Area Code 2483 – Shirakawa, Fukushima

Geographic Overview

The area code 2483 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to the Shirakawa region in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. This code serves the city of Shirakawa and its surrounding administrative areas, including the towns of Nishigō, Izumizaki, Nakajima, and Yabuki, as well as parts of the former Higashi-Shirakawa district. Shirakawa is a historically significant city located in the southern part of Fukushima Prefecture, known for its role as a major post-station on the Ōshū Kaidō during the Edo period. Today, it functions as a regional commercial and transportation hub, with the Tōhoku Shinkansen providing rapid access to Tokyo and other major cities.

Dialing Formats

When calling a landline within the Shirakawa area, the area code is dialed only for calls originating from outside the local charging group. The local number format is a seven-digit subscriber number, making the complete domestic dialing sequence 02483-XXXXXX (where X represents the subscriber digits). For calls placed from other regions within Japan, the trunk prefix '0' is retained, so callers dial 02483-XXXXXX. International callers must replace the leading '0' with Japan's country code +81, resulting in the format +81 2483-XXXXXX (or +812483XXXXXX when dialed without spaces). It is important to note that the leading '0' is not included when dialing from abroad.

Regulatory and Technical Notes

The 2483 area code is classified as a geographic code under Japan's numbering plan, administered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and allocated to Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East (NTT East). Subscriber numbers are typically assigned to fixed-line services, including PSTN and IP-based telephony (e.g., Fiber-optic and ADSL services). As with all Japanese geographic codes, number portability is available, allowing subscribers to retain their numbers when switching between eligible fixed-line carriers, provided they remain within the same geographic area. The code is not overlaid with any other area code; therefore, local calls within the 2483 service area do not require an additional area code, and ten-digit dialing (including the trunk prefix) is used for all calls outside the local area.

Caller Instructions

For local callers within the Shirakawa area, dialing a number in the same charging group typically requires only the seven-digit subscriber number. However, to avoid confusion, many users still dial the full number with the area code. For callers from outside the area, always include the area code. International callers should use the +81 country code and omit the leading '0'. For example, to call a Shirakawa number from the United States, dial 011 81 2483-XXXXXX.