2026 Water Cycle White Paper | Chapter 6FY2025 Water Circulation White Paper: Public Awareness

This chapter, “Promoting Public Awareness Activities on the Water Cycle,” covers activities undertaken by the government in FY2025 as part of the measures described in the FY2026 Water Circulation White Paper to broaden understanding of and interest in a sound water cycle. It is organized into “Promoting Events Related to Water Day and Water Week,” “Strategic Information Dissemination,” “Support for Public Awareness Activities by Private Companies and Others,” and “Information Dissemination for Overseas Audiences.” It describes events, exhibitions, online communications, awards, and card distribution using forests, dams, water resources, sewerage, and agricultural water as topics.

The Basic Act on the Water Cycle designates August 1 as Water Day to deepen public understanding and interest. In FY2025, related events ranged from a central event, an essay contest, and awards for distinguished contributors to tours, lectures, and exhibitions in local areas. The national government, local governments, businesses, and private organizations worked together to communicate the significance of the water cycle to a broad audience, including younger generations.

The government focused on public awareness, particularly among younger generations, using social media and websites, sending Water Day ambassador Showerz to events, and releasing promotional videos.

More people are visiting dams to collect dam cards. Local governments and others use the cards to revitalize their regions and attract visitors to tourist facilities. Manhole cards promote awareness of sewerage’s role and encourage tourists and others to visit local areas, helping promote tourism.

Nature experience events in national parks and other locations provided opportunities to learn about the water environment. The waterside environmental activities platform enabled information sharing about initiatives by government bodies, companies, and organizations.

(Promoting Events Related to Water Day and Water Week) In FY2025, 345 related projects were carried out, and 199 facilities participated in the blue light-up, compared with 171 facilities in FY2024. Her Imperial Highness Princess Yohko attended the Water Symposium and the award ceremony for the All-Japan Junior High School Water Essay Contest on August 1 and delivered remarks. The Water Week central event featured lectures, a panel discussion, water workshops, and exhibitions. The 47th essay contest was for junior high school students, and outstanding works received awards including the Grand Prize (Prime Minister’s Award). Those award recipients receiving an award at or above the Excellence Award who wished to do so were offered a one-day experience as an office director. Other activities included the 40th Water Contact Photo Contest, grants for upstream-downstream exchange activities, tours of dams and water purification plants, lectures and exhibitions nationwide, and poster distribution.

(Strategic Information Dissemination) The period from July 21 to 31 was designated “Forest and Lake Appreciation Fortnight,” with tours of water source forests and dams held at forests and managed dams across Japan. Two individuals and five organizations with notable achievements, including sustained contributions to water resources administration, received Water Resources Distinguished Contributor Awards. Dam cards are produced for dams managed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Japan Water Agency, as well as some dams managed by local governments and power producers, and are distributed at management offices and nearby facilities. Card size and information are standardized nationwide, and the cards include photographs, dam type, reservoir capacity, and construction technology. Distribution began at 111 dams in July 2007 and had expanded to 832 dams as of January 16, 2026.

Manhole cards are card-format pamphlets jointly produced by local governments that manage the covers and the Sewerage Public Relations Platform. Since the first release in April 2016, 762 organizations nationwide had issued 1,221 types as of December 2025, with total issuance reaching about 21.3 million cards. The government supported the fifth photography contest on the rich rural landscapes shaped by water, and Water Benefits Cards, which explain the role of agricultural water facilities, began distribution on Water Day in 2016 and totaled 116 types as of the end of March 2026. For water source forests, a website shared information on the locations of the “One Hundred Selected Water Source Forests,” forest conditions, and water use in downstream areas.

(Support for Public Awareness Activities by Private Companies and Others) To advance efforts to maintain and restore a sound water cycle, the Water Project, launched in 2014, was renewed, and the Waterside Environmental Activities Platform website opened in May 2025. Official social media accounts were also newly established as part of efforts to strengthen initiatives that create a good environment, sharing activities by government bodies, companies, and organizations related to conserving and utilizing the water environment.

(Information Dissemination for Overseas Audiences) At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, the Grand Ring was illuminated in blue in August 2025, and an exhibition was held at Future Life Village in September. Animation, projection mapping, and other media introduced Japan’s technologies and expertise related to the water cycle, while panels from Shiga Prefecture, Azumino City, and Kumamoto City presented the distinctive history and culture of each area.