**2.1. Outline of the town of Shinchi**

Shinchi is a small municipality with a population of about 8000 and a total area of 46.53 km2 , located about 300 km north of Tokyo, near the border between the Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures, in the northernmost part of the Fukushima Prefecture on the Pacific Ocean side of Japan (**Figure 1**). The population peaked in 1995 and has since declined, with an aging population and a diminished birthrate. The temperature of Shinchi is low compared to Tokyo, with especially cold winters (**Figure 2**). However, the summer temperatures tend to be high; thus, air conditioning is typically required on summer days.

In Shinchi, approximately 120 people died as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami that occurred on March 11, 2011. The tsunami inundated a large area of land 10 m above sea level, with flooding encompassing about 20% of the town. The tsunami destroyed 516 houses; including damage from the earthquake, 630 houses were totally or partially destroyed. The JR Joban Line Shinchi Station was destroyed, and 40% of agricultural land, 420 ha, was inundated. Furthermore, radioactive contamination due to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident resulted in a mean air radiation dose of 0.2–0.6 μSv/h for the town in 2011, which has been declining ever since.

Before the earthquake, the main railway was the JR Joban Line, but it was closed immediately after the tsunami disaster. The JR Joban Line was reopened in December 2016, allowing access to Sendai, located north of Shinchi. Redevelopment of the district around the JR Shinchi Station, which was damaged by the tsunami, is currently being carried out.

**Figure 1.** Location of Shinchi.
