## (b) Localized Downpours Measures

In recent years, due to flood damage caused by phenomenon such as concentrated heavy rains in localized areas, to ensure that residents can live safely even during localized heavy rains exceeding planned levels, a plan created with the support of residents (groups), private sector companies, and others that stipulates a comprehensive approach implemented to reduce flood damages known as the “100mm/h safe plan” is registered and initiatives to promote mitigation measures against flood damages are being implemented in addition to the development of rivers and sewerage.

## (c) Integrating Flood Control Measures with Land Use

In accordance with land use conditions, if it is an area prone to inundation disasters and more efficient and effective than developing a consecutive levee, integrated land use that combines the development of a circle levee Note and the regulation of land use through measures such as designation of disaster risk areas is combined in cooperation with local authorities to promote flood control measures.

## (d) Inner Water Measures

To prevent flooding through inner water inundation and strive for the healthy development of cities, the improvement of facilities such as sewer pipes and drainage pump stations are being promoted. However, in recent years, the frequency of concentrated downpours that far exceed planned scales increased rainwater drainage due to the advancement of urbanization, the increased complexity of the urban landscape including the concentration of population and wealth as well as the increased use of underground spaces make the risk of damage due to inner water inundation even greater. For this reason, measures such as integrated projects for the reduction of sewer flooding damages and integrated projects for inner water emergency measures are being utilized with the cooperation of relevant parties including regional authorities and affected residents to carry out structural measures such as proactively implementing rainwater drainage reduction facilities; non-structural measures such as providing rainfall information, land use regulations, and creation of inner water hazard maps; and self-help initiatives such as the placement of water stops and sandbags as well as evacuation activities in combination for the promotion of integrated flood measures.

### d. Strengthening the Flood Prevention Framework

In coordination with prefectures and flood prevention administration bodies, joint inspections of levees before flooding season, training exercises for communicating information, seminars for flood prevention technology, and flood prevention drills are carried out to ensure that areas requiring special attention are widely known and flood prevention technology is mastered from the perspective of flood prevention to assist the strengthening of a flood prevention framework that minimizes damages due to flooding.

In addition, in order to strengthen regional flood fighting capabilities through the participation of various entities, initiatives are supported to voluntarily secure evacuation and create inundation prevention plans in facilities such as underground malls in areas vulnerable to inundation, facilities for people with special needs, and large-scale factories. Specifically, underground malls are expected to be inundated through the connecting buildings, and therefore initiatives are carried out to promote creation of evacuation securement and inundation prevention plans.

### e. Publicizing Forecasts and Warnings of Flooding and Providing River Information

The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism or Prefectural Governor designate rivers with large river basins that are at risk of causing great damages to the nation's economy or other great losses as flood forecast rivers and issue flood forecasts indicating the water level or flood volume jointly with the Director-General of the Japan Meteorological Agency. Also, aside from flood forecast rivers, important middle to small rivers are designated as water level alert rivers and during floods, when the water level reaches flood warning levels (special caution water levels), this information is also released. As of the end of March 2015, there are 419 flood forecast rivers and 1,568 water level alert rivers.

The water level, rainfall volume, flood forecasts, flood prevention warnings and other river information is collected, processed, and edited in real-time and made available to river administrators, municipalities, residents, and others on the