## 3 Multilateral and Bilateral International Negotiations and Collaborative Initiatives in Different Sectors

## (1) National Land Policy Sector

Director-general-level talks are regularly held with South Korea, and information concerning similar issues affecting both countries, such as in terms of national land policy, regional policy, and land policy is exchanged. The twentieth such meeting was held (by Japan) in August 2015. Opinions on national land policy and regional development policy are exchanged with France through the Secretariat (CGET, former DATAR, National Land Development and Regional Competitiveness Agency) of the French Land Equality Commission. Preparations for quickly concluding a technical cooperation agreement with Kuwait are being made in accordance with a memorandum of agreement to promote policy dialog pertaining to the formulation of a new national development plan, which was concluded with that country in 2013.

## (2) Water Sector

The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism chaired one of the Ministerial Roundtable titled ‘Integrated Water Resources Management’ under 7th World Water Forum, which was held in Republic of Korea in April 2015. In this and other ways, we have proactively engaged in discussions concerning water issues at various international conferences and have issued statements on reinforcing initiatives concerning water, sanitation, and disaster prevention.

Furthermore, Japan is coordinating efforts with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Network of Asian River Basin Organizations (NARBO) to contribute to the dissemination and promotion of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).

Bilateral meetings pertaining to rivers, sediment control facilities, and water resource management have been held with the United States, China, and South Korea to promote information exchange, technical cooperation, and other such outcomes.

In addition, the Water and Environmental Solution Hub, an alliance of local governments; the Japan Sewage Works Agency; the MLIT; and others has provided expertise on sewage works to developing countries through seminars, training, and other programs.

## (3) Disaster Prevention Sector

To reduce the occurrences of water disasters in the world, in addition to disseminating Japan’s experiences and technology, efforts are being made to establish solidarity regarding the strengthening of water disaster prevention measures in order to build an international consensus that disaster prevention is the key to sustainable development. The International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM), which was founded by a national research and development corporation known as the Public Works Research Institute, has engaged in the development of an integrated flood analysis system (IFAS) and rainfall-runoff-inundation (RRI) model, research on risk management, the cultivation of human resources through the use of the results of the foregoing, and the provision through UNESCO and Asian Development Bank projects of technical cooperation and international assistance for countries and regions susceptible to water damage.

In accordance with a letter exchanged in March 2013 between the EU’s General Office on Disaster Prevention and the MLIT, working level talks were held in December 2015 for the purpose of enhancing disaster prevention measures in place in both Japan and the EU. In November of the same year, the fourth Japan-Brazil Joint Committee on Cooperation in Science and Technology (Tokyo) was held. Superior sediment control technology possessed by Japan was introduced and information and opinions were exchanged. In addition, experts dispatched by MLIT have been providing technical advice on understanding disaster conditions and future countermeasures.

## (4) Road Sector

Japan has been proactively participating in various technical committees of The World Road Association (WRA) and spearheading the formulation of a future policy. At the twenty-fifth World Road Congress held in Seoul, South Korea, in November 2015, Initiatives for the Smart Use of Roads based on the use of ETC2.0 were introduced as part of a new Japanese road policy.