Mr. Yoshihiko MISONO has handed over his assignments as Executive Director of Japan Water Works Association to next generation on October 27, 2011 at the 80th Annual General Assembly of JWWA held in Kitakyushu City, Japan.

Dr. Masaru Ozaki, former Director General of Tokyo Metropolitan Waterworks Bureau has succeeded its position on October 28, 2011.

At the inauguration speech on October 31, 2011, when he has confirmed of its mission as a leader of Japanese water sectors and expressed that he will put his utmost efforts to take an initiative to work on challenges what Japanese water sectors, in particular, water utilities face towards future through in collaboration with academia and water industries and JWWA’s good team-work as well.

Profile of Dr. Masaru Ozaki;
Before he joined JWWA, he had been the Director General of Tokyo Metropolitan Waterworks Bureau (TMWB) that supplies drinking water to 12 million people. He started his career on TMWB, one of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s self-sufficient entity, in 1976 after completing his education, BA of civil engineer at Musashi Institute of Technology.He holds a Doctoral degree from Tokyo Metropolitan University.
He had accumulated his careers of TMWB in the field of design, planning, purification before he served as Chief Engineer.

Korea Water and Wastewater Works Association (KWWA) and Chinese Taiwan Water Works Association(CTWWA) have donated money through Japan Water Works Association to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

On be half of Japan Water Works Association, I heartily appreciate their kind offer of support, which encourage us to pull together to get through serious occasion and to find a new path to move on.

All funds will be transferred to JWWA’s local body to make use of its further relief activities in collaboration with water utilities and the like.
JWWA thanks a lot for sharing information on progress with you all:

People in the Tohoku region are gradually advancing towards recovery.
While devoted efforts to restore tap water supply continue, and number of households without tap water re-declined to 140,000 in seven suffered prefectures as of April 17, 2011, after twice of strong aftershocks.
Households restored to access safe tap water also came up to 2.12 millions.

Tokyoites have been carrying on with their busy, yet calm daily lives.
For the moment, I am pleased to assure that The 4th IWA-ASPIRE in Tokyo is held in coming October as scheduled and encourage secretariat staffs keep putting their utmost efforts to make the 4th conference fruitful and success for participants.

With kind regards,
Yoshihiko Misono
Executive Director
Japan Water Works Association
(April 19,2011)

A month marked since disasters struck on March 11, in Tohoku region.

A strong aftershock with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 or beyond jolted east and northeast Japan twice on April 7 and 11 respectively.

While devoted efforts to restore tap water supply continue, but number of households without tap water rebounded to 320,000 in nine suffered prefectures as of April 12, 2011, due to twice of aftershock.
Households restored to access safe tap water also came down to 1.98 millions.

JWWA thanks a lot for sharing information on progress with you all.

Mr. Yoshihiko Misono, executive director of Japan Water Works Association, will speak June 13 at ACE 11(American Water Works Association’s annual conference 2011) Opening General Session in Washington D.C.

With kind regards,
Japan Water Works Association
(April 12,2011)

【Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare】 Radioactive materials in tap water is one of serious focal points, this link will help you find the latest information.

Today marks 26 days since the earthquake and tsunami hit Tohoku region.
Since then JWWA in collaboration with water sectors across the nation put the utmost efforts to restore tap water supply and relief activities.

Thanks to their devoted efforts the number of households without tap water declined to 170,000 in 8 suffered prefectures as of April 4, 2011.

On the contrary, 1.99 millions of households have been restored to access safe tap water.
However, medias in the world reported nuclear power plants situations remain uncertain, and devastated areas ravaged by tsunami inaccessible in terms of water sectors relieves.

JWWA has dispatched staffs to three prefectures such as IWATE, MIYAGI, and FUKUSHIMA and shifted its relief activities from temporary water supply at 2,300 evacuation sites to area surveys without water and restoration planning.
JWWA thanks a lot for sharing information on progress with you all.
Here in Tokyo cherry blossoms are in full bloom close to JWWA office.

With kind regards,
Japan Water Works Association
(April 4,2011)

【Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare】Radioactive materials in tap water is one of serious focal points.

【World Health Organization】FAQs: Japan nuclear concerns

Today mqrks three weeks since the earthquake hit and tsunami that followed.

Thanks to continuous efforts by utilities, the number of households without tap
water declined to 260,000 as of March 31, 2011.Households with tap water restored
up to 1.89 millions.

JWWA has secured 520 trucks with water tank in collaboration with 400 water utilities nationwide, of which 320 trucks put into operations in 6 prefectures, more than 50 % of them focused in Miyagi prefecture.

According to survey results on radioactive detected in tap water, radiation-tainted water found in Fukushima, Ibaragi, Tochigi, Chiba and Tokyo.

