List of rivers of Japan


Rivers of Japan are characterized by their relatively short lengths and considerably steep gradients due to the narrow and mountainous topography of the country. An often-cited quote is 'this is not a river, but a waterfall' by the Dutch engineer Johannis de Rijke who had visited the Jōganji River, Toyama Prefecture. The Mogami, the Fuji and the Kuma are regarded as the three most rapid rivers of Japan.
Typical rivers of Japan rise from mountainous forests and cut out deep V-shaped valleys in their upper reaches, and form alluvial plains in their lower reaches which enable the Japanese to cultivate rice fields and to set up cities. Most rivers are dammed to supply both water and electricity.
The longest river of Japan is the Shinano, which flows from Nagano to Niigata. The Tone has the largest watershed and serves water to more than 30 million inhabitants of Tokyo metropolitan area.

List of rivers in Japan

The list below is in geographical order. See also :Category:Rivers of Japan for an alphabetical list.

Hokkaidō

There are 326 rivers in Hokkaido including 13 class A river systems designated by the central government. See also :Category:Rivers of Hokkaido.

Class A rivers

There are 13 class A river systems as follows. Their tributaries are also listed. The class A rivers are administrated by Hokkaidō Regional Development Bureau.
The rivers that are classified as class B rivers.
The following table is a list of rivers of Hokkaidō by length.
RiverLength
Ishikari River
Teshio River
Tokachi River
Kushiro River
Yūbari River
Mu River
Shiribetsu River
Tokoro River
Abashiri River
Chitose River
Saru River
Akan River
Yūbetsu River
Shokotsu River
Niikappu River
Shiribeshi-Toshibetsu River
Shibetsu River
Toyohira River
Shizunai River
Rumoi River
Koetoi River
Mitsuishi River
Makomanai River
Anano River

Honshu

Tōhoku">Tōhoku Region">Tōhoku

First class rivers under the control of Tohoku Regional Bureau
Second class river
First class rivers under the control of Kanto Regional Bureau
First-class rivers under the control of Hokuriku Regional Bureau
Rivers that flow into the Sea of Japan:
Rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean:
First class rivers under control of Chubu Regional Bureau
The first class rivers under the control of Kinki Regional Bureau
The second class river
There are 13 Class A river systems in Chūgoku Region, which are under control of Chugoku Regional Bureau. See also :Category:Rivers of Tottori Prefecture, :Category:Rivers of Shimane Prefecture, :Category:Rivers of Hiroshima Prefecture, :Category:Rivers of Okayama Prefecture and :Category:Rivers of Yamaguchi Prefecture.
First class rivers under control of Shikoku Regional Bureau
First class rivers under control of Kyushu Regional Bureau