You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Japanese. (June 2022) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 3,783 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Japanese Wikipedia article at [[:ja:標津町]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template {{Translated|ja|標津町}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Shibetsu 標津町
Town
Shibetsu town hall
Flag Seal
Location of Shibetsu in Hokkaido ( Nemuro Subprefecture)
Shibetsu Location in Japan
Coordinates: 43°40′N 145°8′E / 43.667°N 145.133°E / 43.667; 145.133
Country	Japan
Region	Hokkaido
Prefecture	Hokkaido ( Nemuro Subprefecture)
District	Shibetsu
Area
• Total	624.49 km2 (241.12 sq mi)
Population  (September 30, 2016)
• Total	5,374
• Density	8.6/km2 (22/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 ( JST)
Climate	Dfb
Website	www.shibetsutown.jp

Shibetsu (標津町, Shibetsu-chō) is a town located in Nemuro Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September 2016, it has an estimated population of 5,374, and an area of 624.49 km². ^[1]

Shibetsu is located at the northeastern end of Hokkaido, in the heart of Nemuro Subprefecture. It is a coastal town, facing the Sea of Okhotsk and backed by the mountains of the Shiretoko Peninsula. To the northeast of Shibestu lies the town of Rausu, to the northwest is Shari, to the south is Betsukai and to the west is the town of Nakashibetsu.

Population

Although the town's population was 8,051 people in 1965 (Census Data), the amount has continued to decrease to 6,298 people in the year 2000 (Census Data). The effects of depopulation and outflow of young people has left the current population to roughly 5,825 people (Census Data for April 2009). ^[1]

Shibetsu made international news in 2021 when Vaas Feniks Nokard, a Russian national from Izhevsk, managed to swim 20 kilometres from the disputed Kunashiri Island to the town to seek asylum in Japan. ^[2] Nokard, who intended to defect from Russia, made the crossing at night and used a compass to aid in his navigation of the Nemuro Strait. ^[3]

History

Pioneer settlers established Shibetsu during the Meiji period (1868-1912) and it quickly became a thriving fishing and farming town. ^[1]

• 1901: Uembetsu Village (now Rausu) splits off.
• 1923: Shibetsu Village becomes second-class municipality.
• 1946: Nakashibetsu splits off.
• 1958: Shibetsu Village becomes Shibetsu Town.

Economy

Salmon, scallop, trout and shellfish farming has been the cornerstone of Shibetsu's livelihood. As of 2009, Shibetsu's fishing industry is estimated to produce 51 billion yen annually (salmon farming making up most of it with 39 billion yen). Shibetsu is also supported by its successful dairy industry with total dairy production annually exceeding 82 billion yen (As of May 2009). ^[1]

Climate

Shibetsu is known for its cooler summers and icy winters. Unlike the other major islands of Japan, Hokkaido is normally not affected by the June–July rainy season. In comparison, Hokkaido is relatively less humid and has typically warm summer weather, rather than hot.

Transportation

As there is no railway line in or near Shibetsu, residents and tourists rely on airplanes and cars to travel to and from the town. Flights to and from Tokyo to nearby Nakashibetsu Airport take roughly 1 hour 40 minutes. ^[6] Flights to and from Sapporo take approximately 50-60 mins. ^[6] Travel to Shibetsu by bus or car from Nakashibetsu Airport takes roughly 20-30 mins. ^[6] Buses depart from the Nakashibetsu Bus Terminal. ^[7]

Notable people from Shibetsu

• Sayuri Osuga, speed skater and cyclist
• Toshiko Takeya, Japanese Senator
• Shizuo Shinoda, pioneer of musical roads in Japan

References

External links

• Media related to Shibetsu, Hokkaido (town) at Wikimedia Commons
• Official Website (in Japanese)

This Hokkaidō location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e