[2] The line approximately parallels the Pacific coasts of Chiba, Ibaraki, and Fukushima Prefectures.

The section of the Jōban Line between Tomioka and Namie, which extends through the exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown, closed in the wake of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

After the line was nationalised in 1906, a program of double-tracking commenced in 1910, with the 219 km (136 mi) section between Nippori and Yotsukura completed in 1925.

Services resumed on the 9.4 km (5.8 mi) Haranomachi - Odaka section on 12 July 2016 and the 22.6 km (14.0 mi) Hamayoshida - Soma section was rebuilt at a higher, tsunami-proof level, and reopened on 10 December 2016, re-establishing the connection to Sendai for stations north of Odaka.

Trains that run beyond Toride are distinctly referred to as the Jōban Line (常磐線), without the term "Rapid".

Trains that are called Jōban Line (Rapid) cannot go beyond Toride, as their rolling stock cannot be powered by alternating current, which is the type of electrification that the section uses.

However, due to the damages caused after the disaster, the section between Tomioka to Harunomachi had to be closed down, and services were suspended.

This section, which extends through the exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown, was suspended after the 2011 disaster.

[21][22][23] JR East is currently inspecting the segment between Namie and Odaka in preparation for the surrounding areas being cleared for re-settlement.