From among the information published by national research institutes, we pick up and introduce the research results and information on adaptation which contribute to promote local adaptation measures and adaptation business development.
※ Regarding the subject areas In order to promote adaptation to climate change in Japan, the seven major areas in which impacts of climate change have already occurred or are likely to occur, as specified in the "Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts Plan" formulated in 2015.
Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries
Water Environment and Water Resources
Natural Ecosystems
Natural Disasters and Coastal Areas
Human Health
Industrial and economic activities
Life of Citizenry and Urban Life
General adaptation
JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development
A research paper was published as a result of the research project "Research on Estimating Infrastructure Demand in Asia". The paper discusses the usefulness of flood control investment in the Tokyo metropolitan area, analyzing the flood damage caused by Typhoon No. 19, which was accompanied by record-breaking heavy rainfall in October 2019. (May 25, 2021)
"About the Age of With Corona Thinking Through Global Environmental Issues-Report from Future Earth Japan-" was held, and reports and opinions were exchanged from two researchers. (July 8, 2020)
National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience
This project leverages various kinds of cutting-edge sensing (measurement) devices, and focuses on the Tokyo Metropolitan Region where disasters can easily cascade. It also uses simulation technologies extensively.(Renewal from time to time)
Although snow and ice disasters have been statistically predicted based on weather and wind speed, this project is developing a new prediction system using the laws of physics.
At LCS, we draw a bright and prosperous image of a zero-emission society, and consider scenarios and strategies for its realization.(Renewal from time to time)
In the future, the results of this research will be used as a starting point for the establishment of technology to convert electricity derived from renewable energy sources into formic acid using CO2 for transportation and storage, which is expected to contribute greatly to solving energy and global warming problems. (March 4, 2021)
Toward carbon neutrality, there is a need to develop storage and transportation technologies for liquid hydrogen that can store hydrogen, a clean energy source, at the highest density. (Feb. 19, 2021)
The production of hydrogen by water splitting using renewable energy is attracting a great deal of attention as a technology that will greatly contribute to the realization of zero CO2 emissions. We have succeeded in realizing low-cost and high-performance water electrolysis compared to conventional methods. (Feb. 17, 2021)
By increasing one gene in rice (cell membrane proton pump), we have succeeded in increasing rice yield by more than 30 percent in outdoor paddy fields. It is expected to reduce the use of fertilizer, which is a cause of carbon dioxide and environmental pollution. (February 2, 2021)
Coating-type organic thin-film solar cells (OPVs) are attracting attention as next-generation solar cells that reduce costs and environmental burdens and open up new applications that are difficult to realize with the currently popular inorganic solar cells. (November 25, 2020)
Technology has been developed that can significantly reduce the energy required to recover and use carbon dioxide from the exhaust gas of thermal power plants. (June 3, 2020)
The Comprehensive Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Research Team aims to be a bridge between science and administration, and aims at large-scale numerical simulations of disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and concentrated heavy rains targeting actual cities in Kobe City and Hyogo Prefecture.(Renewal from time to time)
We have succeeded in enlarging the size of Siomizus tsubo-worm, which is the food for cultured tuna fingerlings. This research result is expected to contribute to the improvement of the survival rate and the optimization of the growth of fingerlings in the aquaculture business where various sizes of live food are required. (January 15, 2021)
Aiming at the sophistication of precipitation forecasting, we have developed a global precipitation forecasting system based on precipitation nowcast and numerical weather forecasting. Furthermore, by integrating these two forecast data, we have realized precipitation forecasts around the world up to 5 days later. (August 20, 2020)
World Rain Over The World Real Time (GSMaP_NOW) uses data from multiple earth observation satellites in Japan and around the world to create and visualize the state of the world rain distribution and publish it in real time every 30 minutes.(Renewal from time to time)
In this joint research, we will try to solve the technical problems of 3D mapping in forest areas covered with trees and vegetation, as well as to improve the accuracy of 3D maps to be used in various fields including disaster prevention. (March 26, 2021)
