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Newly Revised English Edition of the Technical Standards and Commentaries for Port and Harbour Facilities in Japan (2025) is released
OCDI issued an English edition of the “TECHNICAL STANDARDS AND COMMENTARIES FOR PORT AND HARBOUR FACILITIES IN JAPAN (2020)” in December 2020. This was based on the 2018 Japanese version released by the Ports & Harbours Association of Japan. ( An English version of the “Technical Standards and Commentaries for Port and Harbour Facilities in Japan” has been issued by OCDI. – OCDI | International Coastal Development Institute for Port and Coastal Excellence )
In April 2024, the Japanese edition was partially revised to reflect the impact of global warming as mentioned below. We are thus pleased to announce the publication of this new English edition of the ‘Technical Standards and Commentaries for Port and Harbour Facilities in Japan (2025)’.
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In recent years, global climate change associated with global warming has become more apparent. As a result, there is concern that the planning and design of port facilities will be affected by the following:
(1) The rise in mean sea level due to the melting of ice in areas like Antarctica and Greenland, as well as thermal expansion of seawater caused by rising temperatures.
(2) The increase in tide level deviations due to increased sea level suction and blowdown caused by the increased intensity of typhoons and other severe storms
(3) The increase in wave heights due to stronger winds and other factors associated with more intense typhoons and similar events.
Even if climate change measures, including limiting the rise in global temperatures to approximately 1.5°C, are steadily promoted by the Japanese government to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, heat waves, extreme high temperature phenomena, and heavy rainfall are still inevitable. In order to mitigate the damage that is currently occurring and prevent future damage, the Japanese government is promoting climate change adaptation measures (both mitigation measures and adaptation measures that integrate ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ technologies) with the collaboration of various parties concerned. Specifically, climate change adaptation measures will be addressed from the following perspectives:
- Future increases in external forces caused by climate change.
- The introduction of designs that account for changes in external forces in the future.
- The promotion of “collaborative protection,” achieved through consensus and cooperation among a wide range of public and private stakeholders.
We hope that the revised standards will contribute to technology transfer in the introduction of climate change adaptation measures as well as appropriate use and maintenance of port facilities in various countries.