Original :Japanese (tentative translation)

Partial Revision of the Basic Plan on Water Cycle

The secretariat of the Headquarters for Water-Cycle
Policy, Cabinet Secretariat

Water Cycle Logo

The Secretariat of the Headquarters for Water Cycle Policy

Background (Amendment of the Basic Act on Water Cycle)
New groundwater trends

Chronology of groundwater issues
Large-scale land subsidence caused by excessive extraction of groundwater slows as a result of laws, ordinances,and other regulations on extraction.
Groundwaterlevel

Regulation of groundwater

Use as apumping through laws,
ordinance, etc.

valuable local
water source● Modern industrial development● Period of rapid economic growth*Extraction of large quantities ofToday
groundwater

About 100years ago

Subsidence, salination,and other groundwater
problems become social
issues.

Groundwaterlevel

Continuing issues

Future orientation

Although widespread subsidence and groundwater depletion have slowed, excessiveuse, contamination, and other groundwater-related issues continue to occur.

Preservation and use

Detailed response to
new issues and needs
related to groundwater

Falling groundwater level

Drying up of spring water
Source: Ono City

☆ 1956: Industrial Water Act☆ 1962: Act on the Regulation ofExtraction of Groundwater for Use
in Buildings

Maintenance/restoration of groundwater (tourist areas, specialty products)☆ Development of ordinances, etc., bylocal public agencies

Maintenance/restoration of groundwater in areas where water is a tourism resource

Kawasaki Coastal Industrial Zone (1970)

Late modern period to the present day

Time

Bottles, logo, and store display of “Hadano Meisui” water

Source: Website of Ono City Tourist Association

Challenges facing local public agencies
1.Clarifying the behavior of groundwater and understanding the water balance—which are fundamental factors to consider when establishing or strengthening restrictions—are difficult.
2.Even when local public agencies want to establish a groundwater council for consensus building or to enact or revise an ordinance, they lack the necessary information and know-how,which hinders consensus building and rulemaking in the community.

Amendment of the Basic Act on Water Cycle (June 2021)<Main amendment points>〇 Establishment of regulations concerning responsibilities
Clarification that “measures for proper groundwater preservation and use” are included in the responsibilities of the national and local public agencies, andthat cooperation with those measures is a responsibility of businesses and the public〇 Addition of stipulations concerning the “proper groundwater preservation and use” in basic measures
Addition of stipulations requiring the national government and local public agencies to make efforts to implement the following measures (1) to (3) and othernecessary measures to promote groundwater management*(1) Collection, organization, analysis, announcement, and preservation of information concerning groundwater
A resolution that included the following was attached during deliberations on the amended act by the Committee on Land(2) Establishment of councils concerning groundwater preservation and useand Transport of both the House of Representatives and House of Councilors.
(3) Restrictions on extraction of groundwater
The necessity of revising the Basic Plan on Water Cycle will be studied based on the amended act.
*Efforts to ascertain, analyze, and visualize the actual states of groundwater use and behavior, and to form and implement agreements in thecommunity with respect to the preservation of water volumes and water quality, recharge, extraction, and other factors.

1Partial Revision of the Basic Plan on Water Cycle (Main Points and Outline)
Main Revisions
The revision is a partial revision taking effect within the period of the current plan (2020-2024).
It establishes and arranges items for groundwater-related matters contained in the current plan in line with theintent of the Basic Act on Water Cycle’s June 2021 amendment and presents them as a comprehensive plan forgroundwater.
It also includes information on initiatives that have progressed following the current plan’s formulation.

