Shibata is a city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 December 2020, the city had an estimated population of 96,236 in 37,017 households, and a population density of 179 persons per km². The total area of the city was 533.10 square kilometres (205.83 sq mi).

Niigata Prefecture is a prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 and is the fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area at 12,584.18 km2 (4,858.78 sq mi). Niigata Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture to the southwest, Gunma Prefecture to the south, Fukushima Prefecture to the east, and Yamagata Prefecture to the northeast.