Reimagining water infrastructure for resilience and sustainability in JapanJul 8, 2025Various factors including poor water infrastructure threat...

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Reimagining water infrastructure for resilience and sustainability in Japan
Jul 8, 2025

Various factors including poor water infrastructure threaten water security in Japan.

Naoko Tochibayashi Communications Lead, Japan, World Economic Forum

An ageing demographic, declining revenues, regional disparities and poor water infrastructure threaten water security in Japan.

The government is improving oversight through data, innovation and public-private partnerships.
Major cities, such as Tokyo, are implementing ambitious environmental plans focused on decarbonization, renewable energy and ecosystem conservation.
Water is indispensable to life and livelihoods. The infrastructure that ensures its stable supply lies at the heart of societal resilience and sustainability.

According to the United Nations, only 0.5% of Earth’s water is freshwater accessible for human use and approximately 2.2 billion people still lack access to safely managed water.

Japan is relatively well-resourced, with around 430 billion cubic metres of water resources annually, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

However, water abundance does not automatically translate into secure access. Sustainable water management and supply depend on robust infrastructure, institutional framework, skilled personnel and the effective use of technology.

Today, Japan’s water utilities face significant challenges due to a rapidly ageing population and urban concentration. Much of the country’s infrastructure was built during the 1970s and is now in urgent need of maintenance and renewal.

At the same time, declining revenues from water charges, shortages in skilled workers and widening regional disparities are compounding the pressure. In response, national and local governments, along with private-sector partners, are advancing efforts to strengthen water systems and build long-term resilience.

In December 2024, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) released the Water Supply Performance Report, a dashboard visualizing the financial and seismic resilience of approximately 1,300 water utilities nationwide.

The data identified utilities unable to cover operational costs through revenue, as well as those operating facilities with seismic resistance rates below national standards.

As of 2022, the dashboard showed that approximately 46.5% of utilities had both revenue collection rates below 100% and seismic performance below average. Delays in infrastructure renewal and disaster preparedness are particularly acute in smaller municipalities.

To address this, the national government is conducting a nationwide survey of utilities and aims to release new guidelines by 2026. It also promotes regional integration, public-private partnerships and support for seismic retrofitting and energy-saving systems.

Sustainable water management in major cities
Metropolitan areas, including Tokyo and Osaka, home to tens of millions of people, require robust planning for both infrastructure and water sources management.

In March 2025, the Tokyo Metropolitan Waterworks Bureau introduced its new Environmental Five-Year Plan (2025–2029), based on four pillars: decarbonization, circular society, water-and-greens conservation and multistakeholder collaboration. The plan sets out 45 specific initiatives.

Among its most ambitious goals is reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 compared to 2000 levels and increasing the use of renewable energy to over 60%. The plan also emphasizes the protection of upstream forests, expanding green spaces in urban areas and environmental education in collaboration with local residents.

These efforts highlight how utilities in large cities can maintain reliable services while pursuing decarbonization and resilience.
SOURCE WEF:https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/07/japan-water-infrastructure-resilience-and-sustainability/

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