Through this collaboration, JAXA and FAOs will begin monitoring worldwide forests and mangroves using JAXA's L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites. (January 23, 2020)
General indications
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
This site summarizes examples of SDGs initiatives through research by JAMSTEC, such as marine plastic waste and simulation of the hot environment in coastal urban areas by MSSG.(Renewal from time to time)
Since plastic is not decomposed by living organisms, there are concerns about its impact on the ecosystem, and countries around the world are working to understand the actual situation of marine litter pollution and to prevent its discharge. The bottom of the deep sea is thought to be the final accumulation site, but the actual situation is not well understood. (March 30, 2021)
An ocean heat wave is a phenomenon in which seawater temperature rises rapidly over a period of several days to several years, and the frequency of such waves has increased significantly over the past 100 years. The frequency of these events has increased significantly over the past 100 years, and the catch of yellowtail on the Pacific side of Hokkaido has increased rapidly since 2010. (January 14, 2021)
River heat input, as determined by river water flow and temperature into the Arctic Ocean, is greatest in early summer (July). In the Lena River in East Siberia, river water temperature has recently risen to nearly 20°C, compared to 12-13°C in August in the 1960s. (Nov. 7, 2020)
JAMSTEC clarified from high-precision observations in Nagasaki Prefecture and Fukue Island that the amount of black carbon emissions from the joint study Chinese by JAMSTEC, Kobe University, National Institute for Environmental Studies, and others has decreased rapidly by 40% over the last 10 years. (June 5, 2020)
From June 1st, we started Japan's largest Arctic research project. With the aim of realizing a sustainable society, we will promote advanced research such as grasping the actual conditions of environmental changes in the Arctic region, elucidating processes, and advancing meteorological and climate prediction. (June 17, 2020)
The National Institute of Public Health's adaptation efforts and reviews based on various perspectives (public health, heat-related diseases / deaths, infectious diseases, water supply systems, construction and indoor environment, heat environment measures) are posted. (December 2020)
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
Division of Climate Change is a new division of the Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO for investigating various issues on climate change in the agricultural sector. Ultimate goal is to contribute for setting a vision for agriculture under climate change.
Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences
The adopted proposals are "Creation of Tropical Forest Resilience through the Use and Management of Forest Genetic Resources for Climate Change Adaptation" and "Establishment of a Wheat Cultivation System with Excellent Nitrogen Utilization Efficiency in the Hindustan Plains Using Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI) Technology (Biological Resources Field)" (May 21, 2021).
An interdisciplinary project team, including the International Agricultural Research Institute and Yezin Agricultural University, worked to develop a weather index insurance (WII) policy for rice farmers in disaster-prone coastal Myanmar by measuring the frequency of cyclone landfall and salt damage, identifying the demand for insurance by disaster, and designing the policy for sustainable agricultural management (June 30, 2021).
It was found that if we can conserve biodiversity by preventing global warming, we can further promote climate stabilization by increasing carbon absorption by biodiversity. The economic evaluation of the benefits of promoting both climate stabilization and biodiversity conservation was also conducted, and the importance of paying attention to the good relationship between the two (stabilization feedback) in future international policies was emphasized. (June 10, 2021)
A high-resolution, 1km×1km mesh size is used to create a national pine-blight risk map. It can be used for measures to conserve pine in the affected areas, management plans for important pine forests in various areas in Japan, and planning of adaptation measures to cope with the risk of damage to forest diseases and insects. (April 14, 2020)
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
・Estimate the impact of population changes on temperature and power consumption with "Urban Climate Model + Population Data" ・By refraining from going out with the new corona, the temperature in the office district has dropped by 0.13 ° C and power consumption has dropped by 40%. (November 6, 2020)
Meteorological Research Institute participated in the Model Intercomparison Project (ScenarioMIP) to predict the climate of the 21st century using the latest earth system model, MRI-ESM2.0, and contributed to increasing the reliability of the assessment. (March 18, 2021) Contributed to an international collaborative study to predict the climate of the 21st century according to future scenarios.
