DOI: 10.1108/978-1-83662-246-820261002 ISSN:
History of land reclamation projects in Japan from the viewpoint of natural hazards
Ikuo TowhataLand reclamation is a commonly used technology to create new space for industrial, residential and commercial developments for future demand in cities that suffer from shortage of space. A review is first made of the early history of land reclamation in Japan, demonstrating that the construction of humanmade islands was mainly for harbour construction. Later, land reclamation produced many islands for commercial purposes and these islands still exist today. The major geotechnical issues of these islands are consolidation settlement and seismic liquefaction. The human efforts to mitigate those problems are reviewed, including very recent experiences.