12, 2018 on WebCite )), 総 務 省 消防 庁(Fire and Disaster Management Agency), 146th report, Sept. 28, 2012.
6. ↑ 平 成 23 年 (2011 年) 東北 地方 太平洋 沖 地震 （東 日本 大 震災） に つ い て (第 147 報) ( Memento from April 13, 2018 on WebCite ) ( PDF ( Memento from April 13, 2018 on WebCite )), 総 務 省 消防庁 (Fire and Disaster Management Agency), 147th report, March 26, 2013.
7. ^ Reiko Hasegawa: Disaster Evacuation from Japan's 2011 Tsunami Disaster and the Fukushima Nuclear Accident . In: Studies . No. 5 , 2013, ISSN  2258-7535 , p. 1-54 . (Institut du développement durable et des relations internationales, IDDRI).
8. ↑ Masaru Arakida, Mikio Ishiwatari: Evacuation . In: Federica Ranghieri, Mikio Ishiwatari (Ed.): Learning from Megadisasters - Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake . World Bank Publications, Washington, DC 2014, ISBN 978-1-4648-0153-2 , Chapter 11, pp. 99-108 , doi : 10.1596 / 978-1-4648-0153-2 ( work accessible online on Google Books [accessed April 3, 2018]). , License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0 IGO.
9. ↑ Mikio Ishiwatari, Satoru Mimura, Hideki Ishii, Kenji Ohse, Akira Takagi: The Recovery Process in Fukushima . In: Federica Ranghieri, Mikio Ishiwatari (Ed.): Learning from Megadisasters - Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake . World Bank Publications, Washington, DC 2014, ISBN 978-1-4648-0153-2 , chap. 36 , p. 331–343 , doi : 10.1596 / 978-1-4648-0153-2 ( work accessible online on Google Books [accessed April 3, 2018]). , here: p. 335, Map 36.1 "Rearrangement of evacuation zoning" "Source: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.", License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0 IGO.
10. ↑ Evacuation Areas Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), (METI Measures and Requests in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake> Assistance of Residents Affected by the Nuclear Incidents> Evacuation Areas): Restricted areas and areas to which evacuation orders have been issued (June 15, 2012) ( Memento July 9, 2018 on WebCite ) (PDF)
11. ↑ Dinil Pushpalal, Zhang Yan, Tran Thi Diem Thi, Yuri Scherbak, Michiko Kohama: Tears of Namie: An Appraisal of Human Security in the Township of Namie . In: Dinil Pushpalal, Jakob Rhyner, Vilma Hossini (eds.): The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake 11 March 2011: Lessons Learned And Research Questions - Conference Proceedings (11 March 2013, UN Campus, Bonn) . 2013, ISBN 978-3-944535-20-3 , ISSN  2075-0498 , pp. 80-87 .
12. ↑ Atsushi Matsukawa: BITTER RETURN: Residents find more misery upon return to village in no-entry zone. (No longer available online.) In: asahi.com. Asahi Shimbun- sha, May 12, 2011, archived from the original on May 14, 2011 ; accessed on December 23, 2011 (English). 
13. ↑ ^{a b} Shigenobu Nagataki: Outline of the Fukushima Accident and its Countermeasures at the Initial Period. Remediation: Achievements Made so far and Future Plans for Recovery . In: Radiation Protection Practice . tape 21 , no. 1/2015 , 2015, ISSN  0947-434X , p. 8-12 .
14. ↑ 債 権 者 の 皆 様 へ (平 成 22 年度 分 請求 に つ い て) . (No longer available online.) Kawauchi, March 31, 2011, archived from the original on April 3, 2011 ; Retrieved August 10, 2016 (Japanese). 
15. ↑ Earthquake Report - JAIF, No. 203. (PDF) (No longer available online.) JAIF, September 27, 2011, p. 4 , archived from the original on December 11, 2011 ; accessed on December 22, 2011 (English). 
16. ↑ Earthquake Report - JAIF, No. 204 ( Memento of December 11, 2011 on WebCite ) (English, pdf). JAIF / NHK, September 14, 2011, archived from the original (PDF; 69 kB), accessed on October 28, 2011.