Road geohazard risk management – Japan case study

This case study has been developed to capture Japan’s experience in road geohazard risk management and offers a way forward for low- and middle-income countries. It includes a discussion of the:

• Significant issues Japan overcame, such as the initially narrow scope of road management authorities and expansion of the mandate and planning for geohazard risk management in the road sector across various national and subnational governments
• Turning points in geohazard risk management, such as serious road geohazard incidents
• Development of critical institutional frameworks, such as passing key legislation and creating funding mechanisms
• Steps the governments took to identify hazardous locations, conduct risk evaluations, and implement needed structural and nonstructural measures such as an early warning system; and • Postdisaster response and recovery and preparedness for such reactive measures, including a contingency system.

The report provides key findings across each phase of the geohazard risk management process. For more details, please refer to the pages 72-73.

1. Institutional capacity and coordination.
2. Systems planning
3. Engineering and design
4. Operations and maintenance
5. Contingency programming