On Monday, October 27, the 2025 Municipal River Information Committee Information Exchange Meeting was held at a hotel in Sapporo.
The Municipal River Information Committee is composed of department heads and section chiefs in charge of river management from all 46 municipalities within the Ishikari River basin. Since 1994, the committee has convened annually to share knowledge and best practices related to river-based community development and the strengthening of regional disaster resilience, with the aim of supporting sustainable basin-wide development.
This year’s meeting brought together a total of 85 participants, including committee members from each municipality as well as representatives from related organizations such as the Hokkaido Weather Technology Center Co., Ltd., Hokkaido Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Ltd., the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (Hokkaido Regional Survey Department), the Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory, and other relevant institutions across Hokkaido. Active discussions and exchanges of views were held on a wide range of topics.

Under the theme “How Can Meteorological Information Be Utilized in Heavy Rain Disasters?”, Mr. Matsuoka, Chairman of the Hokkaido Weather Technology Center, delivered a lecture introducing disaster cases caused by linear precipitation bands occurring frequently across Japan, along with forecasting methods and countermeasures for increasingly severe heavy rainfall events.

Mr. Sasaki from Hokkaido Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Ltd. presented on “Community Engagement Through Business Based on the Sustainability Vision,” introducing collaborative initiatives with governmental and public organizations.

Mr. Ishigooka, River Planning and Research Officer of the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, spoke on “Basin-Wide Flood Management Initiatives,” outlining approaches to flood mitigation in the context of climate change.

Mr. Takeda, Director of the Development Partnership Promotion Division at the same bureau, presented on “Infrastructure Tourism Initiatives,” explaining the background of infrastructure tourism and examples of regionally co-created infrastructure tours.

The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (Hokkaido Regional Survey Department) introduced “Geospatial Information Useful for Disaster Prevention.”

The Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory presented on “Improvements to Disaster-Related Meteorological Information.”

The Hokkaido Prefectural Government introduced the “Bond-Financed Project System for River Improvement and Related Works.”

At the entrance to the venue, panels showcasing “River Basin Flood Management Project 2.0 – Accelerating and Deepening Basin-Wide Flood Control” were displayed.

A Toyohira River flood simulation device was also installed. With color-coded inundation depths projected onto a three-dimensional terrain model, the simulation provided a highly realistic visualization of flooding scenarios. This device is normally on display on the first floor of the Sapporo Development and Construction Department.