Rivers in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

are classified according to criteria set by the , which was introduced in 1967. Rivers are designated as Class A or Class B river systems by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).

Class A rivers

is a designation applied to rivers and waterways deemed to be important to the economy of the nation as a whole, as well as those deemed important to the conservation of nature within Japan. There are currently 109 rivers with this designation.

List of Class A river systems

The number of dams only includes existing and unestablished dams that meet the criteria ( or more in bank height) of the River Law. The management entity is irrelevant. The number in parentheses is the number of dams on the main river, excluding tributaries. The number of dams does not always exceed the number of

hydroelectric plants Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

because plants with intake weirs less than high are not considered dams. The acronym ''BOD'' refers to biochemical oxygen demand.

Hokkaidō Development Bureau

Tōhoku Development Bureau

Kantō Development Bureau

Hokuriku Development Bureau

Chūbu Development Bureau

Kinki Development Bureau

Chūgoku Development Bureau

Shikoku Development Bureau

Kyūshū Development Bureau

Class B rivers

The smaller, but important rivers are designated as , nominated and managed by the local governments at the prefecture level, but reported to and concurred by the central government.

References

{{japan-law-stub Environmental law in Japan /