A total of 13 people from Taiwan visited Japan from January 28 to February 3, 2013, and the 2012 Japan-Taiwan Joint Research Conference on Sabo was held.

The symposium consisted of lectures on four topics given by the Taiwanese participants and three topics given by the Japanese participants. The participants also engaged in a general discussion and actively exchanged opinions from both parties.

As on-site observations, the participants observed the site of a major landslide and sediment discharges that followed the landslide, recovery processes from sediment-related disasters, sediment and erosion control facilities, and the site of agricultural promotions. Also, overviews of the organizations of research facilities in Japan and Taiwan were introduced, and the participants exchanged opinions at the Public Works Research Institute in Tsukuba, Ibaraki. The participants also observed hydrological simulation tests concerning the prevention of river clogging (natural dam).