2015 jwaf report > Member's Report

Japan Workers’ Alpine Federation (JWAF)

１.   Basic Data

Number of Members in 2013:   20,472　(Male: 52%,  Female: 48%)

Number of Member Societies and Clubs in :　 648

Age Structure of JWAF Members: Average 60.5 years old

２.   Information Transmission

1) Monthly Magazine of TOZANNJIHOU (Mountaineering Journal)

2) Half-yearly News Paper of JWAF

3) Website and Email News

３.   Promotion of Mountaineering Training and Education against Accidents

1)      Use of 15 million yen (roughly 150 thousand US dollars) for Mountaineering Accidents Protection a year

2)      Main Avalanche Rescue School of past 28 years consecutive experience and 10 Lecture Course a year in various places of Japan

3)      Rescue parties are set up in prefecture (Japan's first level of jurisdiction and administrative division) level of federations, and they execute rescue missions in the nearby mountains. An exchange and transfer of skill meeting among prefecture federations have been held in every two years.

4)      Conference on Protection of Mountaineering Accidents has been held in every two years and the information has been exchanged and transferred among members.

４.   Promotion of Mountain Conservation Activities

4.1   Clean Hike Activity

Clean Hike Activities have been promoted for 41 years since 1974 in the first Sunday of June every year by the member societies and clubs throughout Japan. Around 10,000 members participated in Clean Hike in 2013.

4.2   Radioactive survey in the mountain

JWAF is a sole organization measuring radioactive levels systematically in the mountain in Japan. In order to evaluate the influence of radioactive materials flown down to the earth and trees in the mountain by the Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents, radioactive levels in the mountain were measured and collected in more than 100 trekking trails in the mountain except the restricted area near Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. The data were analyzed and publicized. Radioactive mountain survey was evaluated and awarded a prize from the Japanese Society of Mountain Medicine in 2014.

4.3   Public relations activity of Mountain Conservation

1)           Creation and Release of “JWAF Declaration on the Preservation of Mountain”

JWAF created “JWAF Mountain Conservation Charter (Constitution)” in February 2007. Mountain conservation activities of JWAF have been continued based on this Mountain Conservation Charter. Clean Hike activity every year is one of them.

2)           Presentation of “Environmental Management of Mt. Fuji and Mountains in Japan” at the Sustainable Summits Conference 2014 by America alpine Club.

　As a representative of Coordination Committee for Mountain Conservation consists of 7 Mountain Associations in Japan, Dr. Hanamura was invited by American Alpine Club and presented Environmental Management of Mt. Fuji at the Sustainable Summits Conference held in Colorado, USA in July, 2014. Special feature of Mt. Fuji is extremely large number of visitors, such as 300,000 in two month of July and August and 10,000, the maximum number in one day in 2013. It was terrible situations of garbage and toilets ten years ago, however at present garbage cannot be found on the trail and toilets & accommodations are well equipped by the devoted efforts introduced to aim the World Heritage of UNESCO. Mt. Fuji was registered as World Cultural Heritage in 2013. He explained efforts executed by local governments, local people and various parties concerned.