In line with the country’s generally steep topography, the rivers in Japan are characterized by steep riverbeds and short courses, and are thus prone to destructive flooding and severe droughts. These phenomena, along with the increasingly abnormal global weather, have resulted in almost yearly disasters caused by typhoons and localized torrential rainfall, and droughts, throughout Japan. Faced with the need to cut nationwide CO2 emissions in order to combat global warming, Japan is reconsidering hydroelectric power as a source of reusable clean energy. Under these circumstances, many dams have been constructed, improving the safety and lives of regional residents, yet more dams are needed to resolve challenges related to flood damage mitigation and development of water resources, and existing dams must be used more effectively.

Dams are large-scale important hydraulic structures that must be extremely safe and easy to operate. Advanced technologies are therefore required to overcome a variety of technological problems related to surveying, planning, designing, constructing, and managing dams. To secure effi cient implementation of dam projects and management of dams in the future, it is essential to advance our technologies while training highly skilled engineers.

In response to such needs, the Japan Dam Engineering Center (JDEC) was established on September 24, 1982 with the fi nancial support of 47 prefectural governments. The JDEC has helped stabilize the lives of the people of Japan by assisting in the construction and management of dams built by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, prefectures, and electric power companies.