This department analyzes various observational data related to physical and biogeochemical phenomena in the atmosphere and oceans, such as greenhouse gas variations and numerical model simulation representing and predicting climate change based on various perspectives.
Focus is placed on the worldwide provision of meteorological information for public safety and security. In addition to enhancing weather forecast accuracy, the organization collaborates and interacts with experts in various fields for appropriate utilization of meteorological information in consideration of forecast uncertainty.
Meteorological Research Institute evaluated the impact of the rise in air temperature and sea surface temperature due to the increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions on the heavy rainfall in the Kanto Koshin region due to the Typhoon Hagiwara (Typhoon No. 19) in the first year of Reiwa. (December 24, 2020)
National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management
The National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (NILIM) considered it an immediate task to identify the effects of global warming on people in relation to flood disasters, present various technical policies adapted to climate change and develop and spread technologies to implement the policies, and established the Climate Change Adaptation Research Group on April 1, 2009.
The following studies related to adaptation are presented. ・Changes in rainfall for river planning due to climate change ・Eliminating Flood Risk Information for Small and Medium Rivers ・Development of methods to assess flood risk and promote the introduction of measures for houses and household goods (April, 2020)
On June 25, 2021, the Fifth United Nations Special Theme Meeting on Water and Disaster (STSWD5) was held online, and a Science and Technology Panel (S&T Panel) was organized by ICHARM prior to the plenary session. (June 30, 2021)
In light of the recent frequent occurrence of floods throughout Japan, we have prepared and published a collection of "Hiyari-Hatto (near-miss) case studies on flood response" with the aim of improving the disaster response capabilities of local government departments in charge of disaster prevention. (June 25, 2021)
Orientation Seminar on Climate Change Adaptation was held in Surakarta, Indonesia, using the Solo River Basin as a pilot case to develop adaptation measures against climate change. (March 19, 2020)
AP-PLAT aims to serve as the online go-to place for climate change risk information to support effective climate risk management through adaptation. The Platform is designed to be a place for sharing and collaboration among all relevant stakeholders such as national and local governments, private businesses, and individuals. AP-PLAT partners are working together to fully establish the Platform.(Renewal from time to time)
A manual has been prepared as a reference for local governments aiming to become "carbon neutral" or "zero carbon," which means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to virtually zero, to set specific goals and formulate action plans. (March 5, 2021)
Although CH4 in the atmosphere is involved in chemical reactions that contribute to climate change and air pollution caused by human activities, there has been no consensus scientific opinion on the cause of the variation in the rate of increase in atmospheric concentrations over the past 30 years. (January 29, 2021)
Global flood risk is projected to increase in the future due to climate change, but flood control at dams reveals a global reduction of approximately 15% in flood-exposed population downstream of dams during the 21st century. (January 22, 2021)
By combining PV and EV as a storage battery, it was clarified that decarbonization of the city can be done efficiently. In 2030, the introduction of this system could reduce energy costs by 26-41%. (January 14, 2021)
Using an atmospheric transport model, the variability ratios of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) were calculated and estimated by comparing them with observations at Hateruma. This method will be used in the future under the Paris Agreement. This method is expected to be applied to the verification of emission reductions based on the Paris Agreement in the future. (November 5, 2020)
Increased agricultural activities, such as the use of nitrogen fertilizers and the production of compost from livestock, were the main reasons for the increase in N2 O emissions. The study showed that reducing N2O emissions in our food production system is an urgent issue. (October 8, 2020)
Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries
Water Environment and Water Resources
Natural Ecosystems
Natural Disasters and Coastal Areas
Human Health
Industrial and economic activities
Life of Citizenry and Urban Life
General adaptation