Tokyo, November 24. (Adnkronos/Jiji) – From students studying and protecting the local environment to advances in AI-powered disaster prevention methods, Tokyo is working towards a more resilient future. At a time of increasing global concern about climate change and natural disasters, the Japanese capital’s long experience in dealing with the elements and its ongoing commitment to improving safety and sustainability can serve as an example for other cities, starting with its youngest citizens.
Tokyo Metropolitan Shiba Commercial High School is located on the waterfront of Tokyo. The school offers many original extracurricular activities, but one stands out: the “Mudflat Club”. Its members actively work in the Waters Takeshiba mudroom, a multi-purpose complex near the school. During the “Takeshiba Tidal Flat Open Day” held once a month, students discuss with researchers and interact with children in the neighborhood.
One of the students, Taguchi Kumino, said that being in contact with nature and Takeshiba organisms, as well as seeing visitors having fun, raised his awareness of the importance of protecting the environment in Tokyo. “At school we studied the problem of rubbish, but when I started collecting it on the tidal flats, I was shocked by the amount of rubbish that came in, including microplastics – he explains. Seeing the situation up close encouraged me to talk to family and friends about how important it is to protect nature not only by avoiding throwing rubbish, but also by trying not to produce rubbish at all.”
Through these activities, club members learn about the value of nature and living things. Their goal is to sell 200 copies of the picture book created by the former members, ‘Visit a Tidal Flat’, and continue to spread the word about the wonders of Takeshiba Tidal Flat.
At a school in central Tokyo overlooking the Parliament Building, a group of students engage in an unusual activity: collecting, observing, and sometimes even eating weeds. Members of the “Weed Research Club” at Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School are studying the natural life that quietly thrives in the corners of the city, developing a new vision of how cities and nature can grow together.
These young botanists use an original guide, ‘Flora of Hibiya High School’, inherited from a former member. Thanks to the manual, they created a map of the weeds present on campus and even discovered rare plants. “Once we found corydalis, a species included in Tokyo Prefecture’s ‘Red List of Endangered Species’, right on our campus. Its flowers are very bright yellow and, while looking for them, we realized that it was an endangered species,” said the club’s president, Tsutsumi Yugo. “Knowing that a plant like this was found here makes us feel very responsible: now that we have discovered it, we want to protect it as much as possible and document our research properly.”
Tsutsumi observed that studying these “simple” plants led him to reflect on how to live sustainably in nature even in the city, and about the change in mentality that this requires: “Plants struggle to survive, but sometimes they can interfere with human life. The ideal is a coexistence where they do not cause too much interference.”
Over the centuries, Tokyo has expanded its territory towards the bay, creating one of Japan’s busiest centers of commerce and daily life, but also vast areas of lowland areas, including the so-called “zero meter zone”. Currently, around 1.5 million people live in areas that, without protective infrastructure, would be flooded every time the tide rises.
Physical defense remains important, but the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) is strengthening it through digital transformation (Dx). This initiative integrates new technologies into coastal protection in four key areas. First, the online information system on storm surge prevention allows you to view tide levels, bulkhead status and camera images in real-time. Second, the storm surge risk lookup service allows citizens to enter an address and immediately see the likely depth of flooding in the event of a major storm. Third, the AI-based model analyzes tidal and weather data to predict water level changes up to fifteen hours in advance, thereby supporting the operation of bulkheads and pump stations. Lastly, TMG officials are developing internal expertise to use drones for fast and safe inspections during emergencies.
TMG’s approach has also been recognized internationally. In 2025, an AI-based water level estimation system was presented at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. Multilingual capabilities have been integrated into information systems so residents and visitors can understand risks and prepare. The message is clear: disaster prevention is not just a local problem, but a shared responsibility.