Revision Outline
Introduction and Part 1 (Basic policies)•Additions and revisions to groundwater-related notations in relevant sections.
•Positioning of “proper groundwater preservation and use” as a priority within river basin management to further promote groundwater
management.
The composition of “proper groundwater preservation and use”

Part 2 (Water-cycle-related measures to be taken comprehensivelyIntroduction → Establishment of a groundwater management promotion
and systematically by the Japanese government)
platform, etc.
•Establishment of “Proper groundwater preservation and use” as a(1) Collection, organization, analysis, announcement, and preservation ofnew item.
information concerning groundwater→ Development of a groundwater database, etc.
•Description of measures in line with the Act’s provisions.
(2) Use of councils, etc., concerning proper groundwater preservation and use(3) Restrictions on extraction of groundwater and other necessary measures

Part 3 (What is needed to promote water-cycle-related measures comprehensively and systematically)•Additions and revisions to the descriptions of responsibilities of the national government, local public agencies, businesses, andmembers of the public based on the amended Act.
Progress made by actions following the current plan’s formulation (renewable energy and river basin flood control)•Addition/revision of notations concerning the following actions that progressed since the Basic Plan on Water Cycle’s previous revision:
1. Promotion of the introduction of renewable energy in water cycle policies based on Japan’s aim to achieve net-zero GHG
emissions by 2050
2. Promotion of initiatives based on the full enforcement of the Acts related to Disaster Resilience and Sustainability by All(November 2021)

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Partial Revision of the Basic Plan onWater Cycle: Main Content(1)1. Main initiatives for further promoting groundwater management (actions newly incorporated into the plan)
Development, publication, and application of agroundwater database
Users

Cloud server(Administrative/general)

Uploaded on XLS/CSV
Onlineviewing

Registration

Municipalities

Uploaded on XLS/CVS

Registration

Prefectures

Registration

Accumulated data
○ Groundwater-related
data
・Observatory data
・Groundwater level
・Groundwater quality
・Pumpage (extractedquantity)
・Spring water quantity○ Confirmation
groundwater status○ Use in water cycle
analyses
RainfallSnowfallSnow melt

Datadownload

Ev apotranspiration

Surface runoff
Exchange between rivers
and groundwater

Underground
penetration

National
government

Groundwater management promotion platform
Activities

Groundwater database

Surface water transmission
model
Groundwater = water

Members

Concerned bodies

Establishment and operation of a groundwater management promotion
platform

Accumulation of know-how for ordinance development,
groundwater analysis, etc.
Establishment of portal site Creation of advisor system Public awareness through seminars

Relatedgovernment
agencies
Measures/initiatives
for groundwater
preservation

Businesses(Companies, NPOs, etc.)

Cooperation in theareas of technology,
funding, humanresources

Consultation

Data accumulation/retrieval

Application of data

Support the ascertainment of groundwater status and issues ineach region and encourage local groundwater management efforts.
••
••
•
•

Leading local public agencies/
concerned organizations

Provision of know-how
for groundwater
analysis, etc.

Provision of case studies onadvanced efforts
Advice on groundwater preservation(Including SIP, academicsocieties, etc.)

Councils, etc.

Groundwater model

Conceptual image of database
Observation/collection

Universities/
research institutes

SupportLocal public agencies that are attempting to engage in groundwater management

Support local public agencies across the country that are attempting to develop
ordinances that address local issues and analyze groundwater.

Promotion of research on clarification of the actual groundwater status through the use of emergency groundwater
usage systems and other means
Mutual cooperation with parties concerned with land use, etc., in the operation of the groundwater councils
Provision information effective in the preparation of ordinances
Publicity/awareness raising concerning groundwater
Promotion of initiatives to reduce nitrogen burdens in areas where groundwater contamination by nitrate nitrogen, etc.,
has occurred
Promotion of use of geothermal heat (use of groundwater heat) that contributes to decarbonization, etc.

◎ Resolutions concerning the proposed partial amendmentof the Basic Act on the Water Cycle*• Promote the development of a groundwater database forthe consolidation and mutual use of observation datafrom local public agencies to promote groundwater
management.
• Provide necessary advice and other support to local
public agencies for the preparation of ordinances, etc.
*Overview of relevant sections

2. Main details of revisions on initiatives in progress<Promotion of the introduction of renewable energy in water cycle measures>
Promotion of the introduction of various forms of renewable energy associated with the water cycle based on the Plan for Global Warming Countermeasures, etc.
<River basin flood control>
Appropriate adaptation of notations based on the intent of the Acts related to Disaster Resilience and Sustainability by All, which brought into full enforcement inNovember 2021, and the fact that River Basin Disaster Resilience and Sustainability by All is a part of water cycle policies

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