from the perspective of flood prevention to protect lives and assets, to assist the creation of a flood prevention framework that minimizes damages.

Also, the “Flood Prevention Law” was revised following the Great East Japan Earthquake to newly establish special emergency flood prevention activities carried out directly by MLIT and this was implemented for the heavy rainfall disaster that occurred in Kyushu, July 2012 as well as disasters triggered by heavy rain in the Kinki Chubu region in August of the same year.

## ⑥ Strategic Maintenance and Management of Rivers

The condition of rivers and facilities are assessed and appropriate maintenance and management is carried out in accordance with any changes to ensure that the river administration facilities developed function as intended during floods and other situations.

In the course of river development carried out, the number of facilities such as levees, weirs, floodgates, and drainage pump stations under management greatly increased and the age degradation of these facilities is also advancing. Under these conditions, planned maintenance and management is being carried out in accordance with the “Technical Standards for River Works: Practical Guideline for Maintenance and Management (Rivers)” and for rivers administered by the nation, a “River Maintenance and Management Plan” was created in June 2012. Also, for river infrastructure, migration to condition-based maintenance is being implemented where degradation conditions and its progress is monitored through inspections so that measures are taken at appropriate moments as well as move to extending facility life cycles and renewal in a planned manner; the Priority Plan for Social Infrastructure Development states that by FY 2016, for major river infrastructure administered by the nation, 100% of these will create long lifecycle plans. In addition, necessary technological development for extending lifecycles will be furthered as well as deliberate in cooperation with prefectures on the technical standards for middle to small rivers administered by prefectures for appropriate maintenance and management in addition to technical support through permanent consultation services made available by regional development bureaus.

In recent years, the vegetation of rivers is drawing attention as a biomass resource, and an open type harvesting test guideline was drafted to make it widely available to the private sector for testing to begin.

In July 2012, for the purpose of conserving national land and securing the sustainable safety of regional society the “Subcommittee for Deliberating Future River Administration to Secure Sustainable Safety” was established under the Council for Social Infrastructure River Subcommittee to deliberate the future of river administration.

## ⑦ Measures Against Illegally Moored Vessels

Illegally moored vessels on the river obstruct the progress of river construction, block flow during floods, and cause damages to river administration facilities. Also, fuel leakage can cause water quality accidents and pollution in addition to obstructing access to other citizens, noise pollution, and destruction of scenery. Such illegally moored vessels are directed to move to legal mooring facilities or removed.

## Column

## Emergency Measures Based on the Emergency Inspection Results of River Levees

The heavy rainfall disaster in Kyushu that occurred in July 2012 resulted in unprecedented downpours across the region and the number of fatalities and missing persons reached 34 people and a great number of housing units were affected, causing great damages.

At rivers under national administration, ten rivers experienced unprecedented high water levels and the Kagetsu River of the Chikugo River System and the Yabe River of the Yabe River System experienced burst river levees in addition to other river levees overflowing for a total of seven rivers flooding. Large-scale disasters due to levees breaking in rivers under national administration last occurred in 2004 at Maruyama River (Toyooka city, Hyogo prefecture).

Regarding the cause of these disasters, for the Kagetsu River of the Chikugo River System was due to erosion and scouring from river water specific to rapid current rivers. Also for the Yabe River of the Yabe River System, levees broke after water levels went beyond the peak and leaked areas were discovered along with