Kariwa (刈羽村, Kariwa-mura) is a village located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

Kariwa is located in central Niigata Prefecture, sandwiched between the cities of Nagaoka and Kashiwazaki, and consists of two discontinuous areas.

Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Kariwa peaked at around the year 1990, and has declined steadily since.

Likewise, on April 10, 1959 a part of neighbouring Futada village was absorbed into Kariwa A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit off the coast of Kashiwazaki, killing 10 people, and injuring more than 1,200, causing massive power outages.

The quake caused a fire at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in an electrical transformer, a leak of water from the spent fuel pool, and a host of other safety related events.