As a nation of islands and narrow, steep valleys, dams play a vital role in Japanese society as they are constructed primarily to control floods, supply water and generate hydroelectric power. The tallest dam in Japan is the 186m (610feet) high Kurobe Dam. The largest dam by structural volume in the country is the Tokuyama Dam (pictured) with 13700000m2 of rock-fill. Tokuyama also creates Japan's largest reservoir with a water volume of 660000000m2.
The dams are arranged by prefecture in the list below.