Flooding forecast areas are already designated and publicized for roughly 98% of the rivers concerned and 97% of municipalities within flood forecast areas already created flooding hazard maps (as of the end of March 2014).

The revision of the “Flood Control Act” in June 2013 led to the owner or administrator of underground malls designated by municipal regional disaster prevention plans, facilities for people with special needs, large-scale factories, and others to voluntarily create plans for to secure evacuation as well as create inundation prevention plans, implement training, and establish a self-staffed flood defense organization as part of their flood defense efforts. To strengthen the regional flood defense capabilities, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism not only allows for tax subsidies for inundation prevention facilities obtained in accordance with inundation prevention plans prepared as stipulated by this law but also establish the disaster information dissemination office established within the river-related office of Regional Development Bureaus and others across the nation as a contact point for businesses and others to support voluntary flood defense initiatives.

### g. 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. 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 fiscal year 2016, major river infrastructure administered by the nation will have long lifecycle plans by fiscal 2016. 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.

Following the partial revision of the “River Law” in June 2013, clarifies the need for the administrator of river management facilities or permitted structures to maintain river management facilities or permitted structures in good condition through maintenance and repair and also stipulates the absolute minimum technical standards that must be adhered to by all administrators regarding the maintenance and repair of a diverse array of river management facilities and others by decree.

### h. Measures Against Illegally Moored Vessels in Rivers

Illegally moored Vessels in rivers hamper flood control measures (interfere with the implementation of river works, obstruction of downward flow during floods, damage to river administration facilities, etc.) and other aspects of river administration (water contamination by fuel leakage, obstruction of river usage, etc.). Such illegally moored vessels are directed to move to legal mooring facilities or removed.

In May 2013, the “Promotion Plan for Comprehensive Measures for the Appropriate Management and Improvement of the Operation Environment of Pleasure Boats” was created to resolve the issue of abandoned vessels (illegally moored vessels). In December 2013 the River Law Enforcement Ordinance was amended to prohibit the act of abandoning vessels and other objects (effective April 1, 2014).