The concept and application of Japan’s dam upgrade programme

In 2017, The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan launched its ‘Vision to upgrade dams under operation’ (known as the Vision), which is a strategy describing a package of policies intended to utilize dams in operation more fully to cope with challenges such as climate change, changes in demands and the scarcity of new dam sites. This paper describes the Vision and projects resulting from it. The merits of upgrading, such as reduced environmental and social impacts and reduced cost and duration of works are highlighted.