Dams, Damn Dams and the Politicians Who Cancel Them, Part II

The changes in Japan’s political world continue, as the Democratic Party of Japan works to implement its “Manifesto” of campaign promises. Last week it was announced that Seiji Maehara, the minister of land, infrastructure, and tourism, had frozen 48 out of 56 dam projects that were under way in Japan, refusing to fund any contracts this fiscal year. The government seems to be targeting public works projects as a way of freeing up tax money to make good on its promise of paying families a monthly allowance of $250 per child in the hopes of raising the nation’s birthrate. Honestly, I’m kind of torn on some of these changes. On the one hand, wasteful public spending is a huge problem in Japan, a country positively addicted to construction as a way of propping up employment, and building projects that provide questionable public benefit should be eliminated. On the other hand, cutting projects already started is wasteful too, and will increase unemployment in the construction sector, which is already being pummeled. My initial reaction to the cancellation announcement was, “How the heck could Japan have thought it needed 56 more dams at this point in its development?” although with 2800 currently operating dams, Japan has a lot less than the 75,000 in the U.S. Incidentally, there are “dam otaku” in Japan who love to take pictures of their favorite multiple-arch reverse-pump turbine gravity dams for their scrapbook. Those Japanese are so wacky!

The future of dam construction construction in Japan is looking cloudy.