Water utilities in these prefectures have advised that people in particular infants should refrain from drinking tap water, due to it went beyond the recommended limit of 100 becquerels per liter for infants and 300 for anyone older.
But following the latest findings it will no longer warn against consumption of tap water in the Tokyo metropolitan area and other prefectures but Iitate, Fukushima as of March 30, 2011.

The government notified that water utilities should take realistic approach controlling intake volumes including suspension in particular after it rained.
Mr. Misono, Executive Director of JWWA has visited the earthquake-hit regions including meeting with mayors and confirmed a path ahead by relief teams, and appreciated for their efforts to date.

Based on local information, he indicated the next step on how and where to restore safe tap water supply as early as possible and asked that relief activities should further strengthen, focusing on places where behind schedule areas to recover, due to affected by nuclear power plants situations.

Situation remains tough in damaged area, rolling blackout accepted daily here and there, under these circumstances, cherry blossoms start bloom near JWWA office. We found it this morning. Spring comes around us again, and new fiscal year starts.

We thank you a lot for being with us.

With best regards,
Japan Water Works Association
(April 1.2011)

【Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare】Detection of radioactive materials in tap water has been press released to date.

I would firstly like to express my most sincere appreciation for the concerns and sympathy from approximately 30 countries, more than 10 water associations and people all around the world in response to the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake.

Today marks twelve days since the earthquake struck, JWWA is able to share the followings information with you all.

Situations remain tense and tough to help suffered people access to safe drinking water there, however according to the latest JWWA information, the number of water suspended households declined to 740,000 (as of March 23, 2011)

In other words, the number of households getting tap water came up to 1.34 millions, due to utmost efforts by water utilities having damaged pipes repaired to date.

JWWA in collaboration with water utilities nationwide have dispatched staffs to devastated regions focusing on three prefectures such as Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima. They have engaged in helping people access to tap water as an urgent assignments, followed by research works on water suspension areas and its recovery planning toward future.

JWWA has been required to dispatch trucks with water tank to the region, in collaboration with 361 water utilities, it has acquired 462 trucks, of which 311 trucks have been in action there.

Radioactive iodine detected in tap water in several cities in Fukushima prefecture, the government reported.

The Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry notified 6 municipalities through Fukushima prefecture that people in particular infant should refrain from drinking tap water. And the each of municipalities has informed its people of refraining from drinking tap water.

JWWA has made a brief sheet of Q/A on radioactive materials in tap water, due to utilities should respond to the queries from customers.

With kind regards,

Yoshihiko MISONO
Executive Director
Japan Water Works Association
(March 23,2011)

Staffs of Japan Water Works Association are all safe.
We really appreciate expressions of sympathy and moral support extended from water professionals, water associations as well in the world, which encourages us to manage and get through this serious situation.

JWWA has set up an emergency headquarters to collect information and arrange relief teams. These teams are collaborating with our JWWA Regional Branch and utilities to provide water-impacted areas.

At present, more than 300 trucks with water tanks are headed to the devastated regions. However, there are unprecedented conditions, including traffic, cold weather and the uncertainty of the nuclear power plant situation.

We are putting our utmost effort into providing the suffering local people access to safe water.

As of at 0:30 on March 17, 2011, the number of water suspended households came up to 1.6 million over 12 earthquake hit prefectures.

With kind regards,

Yoshihiko MISONO
Executive Director
Japan Water Works Association

【Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet】Latest Transcript of Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary

【NHK World】NHK has been providing updated information in relation to the earthquake in 16 languages other than Japanese.

The Japan Water Works Association (JWWA) held the 78th JWWA General Assembly Meeting in November 11 – 13, 2009, in Sakai city (Osaka prefecture), Japan.
The meeting acknowledged the JFY2008 financial reports and approved JFY2010 budget. In addition, the meeting discussed challenges what utilities face. The number of participant registered 1700.

In September 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) took office, and then the JFY 2010 budget request from each ministry had to be resubmitted to the Ministry of Finance. In December, the Cabinet had decided to set its draft budget as 73,660 million yen in water supply sector which included national subsidies to water utilities. The amount was decreased to 76.9% of the previous year. The government subsidies had been reviewed under the new ruling party based on evaluation result of “Jigyo-Shiwake”, i.e. budget screening method newly adopted by the politics initiative of DPJ. According to the politics initiative, only the Secretary-General’s office of DPJ treats interest groups’ request for budget or policy. That had been done by each ministry under the previous ruling party. On the same line, only political appointed executives of government’s ministries are admitted to express government’s policy according to a ruling party’s directive. At the JWWA’s general assembly meeting in November a representative of Ministry, who was not the member of political appointed, did not express the Ministry’s view. That had changed from previous general assembly meetings' practice.

