Aizu-Wakamatsu & Tsurugajō Castle
Rebuilt samurai stronghold; Byakkotai grave site at Iimoriyama and a 17th-century classical garden, Oyakuen.
Open in Maps ↗Prefecture profile · 都道府県
Fukushima 福島県
Japan's third-largest prefecture by area, divided by mountains into three culturally distinct regions (Hama, Naka, Aizu). Samurai Aizu heritage, premium peaches and rice, Mt. Bandai's caldera lakes — and the long, ongoing recovery from 2011 that has made Fukushima the country's leading test bed for renewables and decommissioning technology.
Capital
Fukushima City
Population
1.8 million
Area
13,783 km²
Region
Tōhoku
History
Aizu-Wakamatsu was one of the most martial domains of Edo Japan; its Byakkotai — teenage samurai who took their own lives during the 1868 Boshin War — remain a national symbol of fierce, sometimes tragic loyalty.
Modern Fukushima built itself on hydropower, coal, and agriculture, becoming the largest electricity exporter to Tokyo via long transmission lines from Fukushima Daiichi (1971) and Daini nuclear plants.
On 11 March 2011 the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami caused the meltdown of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors — the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl. Recovery has been Fukushima's defining decade-plus story: agricultural rehabilitation, the resettlement of evacuated towns, decommissioning research at the JAEA Naraha campus, and a pivot to renewables (the Fukushima Renewable Energy Institute and Japan's largest solar-park concentration).
Economy & business
Fukushima's prefectural GDP is around ¥8.0 trillion (US$54 billion). The economy is unusually diversified for Tōhoku: precision manufacturing, electronics (Alps Alpine, Toyota Boshoku), chemicals, agriculture (peaches, rice, cucumbers), tourism, and a fast-growing renewable-energy sector that includes the Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field — once the world's largest hydrogen-production facility.
Key industries
Agriculture
Peaches (Japan's #2), rice, cucumber, persimmon — every product now has third-party radiation testing as standard.
Manufacturing
Alps Alpine, Toyota Boshoku, FANUC, Tomoegawa — electronics, auto-interior, robotics.
Renewables & hydrogen
Fukushima Renewable Energy Institute; the world's largest hydrogen-production site (FH2R) at Namie; offshore wind pilots.
Sake & food crafts
Fukushima sake has won more Gold awards at the National New Sake Awards than any prefecture for nine consecutive years (record-setting).
Decommissioning research
JAEA Naraha mockup facility — global hub for nuclear-decommissioning robotics and worker training.
Notable companies
Alps AlpineTomoegawaToho BankFukushima BankTohoku YamahaFukushima Industries (commercial refrigeration)Toho Gas Fukushima
Trade partners
ChinaUnited StatesTaiwanSouth KoreaVietnam
Tourism highlights
Ouchi-juku
Edo-period post-town with thatched-roof inns and a road still lined with kayabuki houses — looks unchanged for 350 years.
Open in Maps ↗Lake Inawashiro & Mt. Bandai
Japan's 4th-largest lake at the foot of an active volcano; the 1888 Bandai eruption created the Goshikinuma 'five-coloured pond' chain.
Open in Maps ↗Fukushima peaches
Summer fruit pilgrimage along the 'Fruit Line' road north of Fukushima City — peaches, grapes, apples on consecutive farms.
Open in Maps ↗Spa Resort Hawaiians
Iwaki resort built in the 1960s by laid-off coal miners as the country's first indoor 'Hawaiian' onsen — and the subject of the 2006 film Hula Girls.
Open in Maps ↗Kitakata ramen district
Tiny city with more ramen shops per capita than anywhere in Japan; a distinctive flat curly noodle in soy-and-niboshi broth.
Open in Maps ↗Did you know
Fukushima sake has won the most Gold awards at the National New Sake Awards for nine consecutive years (2013–2021), a Japanese record.
The Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R) in Namie was the world's largest hydrogen-production facility when it opened in 2020, on land that had been part of the 2011 evacuation zone.
Aizu-Wakamatsu is the only domain to have defended itself against the new Meiji government for an entire month in 1868 — long enough to enter Japanese cultural memory as the archetype of the loyal, doomed cause.
About Fukushima — Frequently asked
What is the capital of Fukushima?
The capital of Fukushima is Fukushima City.
What region of Japan is Fukushima in?
Fukushima is part of the Tōhoku region of Japan.
What are Fukushima's main industries?
Fukushima's key industries include Agriculture, Manufacturing, Renewables & hydrogen, Sake & food crafts.
What are the top tourist attractions in Fukushima?
Top attractions in Fukushima include Aizu-Wakamatsu & Tsurugajō Castle, Ouchi-juku, Lake Inawashiro & Mt. Bandai, Fukushima peaches.
What major companies are based in Fukushima?
Notable companies headquartered in Fukushima include Alps Alpine, Tomoegawa, Toho Bank, Fukushima Bank, Tohoku Yamaha.
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