Dr.Tadahiko SAKAMOTO
Chairman of Organizing Committee for ICOLD 2012 Kyoto

 We are honored to invite all ICOLD delegates and dam experts to attend and participate in the 24th Congress and 80th Annual Meeting to be held in Kyoto, Japan in June 2012.

On behalf of JCOLD, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the condolences and assistance we received from many ICOLD national committees and colleagues, in response to the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, in Northeastern Japan, 11 March 2011. Japan has been mobilizing all the resources and wisdom, with international support, to rescue victims and recover from the unprecedented crisis including the situation in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. I firmly believe that Japan will successfully overcome these trying times and we welcome you to the ICOLD 2012 in Kyoto.

Having joined ICOLD way back in 1931, Japan is one of its oldest member countries. Japan has since contributed to ICOLD activities by organizing two ICOLD annual meetings in Tokyo in 1960 and 1984. In 2012, we will have the privilege of hosting the ICOLD Congress in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan dating back more than 1,000 years, designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Kyoto is located in western Japan and has served for all sorts of conventions and meetings such as the 3rd World Water Forum, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP3 and the like.

Ever since the 7th Century, Japan has built and operated as many as 3,000-or-so dams for irrigation, municipal water, hydro power and flood control. You will have an opportunity to visit old and modern dams and hydro power projects, which will also offer a taste of cultural and natural tourist attractions.

The global climate change is a pressing issue worldwide and dams are expected to play an important role in adapting and mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. We are confident that dam engineering is indispensable to world sustainability, and the Organizing Committee is preparing for the ICOLD 2012 with the utmost efforts to make it rewarding through discussions of the latest technology and experiences of dam engineering.

It will be a great pleasure for myself and JCOLD associates to welcome you in June 2012 to Kyoto and we will ensure your stay is informative as well as enjoyable.