Mihama, Fukui

Mihama is located in southwestern Fukui Prefecture, bordered by Shiga Prefecture to the south and the heavily indented ria coast of Wakasa Bay of Sea of Japan to the north. Parts of the town are within the borders of the Wakasa Wan Quasi-National Park.

• Fukui Prefecture
• Tsuruga
• Wakasa
• Shiga Prefecture
• Takashima

Mihama has a Humid climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Mihama is {{cvt|15.0|C}}. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|2196.2|mm}} with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around {{cvt|27.0|C}}, and lowest in January, at around {{cvt|4.3|C}}.

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|collapsed = Y

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|location = Mihama (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)

|Jan record high C = 17.8

|Feb record high C = 21.3

|Mar record high C = 26.3

|Apr record high C = 29.9

|May record high C = 33.9

|Jun record high C = 36.7

|Jul record high C = 38.1

|Aug record high C = 38.2

|Sep record high C = 36.1

|Oct record high C = 31.5

|Nov record high C = 26.1

|Dec record high C = 23.8

|Jan record low C = -6.0

|Feb record low C = -6.8

|Mar record low C = -4.1

|Apr record low C = -0.7

|May record low C = 4.2

|Jun record low C = 7.9

|Jul record low C = 14.2

|Aug record low C = 15.2

|Sep record low C = 10.1

|Oct record low C = 3.8

|Nov record low C = -0.7

|Dec record low C = -3.5

|Jan high C = 7.8

|Feb high C = 8.2

|Mar high C = 11.9

|Apr high C = 17.3

|May high C = 22.1

|Jun high C = 25.4

|Jul high C = 29.7

|Aug high C = 31.4

|Sep high C = 27.4

|Oct high C = 21.9

|Nov high C = 16.5

|Dec high C = 10.8

|Jan mean C = 4.3

|Feb mean C = 4.6

|Mar mean C = 7.6

|Apr mean C = 12.6

|May mean C = 17.5

|Jun mean C = 21.4

|Jul mean C = 25.6

|Aug mean C = 27.0

|Sep mean C = 23.1

|Oct mean C = 17.6

|Nov mean C = 12.2

|Dec mean C = 7.0

|Jan low C = 1.1

|Feb low C = 0.9

|Mar low C = 3.2

|Apr low C = 7.8

|May low C = 13.0

|Jun low C = 17.8

|Jul low C = 22.3

|Aug low C = 23.5

|Sep low C = 19.5

|Oct low C = 13.6

|Nov low C = 8.0

|Dec low C = 3.3

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 257.1

|Feb precipitation mm = 161.9

|Mar precipitation mm = 148.1

|Apr precipitation mm = 122.6

|May precipitation mm = 141.0

|Jun precipitation mm = 143.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 192.7

|Aug precipitation mm = 175.1

|Sep precipitation mm = 226.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 162.7

|Nov precipitation mm = 170.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 297.3

|year precipitation mm = 2196.2

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 22.8

|Feb precipitation days = 17.9

|Mar precipitation days = 15.6

|Apr precipitation days = 12.0

|May precipitation days = 11.3

|Jun precipitation days = 11.4

|Jul precipitation days = 12.6

|Aug precipitation days = 9.8

|Sep precipitation days = 12.6

|Oct precipitation days = 12.7

|Nov precipitation days = 15.0

|Dec precipitation days = 21.2

|Jan sun = 61.5

|Feb sun = 78.0

|Mar sun = 133.5

|Apr sun = 172.6

|May sun = 190.8

|Jun sun = 144.3

|Jul sun = 161.2

|Aug sun = 212.0

|Sep sun = 151.0

|Oct sun = 144.7

|Nov sun = 106.9

|Dec sun = 71.5

|year sun = 1628.0

|source 1 = Japan Meteorological Agency{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_a.php?prec_no=57&block_no=1010&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 = April 1, 2022}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_ym.php?prec_no=57&block_no=1010&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = April 1, 2022}}}}

Per Japanese census data,[https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-fukui.php Mihama population statistics] the population of Mihama has declined in recent decades.

{{Historical populations

| 1970 | 13,157

| 1980 | 13,036

| 1990 | 13,222

| 2000 | 11,630

| 2010 | 10,563

| 2020 | 9,179

|align = none

| footnote =

}}

Mihama is part of ancient Wakasa Province. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Obama Domain. Following the Meiji restoration, it was organised into part of Mikata District in Fukui Prefecture. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the villages of Kitasaigō, Minamisaigō, Mimi, and Santō were established. The four villages merged to form the town of Mihama on February 11, 1954.

On August 9, 2004, a non-radioactive steam leak killed five and burnt twelve others in the nearby Mihama Nuclear Power Plant; the high-pressure steam pipe lost 85% of its wall thickness and failed five days before its first inspection since 1976.{{Cite web|url=http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/NuclearIndustry/nuclear-accident-1.htm|title = Piping rupture caused by flow accelerated corrosion}}

The economy of Mihama, previously dependent on commercial fishing and agriculture, is now very heavily dependent on the nuclear power industry. The closure of the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant since the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Disaster has crippled the local economy.

Mihama has three public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

• 20px JR West - Obama Line
• {{STN|Mihama|x}}, {{STN|Higashi Mihama|x}}

• File:JP Expressway E27.svg Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|27}}

• {{flagicon|ROC}} Shimen District, New Taipei City, Taiwan, friendship city

• Lake Suigetsu
• Mikata Five Lakes, a Ramsar site
• Wakasa Wan Quasi-National Park

{{reflist}}

• {{Commons category-inline}}
• {{Official|1=http://www.town.mihama.fukui.jp}} {{in lang|ja}}
• [http://www.wakasamihama.jp/ Tourist website of Mihama] {{in lang|ja}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Fukui}}

Category:Towns in Fukui Prefecture

Category:Populated coastal places in Japan