In July and August, 2009, Japan was hit by frequent typhoons and localized torrential rains. Western Japan suffered particularly heavy damage, with water facilities flooded and water supply suspended. Yamaguchi City, the capital city of Yamaguchi Prefecture was hit by record rainfall and the river adjacent to the purification plant flooded, affecting water pumps and electric equipment and leading to the suspension of water supply to large areas. JWWA’s Chugoku Shikoku regional branch and Yamaguchi prefecture branch sent emergency water supply trucks.

It is 120 years since the establishment of modern waterworks in Japan. Japanese waterworks facilities were developed intensively during the country's period of rapid growth and it is now time for the most extensive rehabilitation, replacement and upgrade project ever undertaken. Waterworks utilities need to make appropriate investments for such project. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare developed a set of guidelines to ensure widespread understanding of the significance of asset management. In July 2009, the Water Supply Division of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare relesed “Guidelines for Asset Management for Waterworks Utilities”. The guidelines emphasized the importance of systematic rehabilitation, replacement and upgrades of facilities and the securing of funding from medium- to long-term perspectives.

In July 2009, the Japan Water Works Association revised its “Guidelines and Instructions for Earthquake-Resistant Construction Methods for Waterworks Facilities” for the first time in 12 years. The new revision incorporated the latest findings based on lessons learned from large earthquakes such as the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake and the development of new analysis technologies. The new guidelines are to be used in the construction of new facilities and will further facilitate the efforts of water utilities to build earthquake-resistant facilities at the earliest date possible.

The nation-wide Annual Waterworks Week starts from June 1 to 7.The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and municipal water utilities hold various kinds of events during the week with cooperation of JWWA (Japan Water Works Association).
Key ideas behind this event can be said that it helps customers to further deepen their understanding about water services and become awareness on preciousness of water for their daily lives.
In 2009, the message of the campaign says,
“How tasty, isn’t it tap water!
Precious water, let’s preserve it for next generations!!”

Water supply utilities management including water tariff setting is closely related to people’s daily life. So water utilities should provide people with enough information on them so as to further deepen their understandings. In reality, there are few small-scale water utilities to cope with these P.R. practices.
JWWA’s PR Special Research Committee sent out questionnaires to water utilities nationwide and made report on their PR activities. The committee also published a PR manual for water utilities, which consisted various kinds of PR tools, their characteristics and how to use of them.

The Japan Water Works Association (JWWA) held the 60th Annual Conference and Symposium during 20 – 22 May 2009, in Saitama city, Japan. 284 study reports, which classified into 10 categories, namely, Management, Planning, Purification, Water Quality, etc. were submitted for the conference. The conference attracted 1,500 participants from across the nation. This is one of the main activities held by JWWA, hosted by prefectual capital cities in their turns.
It has originally started as the Conference for Research and Study of Waterworks and Sewerage since 1950.
In 1964 Japan Sewerage Water Association became separated from JWWA, at the General Assembly Meeting held in Sapporo city. Since then JWWA has organized the conference by its own.

In April 2009, the government instructed waterworks utilities to check supply systems and promote awareness of H1N1 influenza. The Water Supply Division of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare shared methods for combating H1N1 influenza in its “Guidelines for Preventing the Spread of H1N1 Influenza for Waterworks Utilities.”

In recent years, environmental problems such as global warming have become very important issues. Water utilities are required to preserve environment CSR (corporate social responsibility).
The Machinery, Electricity and Instrumentation Technical Committee of Japan Water Works Association (JWWA) published “Present Energy Conservation for Water Supply Facilities 2009”.This report aims to help, have water utilities to promote energy conservation methods on practical basis so as to solve energy-related issues what they face.

“Team Water Japan” was launched to address both domestic and global water problems by gathering the wisdom of various experts under the leadership of the political power, beyond administrative and corporate frameworks. The Water Security Council of JAPAN was founded to support the activities of Team Water Japan, and the Japan Water Works Association (JWWA) also decided to participate in the initiative. In order to make an international contribution to waterworks development, it is important to solve domestic issues faced by water utilities and develop a robust base for management.
JWWA set up “Team-Water Services for Life-Japan” to facilitates public and private collaboration and consolidation/regionalization of water utilities in order to strengthen the base of waterworks management, while resolutely maintaining public entity. It also helps increase the international competitiveness of the waterworks industry in response to the current trend toward globalization.
In October 2009, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry established and held the first meeting of the Global Water Business Study Group, to investigate the international operation of water business.

Link to relevant web page on Team Water JAPAN