Futaba (双葉町, Futaba-machi) is a town in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 April 2020^[update], the town had an actual population of zero, although as of 2017, the official registered population was 6,093 in 2,301 households.^[1] The total area of the town is 51.42 square kilometres (19.85 sq mi).^[2] As of March 2011, the entire population was evacuated as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. However in the decade since then, 3% of the town has been open to visitors and residents, with the first residents returning on a permanent basis as of February 2022.

Quick Facts 双葉町, Country ...

Futaba 双葉町
Town
Futaba Town Hall in 2008 (before Fukushima nuclear disaster)
Flag Seal
Location of Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture
Futaba
Coordinates: 37°26′56.9″N 141°00′44.4″E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Fukushima
District	Futaba
Area
• Total	51.42 km2 (19.85 sq mi)
Population  (February 15, 2022)
• Total	3
• Density	0.058/km2 (0.15/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
City symbols
• Tree	Melia azedarach
• Flower	Sakura
• Bird	Green pheasant
Phone number	0246-84-5200
Address	Shinzan Maeoki 28, Futaba-machi, Futaba-gun, Fukushima-ken 979-1495
Website	Official website

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Futaba is on the Pacific Ocean coastline of central Fukushima. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, owned by the Tokyo Electric Power Company, is on the southern border of Futaba in the neighboring town of Ōkuma.

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Futaba was relatively stable until the nuclear disaster.

Futaba has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Futaba is 12.4 °C (54.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,311 mm (51.6 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.6 °C (76.3 °F), and lowest in January, at around 1.9 °C (35.4 °F).^[4]

The area of present-day Futaba was part of Mutsu Province. The remains of Kofun period burial mounds have been found in the area. During the Nara period, it was the center 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. Town records indicate that over 700 residents of the region died due to a tsunami in the 1611 Sanriku earthquake. The area was the site of the Battle of Iwaki during the Boshin War.

On April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, the villages of Shinzan and Nagatsuka were created in Shineha District, Fukushima, which subsequently became Futaba District in April 1896. Shinzan was raised to town status on February 1, 1913. Shinzan merged with Nagatsuka on April 1, 1951 becoming the town of Shineha, which changed its name to Futaba on April 1, 1956.

The economy of Futaba was heavily dependent on commercial fishing and agriculture. Raising of carnations was a major industry.

Futaba has two public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education. All schools remain closed.

• Kazunari Watanabe, Olympic cyclist

• Kiyotosaku Cave Tombs, a National Historic Site with a kofun burial chamber decorated with murals^[13]
• The Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum, this museum shows how Fukushima has dealt with a complex and unprecedented disaster and its ongoing consequences, and communicates lessons for the future on the importance of disaster prevention and mitigation.

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