The lower reaches of the Kitakami River are subject to flooding, especially near its dual mouths at the city of
Ichinoseki, Iwate, and plans to increase the river width were impractical due to urbanisation of the area. The
Home Ministry, together with
Tokyo Imperial University drafted a
flood control plan in 1926, which was upgraded in 1938 when implementation began. The plan called for the construction of five large dams on the main stream of the Kitakami River and its major branches. Work on the Tase Dam began in 1941 However, despite the forced relocation of local inhabitants due to the urgent need for hydroelectric power generated by the Tase Dam for the war effort, material and labor shortages during
World War II delayed the completion of the dam. Although work resumed immediately after the end of the war; however, typhoons in 1947 and 1948 created severe damage. Under the 1950 National Land Planning Act promulgated by the
Yoshida administration, work on the Tase Dam came under the aegis of the Kitakami Area Comprehensive Development Plan (KVA), which was modelled after the American
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Construction on the dam was completed in 1954. Iwate Prefectural Road 178 passes over the top of the dam. The dam is used for generating electricity, flood prevention, irrigation, and recreation. ==References==