Reflections on flood control in Japan and recommendations for developing countries

This paper describes the discussions on flood control in Japan, recently adding climate change, and the activities of the Japan International Cooperation Agency for disaster risk reduction. JICA led the negotiations of the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, as a main member of the government of Japan. The Sustainable Development Goals’ demand to ‘leave no one behind’ requires that the social system protect even the poorest people who live in disaster-prone areas. Local disaster risk reduction planning plays an indispensable role; and JICA wrote an eight-step methodology to formulate these plans. The emphasis in each country needs to shift from planning to implementation.