The Bureau manages class A rivers, volcanoes and coastal areas, which may significantly affect the lives and property of people, economic activities and national land utilization. The Bureau is also responsible for the installation, management and maintenance of levees, channel excavation, revetments, floodways, dams, erosion control dams, channel construction works and artificial fishing reefs.
    In 1997, the River Act was amended and the Bureau has since promoted consistent river improvement ranging from water sources to river mouths in accordance with the purposes of the Act in terms of flood control, water utilization and environmental conservation. While improving safety and convenience and promoting efficient and rational water use, the Bureau is also working on river improvements that capitalize on the characteristics of rivers in consideration of local climate and culture, by promoting nature restoration near rivers, nature-oriented river works and the establishment of environment conservation networks in river basins, in cooperation with local communities.

Hokkaido has approximately 1,000 km of arterial high-standard highways and 90,000 km of general roads, of which part of the arterial high-standard highways and about 6,000 km of national highways are under the jurisdiction of the Bureau. That is, the Bureau constructs, reconstructs and maintains them and carries out restoration work in the event of disaster.
    Specifically, the Bureau establishes an arterial high-standard highway network that supports logistics and tourism with the aim of improving accessibility between important places such as major cities, ports and airports. It also eliminates barriers in pedestrian space, takes traffic safety measures, implements urban congestion mitigation programs and develops an information infrastructure. The Bureau also strives to create safe and comfortable communities by promoting road disaster prevention measures in addition to the conservation and improvement of roadside landscapes to create a more comfortable travel space.

Since Hokkaido is surrounded by seas, more than 90% of goods shipped between Hokkaido and Honshu (the main island of Japan) and almost all freight shipped between Hokkaido and other countries is transported by sea. As the gateways to such freight transportation, the prefecture’s ports and harbors serve as important components of social infrastructure supporting logistics, industry, people’s livelihood and various other activities in Hokkaido, and play an important role in the development of the region.
    The Bureau ensures that such port functions are located at important places and strives to implement advanced logistics at ports and harbors. It also creates vibrant seaside spaces where people assemble and interact with one another. While improving ports and harbors as disaster prevention centers, the Bureau also promotes wide-ranging programs to realize environmentally friendly ports and harbors (eco-ports).

Hokkaido is located far from the Tokyo metropolitan area, and great distances exist between communities and industrial centers on the expansive island. Air transportation, therefore, is an extremely important means of transportation.
    The Bureau has attempted to improve airports to meet the increasing demand for air transportation both at home and abroad, and to assure safe and stable air service in winter. The Bureau also improves airport facilities to enhance the convenience of users, including those with disabilities.

Hokkaido is expected to construct large-scale parks that harmoniously coexist with the rich natural environment and that serve as centers for tourism promotion, as well as parks accessible within walking distance of local residences.
    The Bureau, which is proceeding with the development of Sapporo’s Takino Suzuran Hillside National Park, is also working on the development of urban parks to meet diverse needs throughout Hokkaido, such as parks that can also be used in winter and urban parks equipped with auto-campsites.

With a wealth of land resources, Hokkaido is characterized by large-scale, highly productive, land-intensive agriculture by full-time farmers, primarily in rice cultivation, upland cropping and dairy farming. In terms of the scale of management, the prefecture has reached levels comparable to those of Europe.
    In Hokkaido, which assumes an increasingly important role as the nation’s granary, efforts are underway to strengthen and stabilize the management base of farmers and reorganize structures for agricultural production. Specifically, dams and irrigation drainage canals are constructed and farmlands are reorganized to promote the improvement of both productivity and agricultural structures.
    In addition, agricultural infrastructure and rural development projects are also implemented by capitalizing on regional characteristics, such as the promotion of beautiful rural landscapes.

Surrounded by the Sea of Japan, the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk, Hokkaido is blessed with some of the world’s leading fishing grounds. The prefecture thus plays an important role as a supply center for the nation’s marine products.
    The Bureau is promoting the systematic improvement of fishing ports and fishing villages together with the development of fishing grounds in order to develop the fishing industry, ensure a stable supply of marine products and improve people’s livelihoods and working environments in fishing villages. Among others, the Bureau attaches importance to the promotion of resource-management fishery, fish farming and stock enhancement, working to ensure the stable supply of safe, high-quality, high-value-added marine products. In this regard, projects are executed, for example, to conserve and create fishing ground environments with the aim of conserving and creating the habitats of marine resources.

Since the Bureau has the entire Hokkaido region under its jurisdiction, it surveys, plans, designs and supervises government buildings throughout the prefecture, and conducts investigations and provides guidance with regard to their maintenance. It promotes the construction of public structures that are friendly not only to the global environment, but also to the elderly and people with disabilities.

In urban planning, community development is led or controlled by specifying plans about land use, urban facilities and area-wide improvement in a comprehensive and unified manner according to basic community development concepts.
    With regard to housing, the Bureau creates comfortable living environments with residences suited to the northern region, so that locals can enjoy favorable housing despite the fact that the prefecture’s population is aging at a rate that exceeds the national average.

The Bureau is in charge of approvals and licenses concerning construction, construction-related industries (land surveyors, civil engineering construction consultants, geological surveyors) and real estate industries to contribute to proper management of these businesses, execution of appropriate construction works and public welfare, while promoting healthy development of these industries.

Address:Nishi 2-chome,Kita 8-jo Kita-ku, Sapporo-si, Hokkaido 060-8511 Japan
Tel:011-709-2311 　Mail:hkd-ky-koho_info0@gxb.mlit.go.jp