Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Shōbara was established within Mikami District, Hiroshima with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

On March 31, 1954 Shōbara merged with the villages of Takamura, Honda, Shikinobu, Yamauchi-Higashi, Yamauchi-Nishi, and Yamauchi-Kita and was raised to city status.

Shōbara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 20 members.

In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Hiroshima 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

The main economic activities in Shōbara are agriculture, mining (kaolinite, limestone) and hydroelectric power generation.