IAC News

Transforming JSCE into an Outward-Looking,
Open Organization Where Diversity Is Valued

Tamon Ueda
110th JSCE President
 

 

*Interview in the August issue of JSCE Magazine

<At the Forefront of Research and Education from Hokkaido University to Shenzhen University>

Congratulations on becoming President of JSCE. 
Born in Tokyo, you (President Ueda) have been teaching at Hokkaido University for many years

Back when I enrolled at the University of Tokyo, Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka’s Theory of Remodeling the Japanese Islands sparked great debate in society, and interest in civil engineering was very high. Inspired by the completion of the Kurobe Dam, which was said to be “the biggest construction project of the 20th century,” I aimed for a career in civil engineering.

I was taught by Professor Hajime Okamura at the Concrete Laboratory, spent two years studying at a university in the United States, and after spending three years as a faculty member at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand with the assistance of Professor Fumio Nishino, I took up a position at Hokkaido University. As I grew up in Tokyo, Hokkaido was somewhere I always wanted to go. I could have got a job at a research institute of a private company in Tokyo, but I think I made the right choice.

What have you done in your time at JSCE?

As I majored in concrete structures and hybrid structures, I have been a permanent member of the JSCE Concrete Committee since the 1990s, and served as the first chairperson of the Hybrid Structure Committee, which was newly established in 2005.

You are known for being particularly “internationally-minded” at JSCE, and have also filled the big shoes of Senior Director of the International Activities Center for seven years since its establishment in 2012.

While I’m flattered to be labeled “internationally-minded”, I’m not consciously so at all. However, in being made President of JSCE, I would like to take this opportunity to focus my efforts on my unfinished work from my time at the International Activities Center. The biggest challenge is how we shift the inward-looking nature of Japanese civil engineering to focus outward instead. Details of newly established committees and so on will be explained in the Message from the President section in the subsequent issues of the JSCE Magazine. 

After leaving Hokkaido University, Shenzhen University in China offered me a position to work as a professor. Currently living in Shenzhen has made me realize in various situations the current stagnation in civil engineering in Japan. Especially in terms of infrastructure, when I studied abroad 40 years ago, the United States, which has excellent international airports all over the country, was number one in the world, but now China, with its remarkable economic growth, is a rising star. Meanwhile, looking at Japan, the infrastructure that has been developed with great investment after the war now has a lot of problems. Even if you take the expressways and the Shinkansen as examples of such infrastructure, is it really world-class in terms of its functionality? I feel that now is the time in which we need to take a good look at our infrastructure and thoroughly verify it.

<Creating Opportunities for Young People, Women, and International Members to Be Better Heard>

Are there any differences between Japan and China in terms of research and education?

Given that Japan and China have overwhelmingly different populations, of course, there are differences, but China is a competitive society when it comes to researchers, too. The number of papers submitted, the size of grants, etc., they all become personal achievements and help to support one’s career. Young people are extremely motivated, and the efforts and achievements of these young individuals are raising the bar for civil engineering research throughout the country. As scholarships for doctoral students are also substantial and the students’ costs of living are covered, China attracts excellent human resources. I would really like Japan to also learn from this.

If you just compare China and Japan like this, it may seem that there is nothing good about Japan, but I am an optimist! There are without doubt very talented young researchers and engineers in Japan. Creating opportunities so they are heard more is one of the things that I want to do.

I also expect big things from our female members in particular. There are many female researchers and engineers who flourish in China and other countries. I often think that it will be women who overturn this sense of stagnation in the world. As the overall number of female members is small in Japan, I would like to listen carefully to what they have to say so that they are properly heard.

What do you think about international members from the perspective of diversity?

Unfortunately, until now, we have not been able to provide opportunities to actively listen to and discuss the thoughts of our international members. It’s time to change this as well. We will create opportunities where young people, female members, and international members can easily say what they think, and work on solving issues from the perspectives of everyone. The accumulation of each of these opportunities will lead to creating opportunities in which they can make decisions. I think that creating this series of stages is absolutely vital for the future of civil engineering.

Please let our readers know what they can expect from the JSCE Magazine in the future.

In November 2021, JSCE and the Architectural Institute of Japan signed a memorandum of understanding. As I mentioned in the July issue in my inaugural address, these two organizations will work together to address global issues. As part of this, I would like to propose to the editorial committee members a joint project between the two academic societies, which will be featured regularly in our respective academic journals.

Secondly, I would like us to further advance the digitization of the JSCE Magazine, a process that is in progress as we speak. Recently, the automatic machine translation function has also been enhanced, so even the international members I just mentioned who are not so good at Japanese should be able to access information in real-time by using the translation function. I can also enjoy the latest information in the JSCE Magazine at the same time as everyone while I am in Shenzhen. The JSCE Magazine is also a good way to sort information, so I hope to receive prompt feedback on my efforts as president as well.

Thank you for your time today.

In Ishikari-gun, Hokkaido on Wednesday, May 18, 2022

【Interviewer: Ichiro Iwaki, Chair of the Editorial Committee on JSCE Magazine】
【Written by Yuko Sato, Photos by Rumiko Ito】