The Japan Water Forum serves as a member of the Follow-Up Committee under the Basic Act on Water Cycle (FU Committee), a subordinate organization under the Japan Parliamentary League for Water System Reform (Water League). From February 28 to March 2, 2025, members of the Water League and the FU Committee had an opportunity to visit the Noto Peninsula. I participated. The purpose of this visit was to hear the opinions of local residents regarding their water-related challenges following last year’s New Year’s day earthquake and subsequent heavy rains, in order to gain information useful as a reference for future water cycle policies. Approximately 20 participants, including parliamentary and committee members, joined in all or part of the three-day trip.
During the three days, we had various opportunities to talk with mayors, local government officials and residents in the Cities of Nanao, Wajima, Suzu, and the town of Noto, and learned a lot about local water-related conditions from the time of the disaster to the present. For example, we were told that toilets were a critical issue in evacuation centers during the disaster, even in Noto. If flush toilets couldn’t be used in evacuation centers, sanitary conditions would deteriorate rapidly. Toilets were also a major challenge in evacuation centers and for those displaced following the Great East Japan Earthquake 14 years ago.
Moreover, even if water pipes leading to the front of a house are restored, water won’t run out of the faucet if the pipes connected to those remain damaged. Residents have no access to the clean tap water they have taken for granted. The water that used to flow is gone. Providing proper water and sanitation is a basic necessity for schools and hospitals. Water and sanitation is, so to speak, synonymous with human security. In this way, SDG Goal 6, ‘Water and Sanitation,’ is not just an issue for developing countries – it is also a challenge for Japan.
Water is not only for drinking. It is also necessary for laundry and bathing, for firefighting, and for flushing toilets, among other uses. From agriculture to industry, commerce, and finance – there is no sector that doesn’t need water. During Japan’s years of rapid economic growth, extensive infrastructure was developed to provide for the various uses of water. But what happens if such infrastructure is damaged by a disaster? Preventive measures and the principle of Build Back Better (BBB) are essential to both hardware and software.
As we traveled through the Noto Satoyama Kaido, Wajima Port, Shiroyone Senmaida, and Nanao Bay, we experienced Noto’s rich natural environment, the globally important agricultural heritage of the Noto Satoyama and Satoumi area, and realized that Japan’s rapid economic growth era continues to the present. We also witnessed efforts to reopen inns and restaurants. Once again, we recognized how critical water is – not only during earthquakes, heavy rains, and other disasters, but also in sustaining local communities in an era of declining populations. Water underpins both nature and human livelihoods.
It may be challenging to achieve and maintain a sustainable and resilient society, however we believe that there are ways we can help achieve this with regards to water. This involves organically connecting themes such as water usage, sanitation, disasters, the environment, the economy, and culture, and by pursuing new initiatives. The Japan Water Forum will move forward with the aim of realizing a society based around a sound water cycle, in collaboration with a diverse group of people, through participation in the Water League and FU Committee, as well as through our own policy proposal activities.
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Japan Water Forum’s Statement of Determination at the occasion of the 20th anniversary of its estublishment
(Reported by Sayoko Kuwahara, Chief Manager )
