History of the PWRI

May 1921	Established as the Road Materials Testing Department in the Ministry of Internal Affairs
Sep. 1922	Reorganized as the Civil Engineering Laboratory in Komagome, Tokyo
Apr. 1926	Set up the Akabane Branch Office in Tokyo
Dec. 1947	Dissolution of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
Jan. 1948	Renamed as the First Technical Research Institute of the Construction Bureau, Prime Minister's Office
July 1948	Renamed as the Public Works Research Institute, Ministry of Construction
July 1949	Merger with the Engineering Staff Training Center of the Ministry of Transportation in Numazu-city
Apr. 1952	Established the Shinozaki Branch Office as a hydraulics research facility for rivers and dams in Tokyo
July 1953	Renamed the Engineering Staff Training Center to the Numazu Branch
Apr. 1958	Commencement of the department system
Apr. 1960	Established the Chiba Branch in Chiba and integrated the Numazu Branch into it
Apr. 1960	Established the Niigata Laboratory for Landslide Experiments
Apr. 1961	Established the Kashima Hydraulics Laboratory
May 1962	Renamed the Niigata Laboratory for Landslide Experiments to the Niigata Experimental Laboratory
Sep. 1963	Approval by the Cabinet of the Science City construction in the Tsukuba area
June 1967	Renamed the Akabane Branch Office to "Akabane Branch," the Shinozaki Branch Office to "Shinozaki Laboratory," and the Kashima Hydraulics Laboratory to "the Kashima Laboratory"
Mar. 1979	Relocated all the facilities to and integrated at the new Tsukuba Science City
Apr. 1991	Established the Construction Management Engineering Center
Apr. 1993	Established the Environment Department
May 1996	Established the Earthquake Disaster Prevention Research Center
Apr. 1997	Renamed the Construction Management Engineering Center to the Research Center for Public Works Management
Jan. 2001	Renamed as the Public Works Research Institute of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Apr. 2001	Established the Independent Administrative Agency Public Works Research Institute, due to restructuring of the government ministries and agencies. Some departments were integrated into the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management. The Niigata Experimental Laboratory and the Aqua Restoration Research Center remained with the PWRI.
Apr. 2004	Established the task force on setting up a center for UNESCO
Apr. 2005	Reorganized the Niigata Experimental Laboratory to the Snow Avalanche and Landslide Research Center
Mar. 2006	Established the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management The Independent Administrative Agency Public Works Research Institute Law was amended