Let’s Work Together to Create a City Free from Disasters Caused by Earthworks

The debris flow disaster that occurred in Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture, in July 2021 resulted in the loss of many precious lives and properties; it is believed that the collapse of embankments in the upstream area contributed to the severity of the damage.
Preventing disasters associated with earthworks has become an urgent priority. To enable comprehensive regulation of hazardous earthworks regardless of land use—including residential, agricultural, and forest land—the “Act on the Regulation of Land Development and Specified Earthworks” was amended in May 2023, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government began implementing the revised law on July 31, 2024.
Regarding dangerous embankments, it is crucial to deter improper embankment construction and prevent such incidents by strengthening monitoring systems and ensuring early detection. Therefore, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will steadily advance measures against improper embankment construction, including joint patrols and monitoring utilizing satellite data. The main initiatives for this fiscal year are as follows. Please note that detailed schedules will be announced on the Bureau of Urban Development website as soon as they are finalized.

(1) Joint patrols with the Metropolitan Police Department, local governments, and other organizations (October–December)

We will conduct site inspections to prevent improper earthwork practices.

(2) Operating a promotional booth at the Hinode Town Industry Festival (organized by Hinode Town) (October–December)

We would like to introduce our initiatives to address improper landfilling, including “Mamorido,” a web form for Tokyo residents to report instances of improper landfilling.

In addition, this year we will be launching a similar initiative at the Akiruno Environmental Festival (Akiruno City).

(3) Public relations activities timed to coincide with enforcement of vehicle restriction orders, etc. ^[Note] (Jointly organized with NEXCO Central Japan’s Tokyo Branch) (around June and January)

To raise awareness among truck drivers about preventing improper overloading, we will increase the distribution of informational flyers—previously conducted once during the winter—to twice a year, including during the rainy season.
[Note] Enforcement against vehicles exceeding the size and weight limits specified by law

(4) “Mamorido,” a user-friendly web form for Tokyo residents to submit reports

This helps ensure the early detection of improper backfilling practices and defects in existing backfill.

• If you take a photo of any areas where you notice abnormalities, such as in the embankment, and upload it, the information will be sent to the city along with the location data.
• In response to reports from Tokyo residents, we will assess the situation on the ground as necessary.
• You can submit forms via the web at any time, 24 hours a day.

Click here (link to external site) to post on “Mamorido”

YouTube

As part of our other initiatives, we will distribute leaflets regarding improper earthwork at events such as “Walk Along the River” (Bureau of Construction), the “Ome City Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Drill” (Bureau of Construction), and the “Machida City Disaster Prevention Festival” (Bureau of Construction). Through these awareness-raising activities, we aim to strengthen deterrence against improper earthwork practices and facilitate their early detection. Details regarding the specific dates will be announced on the Bureau of Urban Development website as soon as they are finalized.

This initiative is part of the efforts to advance the “Tokyo 2050 Strategy.”
Strategy21: Strengthening Urban Resilience—”Strengthening Measures Against Increasingly Frequent and Severe Wind and Water-Related Disasters”

Contact: Urban Development Bureau, Urban Planning Division, Land Readjustment Section Phone: 03-5320-5132 Email: S0000393(at)section.metro.tokyo.jp *The email address has been changed to prevent spam. Please replace (at) with @ when using this email address.