Abukuma River

View of the River

Lower reaches of the Abukuma at Kakuda, April 2005

The Abukuma (Japanese阿 武 隈 川, Abukuma -gawa ) is the second longest river in the Tōhoku region of Japan. It is 239 km long and has a catchment area of ​​5390 km ².

The source of the river is located on Mount Asahi (旭 岳, Asahi -dake ). He then runs eastward to Shirakawa, from there northwards.

This valley is the Nakadori (中通り, "middle road " ) called part of the Fukushima prefecture. Many small and medium-sized cities have developed in the valley, such as Shirakawa, Sukagawa, Kōriyama, and Nihonmatsu, Fukushima.

After crossing the vast Abukuma Highlands the river runs further in Miyagi Prefecture. Kakuda and Iwanuma are cities on the river bank. The estuary into the Pacific Ocean between Iwanuma and Watari.

As a result of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2013, increased concentrations of cesium in Abukuma and his mouth were found in summer. According to a report by the TV channel 3sat, the Japanese government has found a strong radioactive contamination of the Abukuma, this report considers, however, under lock and key