Shibecha 標茶町 Shibecha-chō
Town
Shibecha town hall
Flag Emblem
Location of Shibecha inHokkaido (Kushiro Subprefecture)
Interactive map of Shibecha
Shibecha
Coordinates:43°04′34″N145°07′53″E / 43.07611°N 145.13139°E /43.07611; 145.13139
Country	Japan
Region	Hokkaido
Prefecture	Hokkaido (Kushiro Subprefecture)
District	Kawakami
Area
• Total	1,099.37 km2 (424.47 sq mi)
Population  (November 31, 2025)
• Total	6,713
• Density	6.106/km2 (15.82/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	2-4 Kawakami, Shibecha-cho, Kawakami-gun, Hokkaido 088-2312
Climate	Dfb
Website	www.town.shibecha.hokkaido.jp
Symbols
Flower	Cosmos
Tree	Nara Oak

Shibecha (標茶町,Shibecha-chō) is atown located inKushiro Subprefecture,Hokkaidō,Japan. As of 30 November 2025^[update], the town had an estimatedpopulation of 6,713 in 3560 households, and apopulation density of 10.9 people per km².^[1] The total area of the town is 1,099.37 km² (424.47 sq mi).

Shibecha is located approximately in the center of Kushiro Subprefecture. It is approximately 40 kilometers northeast of centralKushiro. It the sixth largest town and village in Japan in terms of geographical area. TheKushiro River flows north and south through the town. The Kushiro Wetlands are located in the south. Nishibetsudake, at 800 meters, is the highest point in the town.

• • Kushiro
  • Tsurui
  • Teshikaga
  • Akkeshi
  • Nakashibetsu
  • Betsukai

According to theKöppen climate classification, Shibecha has ahumid continental climate. The area is cool from spring to early summer, but in summer, despite the short hours of daylight, temperatures can reach a maximum of 30 °C. Autumn is relatively sunny, but in late autumn, early mornings can get very chilly. Winter is bitterly cold, with temperatures of around -25 °C often observed.

Per Japanese census data,^[3] The total area is 1,099.41 km². the population of Shibecha has declined in recent decades.

More than 200 prehistoric ruins have been identified within the town limits, indicating that people have lived here since theJōmon period. Records byMatsuura Takeshiro and others indicate thatAinu people lived in settlements in Tōro and Nishibetsu during theEdo period. The name comes from theAinu language name for the area where the current town is located, "Sipetcha" (si-pet-cha) (large, river, bank).

The Kushiro Penal Colony, the predecessor toAbashiri Prison, opened in 1885. The town was also home to a county office, a headman's office, and a branch office of theBank of Japan, and at one time rivaled the size of Kushiro. At its peak, the number of prisoners serving sentences reached nearly 2,000, and they were involved in projects such as building the Kushiro-Abashiri road, constructing the Kushiro Railway, and mining sulfur at Atosanupuri (Ioyama) in Kawayu. In 1887, Hokkaido's second railway was built between Shibecha and Ioyama to transport sulfur from Ioyama. Sulfur was transshipped in Shibecha and then transported by water to Kushiro, but over mining led to resource depletion and mining was discontinued within nine years.

In 1901, Kushiro Penal Colony was abolished, and its functions were transferred to Abashiri. The population plummeted, partly due to the separation of Teshikaga Village in 1903, but the town regained its vitality with the establishment of the Military Horse Replacement Unit on the former penal colony site in 1908. Kumaushi Village (熊牛村) was formed in 1923; it was renamed Shibecha in 1929. The War Horse Replacement Unit was abolished in 1945, and part of the grounds and buildings were converted into Shibecha High School, which opened shortly after the war, while the remaining grounds were converted into farmland and other uses. The large size of Shibecha High School's grounds is due to these historical circumstances. Shibecha was raised to town status on November 1, 1950. In 1953 a large fire in front of Shibecha Station destroyed 104 houses.

Shibecha has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral town council of 13 members. Shibecha, as part ofKushiro Subprefecture, contributes one member to the Hokkaidō Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of theHokkaidō 7th district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.^[4]

The main industry of Shibecha isdairy farming. While the number of farm households has been decreasing year by year, the number of dairy cows has been increasing and dairy farms are becoming larger in scale. In recent years, tourism development has progressed, centered on Lake Tōro in the south, and the Kushiro Shitsugen Norokko trolley train on theSenmo Main Line operates betweenKushiro Station andTōro Station. Canoeing is available on Lake Tōro, and in winter, the Steam Locomotive Winter Wetlands operates between Kushiro Station and Shibecha Station.

Shibecha has four public elementary schools, two public middle schools, two public combined elementary/middle schools and one public high school.^[5]Kyoto University's Faculty of Agriculture Experimental Forest is located in Shibetsu.^[6]

JR Hokkaido -Senmō Main Line

■Isobunnai -Shibecha -Kayanuma -Tōro

• National Route 243
• National Route 272
• National Route 274
• National Route 391

• Lake Tōro
• Kushiro Wetlands
• Hokuto Site, National Historic Site^[7]

• Nobukatsu Fujioka, revisionist educator
• Keiko Takahashi, actress

• 
  Shibecha railway station
• 
  Lake Tōro
• 
  Kottaro wetlands
• 
  Shibecha Museum
• 
  Hokuto Historic Relics Exhibition Hall

Kushiro's mascots isMilkcook (ミルクック,Mirukukku) andKurobe Happy (ハッピーくろべえ,Happī Kurobe). They are bovines with a strong sense of justice.^[8]

• Milkcook is a mild-mannered dairy cow. She is a chef who can cook fast. She will moo if she fails to cook something good. As a result of her cooking skills, she promotes hospitality in the town while promoting the importance of milk. She became mascot in Spring 2006.
• Kurobe Happy is an optimistic bull who loves matsuris. He wears a blue happi. As a result of his fascination of festivals, he promotes events in the town while promoting the importance of beef. He became mascot during the 2011 Fall Matsuri.

• Media related toShibecha, Hokkaidō at Wikimedia Commons
• Official Website(in Japanese)

• Shibecha, Hokkaido
• Towns in Hokkaido
• Kushiro Subprefecture

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• Articles containing potentially dated statements from November 2025
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