Shibata (柴田町,Shibata-machi) is atown located inMiyagi Prefecture,Japan. As of 31 March 2020^[update], the town had an estimatedpopulation of 37,617, and apopulation density of 700 persons per km² in 15,590 households.^[1] The total area of the town is 54.03 square kilometres (20.86 sq mi).

Shibata 柴田町
Town
Shibata Town Office
Flag Seal
Location of Shibata in Miyagi Prefecture
Shibata
Coordinates:38°03′23.7″N140°45′57.0″E / 38.056583°N 140.765833°E /38.056583; 140.765833
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Miyagi
District	Shibata
Area
• Total	54.03 km2 (20.86 sq mi)
Population  (May 31, 2020)
• Total	37,617
• Density	700/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Momi Fir
- Flower	Sakura
- Bird	Pheasant
Phone number	0224-55-2111
Address	2-3-45 Funaoka-chuo, Shibata-machi, Shibata-gun, Miyagi-ken 989-1692
Website	Official website

Shibata is located in south-central Miyagi Prefecture in theTōhoku region of northern Japan. TheAbukuma River runs through the town.

Miyagi Prefecture

• Iwanuma
• Kakuda
• Murata
• Natori
• Ōgawara
• Watari

Shibata has ahumid climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Shibata is 12.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1263 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.4 °C.^[2]

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Shibata increased throughout the 20th century and has declined slightly in the 21st.

The area of present-day Shibata was part of ancientMutsu Province, and was part of the holdings ofSendai Domain under theEdo periodTokugawa shogunate. The villages of Funaoka and Tsukinoki were established on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the post-Meiji restoration modern municipalities system. Tsukioki was promoted to town status on April 1, 1904 and Funaoka on November 3, 1941. The two towns merged to form Shibata on April 1, 1956.

Shibata has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral town council of 18 members. Shibata, together with the rest of Shibata District, collectively contributes two seats to the Miyagi Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the town is part ofMiyagi 3rd district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.

The economy of Shibata is largely based on agriculture.

• Sendai University
• Shibata has six public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.

AbukumaExpress -Abukuma Express Line

• Tsukinoki -Higashi-Funaoka

 East Japan Railway Company (JR East) -Tōhoku Main Line

• Funaoka -Tsukinoki

•  National Route 4
•  National Route 349

• Site of Funaoka Castle

•  Assis Chateaubriand,Paraná, Brazil^[4] since April 13, 1981
•  Danyang, Jiangsu, China,^[4] since February 23, 1994
•  Kitakami, Iwate, Japan, since January 25, 1980
•  Date, Hokkaido, Japan, since May 30, 1988 (friendship city)

  Media related toShibata, Miyagi at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Website(in Japanese)