A new government white paper estimates that the cost of maintaining and repairing Japan's water infrastructure will become roughly ¥1 trillion annually from 2020. That's a lot of money to support what Japanese consider a basic right to abundant fresh and clean water. Like the population, Japan's water system is rapidly aging.
The recently released 2014 White Paper on Water Resources, put together by the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, noted that the cost of replacing old pipes and upgrading equipment could be even higher. The ministry estimates that the total cost for replacing equipment will rise from ¥670 billion in fiscal 2010 to ¥970 billion in 2015, and go even higher thereafter.
Making things even worse, the needed repairs to the water system are arriving at roughly the same time. Most of the currently used equipment was installed from the 1950s to the 1970s. Because most pipes and equipment have a life span of about 40 years, most of the water infrastructure is now coming due for upgrading, replacement or repair.