Greater Tokyo Region (Japan)
[Based on information provided by the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management - Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan (NILIM-MLIT)]
Background
The Japanese archipelago (consisting of four major islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and about
3,900 smaller islands) lies on the eastern coast of the
Asian continent. It stretches in a narrow arc that is
3,800 kilometres long, ranging from 20.25' to 45.33'
north latitude between the North Pacific Ocean and the
Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula. Japan's total area of 377,815 square kilometres, represents less
than 0.3% of the world's land area with a total population of about 125 million. Japan's complex topography
presents a contrast to its relatively mild climate, providing the landscape with beautiful and at times dramatic
scenery including snow-fed mountain lakes, rocky
gorges and turbulent rivers, rugged peaks, graceful waterfalls, and a long irregular coastline with many small Map prepared for the World Water Asbut excellent harbours. Mountains account for about 71% sessment Programme by AFDEC.
of Japan's total land area. More than 532 of these mountains reach over 2,000 meters high; Mount Fuji is the tallest and rises 3,776 meters.
The islands of Japan lie in the temperate zone and at the northeastern end of the monsoon area that reaches from Japan
through the Korean Peninsula, China, and Southeast Asia to as
far as India. The climate is generally mild, though it varies considerably from place to place, largely due to the continental air
currents from the northwest that dominate the winter weather
and the oceanic air currents from the southeast that prevail in
the summer season. Spring and autumn are the best seasons of
the year, with balmy days and sunshine across the country, although September brings
typhoons, which may strike inland with their torrential rains and violent winds. The annual
average rainfall across the country ranges from 1,000 to 2,500 millimetres a year.
Tokyo, the capital city, located at almost the same latitude as Athens, Los Angeles, and
Tehran, enjoys a relatively mild winter with low humidity and occasional snow, in contrast
to the high temperatures and humidity of the summer season with an annual average rainfall of about 1500 mm.
Source: World Water Assessment Programme, 2003, UN World Water Development Report 1: Water for People, Water for Life; Paris, UNESCO and New York, Berghahn
Books, Chapter 22: Greater Tokyo, Japan, p. 481-498.
© UNESCO 2003. All rights reserved. For more information, visit www.unesco.org/water/wwap.
1
Greater Tokyo Region
The Tokyo Region of WWAP includes 5
river basins, namely Tone river, Ara river,
Tama river, Sagami river, Tsurumi river.
The total area covered by the 5 river basins is about 22 600 km2 with a total
population of 27 million inhabitants and
assets worth about 3,3 trillion US dollars.
Despite worldwide acknowledgement of its
"best practices" in water resources management and environmental protection,
the Tokyo Region is well known for its water stress and vulnerability to water related disasters including flood (e.g., sub-basins of the Tone rivers), drought (e.g., Ara
river) and water quality deterioration (e.g., sub-basin of the Tone river).
The region has been selected as a Pilot Case Study for WWAP. The contribution provides an
interesting example because it combines small river basins and a Mega City scale. The Tokyo Region Pilot Case Study of WWAP is led by the Japanese Government represented actively by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, and co-ordinated by the Secretariat of the Third Word Water Forum in Tokyo.
Useful links
Read the complete case study,
velopment Report (WWDR1)
published in the first edition of the UN World Water De-
To know more about the Greater Tokyo Region, here is a list of interesting projects and
organizations:
•
Ministry of the Environment of Japan- [in english and japanese]
•
River Administration in Japan (part of the MLIT site)
The UN World Water Development Report, coordinated by the UN World Water Assessment
Programme, is a joint effort of the 26 UN agencies and entities which make up UN-Water,
working in partnership with governments, international organizations, non-governmental
organizations and other stakeholders.
For more information, visit our website at www.unesco.org/water/wwap.
Source: World Water Assessment Programme, 2003, UN World Water Development Report 1: Water for People, Water for Life; Paris, UNESCO and New York, Berghahn
Books, Chapter 22: Greater Tokyo, Japan, p. 481-498.
© UNESCO 2003. All rights reserved. For more information, visit www.unesco.org/water/wwap.
2