:Iitate, Fukushima

Iitate is located in the Abukuma Plateau of northeastern Fukushima at a mean altitude of 500 meters. It is about {{convert|39|km|miles|abbr=off}} northwest of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

• Fukushima Prefecture
• Date
• Kawamata
• Minamisōma
• Namie
• Sōma

Iitate has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Iitate is 10.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1359 mm with September as the wettest month.The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.2 °C.{{Cite web |url=https://en.climate-data.org/location/472542/ |title=Iitate climate data |access-date=2022-12-14 |archive-date=2017-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107010001/https://en.climate-data.org/location/472542/ |url-status=live }}

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|collapsed = Y

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|location = Iitate (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present)

|Jan record high C = 14.4

|Feb record high C = 19.8

|Mar record high C = 23.0

|Apr record high C = 29.3

|May record high C = 31.2

|Jun record high C = 33.8

|Jul record high C = 35.2

|Aug record high C = 36.0

|Sep record high C = 35.8

|Oct record high C = 28.3

|Nov record high C = 24.1

|Dec record high C = 21.3

|Jan record low C = -21.3

|Feb record low C = -20.9

|Mar record low C = -18.3

|Apr record low C = -13.9

|May record low C = -2.7

|Jun record low C = 2.7

|Jul record low C = 7.3

|Aug record low C = 7.2

|Sep record low C = 1.7

|Oct record low C = -4.6

|Nov record low C = -7.6

|Dec record low C = -21.0

|Jan high C = 3.4

|Feb high C = 4.4

|Mar high C = 8.5

|Apr high C = 15.0

|May high C = 20.3

|Jun high C = 22.8

|Jul high C = 26.5

|Aug high C = 27.7

|Sep high C = 23.6

|Oct high C = 18.1

|Nov high C = 12.7

|Dec high C = 6.5

|Jan mean C = -1.1

|Feb mean C = -0.6

|Mar mean C = 2.9

|Apr mean C = 8.6

|May mean C = 14.0

|Jun mean C = 17.6

|Jul mean C = 21.4

|Aug mean C = 22.4

|Sep mean C = 18.4

|Oct mean C = 12.4

|Nov mean C = 6.7

|Dec mean C = 1.6

|Jan low C = -6.0

|Feb low C = -6.0

|Mar low C = -2.6

|Apr low C = 2.1

|May low C = 7.7

|Jun low C = 12.7

|Jul low C = 17.4

|Aug low C = 18.3

|Sep low C = 14.0

|Oct low C = 7.2

|Nov low C = 0.9

|Dec low C = -3.2

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 60.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 41.1

|Mar precipitation mm = 77.4

|Apr precipitation mm = 103.1

|May precipitation mm = 97.8

|Jun precipitation mm = 131.7

|Jul precipitation mm = 174.2

|Aug precipitation mm = 189.5

|Sep precipitation mm = 204.4

|Oct precipitation mm = 170.5

|Nov precipitation mm = 56.3

|Dec precipitation mm = 48.4

|year precipitation mm = 1367.4

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 7.7

|Feb precipitation days = 6.6

|Mar precipitation days = 9.0

|Apr precipitation days = 8.9

|May precipitation days = 9.8

|Jun precipitation days = 12.2

|Jul precipitation days = 14.2

|Aug precipitation days = 12.1

|Sep precipitation days = 12.3

|Oct precipitation days = 9.6

|Nov precipitation days = 7.0

|Dec precipitation days = 8.2

|Jan sun = 151.6

|Feb sun = 155.7

|Mar sun = 182.7

|Apr sun = 192.3

|May sun = 201.4

|Jun sun = 150.9

|Jul sun = 138.9

|Aug sun = 163.0

|Sep sun = 125.9

|Oct sun = 139.2

|Nov sun = 142.6

|Dec sun = 137.0

|year sun = 1881.0

|source 1 = Japan Meteorological Agency{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_a.php?prec_no=36&block_no=1130&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = March 20, 2022}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_ym.php?prec_no=36&block_no=1130&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = March 20, 2022}}}}

Per Japanese census data,{{Cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-fukushima.php |title=Sōma population statistics |access-date=2022-12-14 |archive-date=2020-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105044049/https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-fukushima.php |url-status=live }} the population of Iitate peaked in the mid-1950s and has been decline since.

{{Historical populations

| 1920 | 6,387

| 1930 | 7,173

| 1940 | 8,015

| 1950 | 10,725

| 1960 | 11,129

| 1970 | 9,385

| 1980 | 8,331

| 1990 | 7,920

| 2000 | 7,093

| 2010 | 6,209

| 2020 | 1,318

|align = none

| footnote =

}}

The area of present-day Iitate was part of Mutsu Province. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Sōma Domain. After the Meiji restoration, on April 1, 1889, the villages of Iiso, Osu and Niitate were created within Sōma District, Fukushima with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. On April 1, 1942, Osu and Niitate merged to form the village of Odate, which then merged with Iiso on September 30, 1956 to form Iitate. In September 2010, Iitate was designated one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan.[http://www.utsukushii-mura.jp/index.php Association of the Most Beautiful Villages in Japan]

{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215142746/http://www.utsukushii-mura.jp/index.php |date=2015-02-15 }} {{in lang|ja}}

