JAWRIC compiles an annual statistical report on the extent and condition of Japan’s wide-area agricultural and forest roads, and publishes the key figures as open data. The statistics are intended to support policy discussion, research and the day-to-day planning work of the municipalities that manage these roads.
The figures combine results from projects carried out by JAWRIC with data supplied by prefectures and municipalities. The reference date for each reporting year is 31 March, and the results are released in September of the following year. Figures are final rather than provisional; where a number differs from an earlier release, the value on this page should be treated as current.
Key figures from the statistical report
The principal figures published in the 2026 edition are set out below. Lengths are given as the actual road length in kilometres, and structure counts cover all structures subject to periodic inspection.
Road length and structure counts
| Item | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide-area farm roads — total length (km) | 1,842 | 1,913 | 1,986 |
| Wide-area forest roads — total length (km) | 3,271 | 3,398 | 3,524 |
| Total road length (km) | 5,113 | 5,311 | 5,510 |
| Length under maintenance (km) | 4,206 | 4,468 | 4,742 |
| Structures subject to inspection (count) | 12,486 | 12,905 | 13,342 |
| of which small bridges | 2,317 | 2,394 | 2,468 |
| of which retaining walls and culverts | 10,169 | 10,511 | 10,874 |
| New construction and improvement works (count) | 214 | 228 | 241 |
This table scrolls horizontally on narrow screens. Lengths are rounded to the nearest kilometre.
Road length by regional block
JAWRIC delivers its programme through six regional blocks. Total road length for FY2026 is shown below.
| Regional block | Total length (km) | Increase in FY2026 (km) | Structures inspected (count) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido and Tohoku | 1,284 | 47 | 3,102 |
| Kanto and Hokuriku | 1,146 | 39 | 2,884 |
| Tokai and Kinki | 978 | 33 | 2,415 |
| Chugoku | 842 | 28 | 1,986 |
| Shikoku | 536 | 19 | 1,247 |
| Kyushu and Okinawa | 724 | 33 | 1,708 |
| Total | 5,510 | 199 | 13,342 |
This table scrolls horizontally on narrow screens. The increase includes lengthening achieved through improvement works.
Maintenance and disaster response
| Item | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Periodic inspections carried out (count) | 4,318 | 4,572 | 4,806 |
| Repair works carried out (count) | 612 | 684 | 741 |
| Disaster recovery cases handled | 328 | 402 | 376 |
| Damage assessment site meetings attended | 196 | 241 | 223 |
| Technical enquiries received | 1,247 | 1,398 | 1,512 |
This table scrolls horizontally on narrow screens.
Road length by prefecture
The table below shows an extract of road length and inspection figures by prefecture. Figures for all 47 prefectures appear in the detailed volume of the statistical report.
| Prefecture | Total length (km) | Structures subject to inspection | Inspections planned FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido | 412 | 962 | 338 |
| Nagano | 268 | 714 | 256 |
| Gifu | 241 | 652 | 234 |
| Shimane | 186 | 498 | 181 |
| Kumamoto | 174 | 463 | 166 |
| Iwate | 168 | 441 | 158 |
| Hiroshima | 152 | 396 | 142 |
| Niigata | 149 | 387 | 139 |
| Fukushima | 143 | 371 | 133 |
| Kochi | 128 | 334 | 120 |
| Other 37 prefectures | 3,489 | 8,124 | 2,939 |
This table scrolls horizontally on narrow screens. Inspection figures are annual targets for FY2026.
Open data
The key figures from the statistical report are released as open data in formats suitable for reuse. Anyone may use, modify and redistribute them, including for commercial purposes. When doing so, please credit JAWRIC and state the edition of the statistical report used.
Available formats
- CSV — opens directly in spreadsheet software. Contains time series for road lengths and structure counts.
- Excel — separate worksheets by category, with chart templates included.
- GeoJSON — includes approximate route locations, suitable for display on a map.
- PDF — the full statistical report. Please use this as the authoritative version, including all tables and figures.
Licence and conditions of use
- Licence
- Provided under terms equivalent to the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
- Attribution
- Please credit the source as “Source: JAWRIC, Statistical Report 2026” or equivalent.
- Commercial use
- Permitted. No prior application is required, although we would welcome notification of your use to help us plan future releases.
- Modification and redistribution
- Permitted. Where data has been modified, please state that this is the case and identify the modifier.
- Disclaimer
- While every care is taken to ensure accuracy, JAWRIC accepts no liability for loss arising from use of the data.
- Location data
- Route locations in the GeoJSON files are approximate and are not survey-grade.
The published data are aggregated from projects carried out or supported by JAWRIC. They do not represent the full extent of agricultural and forest roads managed by prefectures and municipalities. For detailed figures for a particular area, please contact the relevant local authority.
If you have questions about definitions or how figures were compiled, please contact the Research Planning Division at info@jawric.org.
Updates and earlier editions
The open data are updated each September to coincide with the release of the statistical report. We do not publish interim figures during the year. Data for the past five years remain available on this page; earlier editions are listed with our other publications on the Japanese publications page.
Figures may occasionally be revised retrospectively where the method of compilation changes. Where this happens, the revision and the reason for it are recorded at the end of the statistical report and noted in the update history on this page.
Related pages
Questions about our data
Definitions, methods of compilation, and requests for additional data — please get in touch.