Water-Resource Climate Guidelines: Toward Coordinated Basin Water Management

The impacts of climate change are expected to increase the number of days without precipitation and decrease snowfall and snow cover, raising concerns about worsening drought severity in the future. In FY2025, droughts caused by record low rainfall also occurred.

In light of these circumstances, efforts in basin-integrated water management, which involve all basin stakeholders working together to maximize the benefits of water and achieve other objectives, are considered important. To discuss issues among stakeholders and build consensus, a data-based shared understanding of the current and future status of water resources in the basin provides the foundation for discussion.

Using the guidelines is expected to help assess the impacts of climate change on water resources and advance discussions with basin stakeholders on adaptation measures.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism examined the impacts of climate change on water resources with the participation of academic experts and others, and compiled nationwide trends and basin-level assessment methods in the Guidelines for Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources.

The guidelines have been published on the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism website. The website also provides the background to the meetings of the Study Group on Adaptation Measures to Climate Change in the Water Resources Sector, which were held during their preparation.