{{see also| Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster }}

Iitate suffered from moderate damage from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, and was located outside the nominal {{convert|30|km|miles|abbr=off}} radiation exclusion zone of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. However, as a result of wind patterns following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, on 30 March 2011, the International Atomic Energy Agency stated that its operational criteria for evacuation were exceeded in Iitate, despite the village being outside the existing radiation exclusion zone around the plant.{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-radiation-idUSTRE72T78120110330 |title=High radiation outside Japan exclusion zone: IAEA |author=Sylvia Westall and Fredrik Dahl |publisher=Reuters |date=30 March 2011 |access-date=30 March 2011}} As a result, the entire population of the village was evacuated by government order on 22 April 2011.{{cite news |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ggvj3yp8VYa5nj15Qc51L1VAHGdA?docId=8eee54caedca45308a6914c7271ccb66 |title=Japanese village's nuclear reality sets in slowly |author=Eric Talmadge |work=Associated Press |publisher=Google |date=8 June 2011 |access-date=8 June 2011}}{{dead link|date=June 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Some displaced children from the village were shunned after relocating for fear of contamination.{{cite news |url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/nn20110513f1.html |title= Fukushima village on way to becoming ghost town |author=David McNeill |publisher=Japan Times |date=13 May 2011 |access-date=14 May 2011}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13408055 |title=Japan evacuates residents beyond Fukushima no-go zone |publisher=BBC |date=16 May 2011 |access-date=17 May 2011}} In early June about 1,500 residents remained. By August, only about 120 residents, mostly elderly, remained.{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111903554904576458230766485092 |title=Murky Science Clouded Japan Nuclear Response |author=Yuka Hayashi |publisher=Wall Street Journal |date=16 August 2011 |access-date=16 August 2011}}

In 2012, local government obtained responses from a survey from some 1,743 former residents began experiencing growing frustration and instability due to the nuclear crisis and an inability to return to the lives they were living before the disaster. Sixty percent of respondents stated that their health and the health of their families had deteriorated after evacuating.{{cite web |url=http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120130p2a00m0na009000c.html |title=Evacuees of Fukushima village report split families, growing frustration |date=January 30, 2012 |work=Mainichi Daily News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130195907/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120130p2a00m0na009000c.html |archive-date=January 30, 2012 }}

Summarizing all responses to questions related to evacuees' current family status, one-third of all surveyed families live apart from their children, while 50.1 percent live away from other family members (including elderly parents) with whom they lived before the disaster. The survey also showed that 34.7 percent of the evacuees have suffered reductions in income of 50 percent or more since the outbreak of the nuclear disaster. A total of 36.8 percent reported a lack of sleep, while 17.9 percent reported smoking or drinking more than before they evacuated.

In March 2012, the village was divided into three zones: in the first, people were free to go in and out but not allowed to stay overnight; in the second, access was limited to short visits; and in the third area, all entry was forbidden because of elevated radiation levels that were not expected to go down within five years after the accident. All restrictions were to be lifted for a small area of northern Iitate, but the majority of the village was cleared only for the daylight return of residents. The majority of the village was to remain totally closed until at least 2016."[http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Iitate_evacuation_relaxed_1607121.html Iitate evacuation relaxed] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819111354/https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Iitate_evacuation_relaxed_1607121.html |date=2022-08-19 }}", World Nuclear News, July 16, 2012. However, in March 2014, the government postponed lifting of the restrictions on return for a year due to remaining high levels of radiation."[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/01/national/lifting-of-fukushima-villages-evacuation-advisory-to-be-delayed/#.VNml6bn9m71 Lifting of Fukushima villages’ evacuation advisory to be delayed ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330052811/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/01/national/lifting-of-fukushima-villages-evacuation-advisory-to-be-delayed/#.VNml6bn9m71 |date=2017-03-30 }}", the Japan Times, March 1, 2014.Myoraku, Asao "[http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201402280073 Fukushima villages face 1-year delay in lifting of evacuation orders] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210094326/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201402280073 |date=2015-02-10 }}", the Asahi Shimbun, February 28, 2014.

The evacuation order was lifted on April 1, 2017, with the exception of a small area in southern Iitate bordering on the neighbouring town of Namiie, which remains a no-entry zone. However, only a third of the former residents expressed an intention of returning.{{cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/03/31/national/evacuation-orders-lifted-three-fukushima-areas-residents-slow-return/#.Wf3uFkyB28g|title=Evacuation orders lifted for three more Fukushima areas but residents slow to return|date=March 31, 2017|work=The Japan Times|language=en|access-date=4 November 2017|archive-date=8 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108120923/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/03/31/national/evacuation-orders-lifted-three-fukushima-areas-residents-slow-return/#.Wf3uFkyB28g|url-status=dead}}

The economy of Iitate was formerly heavily dependent on agriculture.

Iitate had three public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the village, and one high school operated by the Fukushima Board of Education in March 2011. All schools were closed with the evacuation of the village in March 2011.

• Iitate does not have any passenger train services.

• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|399}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Commons category-inline}}
• [http://www.vill.iitate.fukushima.jp/ Official Website] {{in lang|ja}}

{{Fukushima}}

{{2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Villages in Fukushima Prefecture