IAC News
IAC News No.141, July 2024
Japan Society of Civil Engineers International Activities Center July 12, 2024 IAC News No.141
The IAC News introduces significant and unique international projects, technologies, symposium, communication undertaken by JSCE IAC, International Section, ACECC, and Research & Development Section with over 30 committees, state-of-art- civil engineering technologies and projects, great and interesting achievements of civil engineer and researcher once a month.
This issue fist gives you the very introduction of the 2024 JSCE President Prof. Yoh Sasaki to you. She talks her vision and goals which she will exert herself to achieve with the JSCE members, followed by 4 articles:
2nd one: 2nd article is a report on 7th Seminar on the Internationalization of Technical Standards, focusing on JICA’s Road and Bridge Asset Management program implemented in Mozanqbique.
3rd one: Prof. Iryo of Naogya University introduces the international education program carried out in school in collaboration with Gifu University. What uniqueness about that program is that students can aquire both global and local prespecitves of infrastructure issues.
4th one: FY2023 JSCE Awards. 6 distinguished civil engineers and ressarchers and 18 excellent engineers and researchers whose future success are anticipated are recognized with International Lifetime Contibution Award and Int’l Outstanding Collaboration Awards respectively. Big hands to them!.
5th one: A report on HKIE Structrual Dvision’s Visit to Japan. HKIE (Hong Kong Institution of Engineers) visited the JSCE for the first time in some years. It was wonderful to resume technical exchange as well as reaffrim communication between HIKE and JSCE. We look forward to another opportuniy to get together in a near future.
Enjoy these interesting and informative articles.
We are looking forward to your comments, feedback, and requests anytime. Thank you
Let’s Paint a new Landscape for JSCE Together!
～Message to Mark Inauguration as JSCE President～
Yoh Sasaki
(112th JSCE President)
I have been appointed as the 112th president of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers. I would like to start by saying thank you to everyone who pushed for and approved my appointment. I think it was probably down to people thinking it was about time JSCE had a female president. I am frankly very happy that my appointment represents the result of everyone who has worked tirelessly over the years to improve the status of women in the civil engineering field.
Two years ago in autumn, I had to declare why I thought I should be put forward as a candidate to be the next president. The following is roughly what I stated.
“In my experience as well as a JSCE member, my activities as JSCE Magazine Editorial Committee Chairperson and D&I Committee Chairperson have taught me that JSCE is made up of not only experts but people with a whole host of talents as human beings, and JSCE’s strength is demonstrating this diversity. JSCE having its first-ever female president will give hope to female engineers and students who are still a minority, as well as send a message to society that JSCE respects diversity. Therefore, I intend to work on putting D&I into practice. This, however, is not simply placing importance on the diversity of attributes such as women or foreigners, but respecting the diversity of each member as people. Civil engineering has traditionally valued the uniqueness of each region where respecting human diversity takes shape. Through my civil engineering work that respects climate and culture, which I have approached from the perspective of landscape design, I wish to communicate this respect for human diversity broadly throughout society.”
Engaging in discussions based on this conviction, I forged a plan for the “Project to Paint a New Landscape for JSCE.” There are many issues to address not only in the field of civil engineering but in the world at large. To solve these issues, I believe that now what each and every member of JSCE, which drives the future of infrastructure, must do is to trust each other and network freely. If all the members and staff thought that the community of JSCE is infrastructure for this very purpose, then the way in which the organization engages in activities will also change, creating a new landscape. As the impetus for this, I am working on a slightly self-indulgent project, involving everything from trivial matters to time-consuming tasks, focusing on the networking landscape, the landscape of work with expanding possibilities, and digital transformation (DX) at JSCE. I will not be afraid of failure and never lose sight of my goal. I hope this new style of JSCE activities will spread to the field of civil engineering and each region through every one of our 40,000 members, giving birth to new ideas that will take shape. Let’s enjoy a successful year together!
【Reported by Yoh Sasaki, 112th JSCE President 】
The 7th Seminar on the Internationalization of Technical Standards
“Road and Bridge Asset Management Deployment in Africa - Mozambique Case Study”
On April 16, 2024, the 7th Seminar on the Internationalization of Technical Standards: ‘Road and Bridge Asset Management Deployment in Africa - Mozambique Case Study’ was held by the JSCE International Activities Center. Based on the trends of the internationalization of technical standards, this event has been held six times under themes such as roads and ports, with the aim of providing useful information to on-site civil engineers working in Japan or overseas. Aiming to share information about initiatives on road asset management assistance conducted by JICA and JICA’s bridge maintenance and management project in Mozambique, experts and the like working locally gave lectures about the country.
Following the opening remarks by Makoto Kimura, Senior Director of the International Activities Center at JSCE, the seminar saw Hitomi Yasui, Team Leader of the Infrastructure and Environment Team at the JICA Mozambique Office, give a lecture titled “JICA Project in Mozambique,” discussing the current state of affairs in Mozambique and various aspects of the JICA project. Next up, Masamune Takahashi, a long-term expert on the project to enhance bridge maintenance and management capabilities in Mozambique, gave a lecture entitled, “Case Study of Partnership Between Industry, Academia, and Politics in JICA Mozambique Project.” Hirofumi Uemura, the Operations Manager for the project to enhance bridge maintenance and management capabilities in Mozambique, and Seiya Hikino, Vice Operations Manager of the project and member of the Project Department in the Overseas Business Division at Nippon Engineering Consultants Co., Ltd, also took to the stage, with Mr. Hikino delivering a lecture titled, “Current State of Bridge Maintenance and Management & Technical Support Project in Mozambique.” At the end of the symposium, Yoshiaki Higuchi, Director of the International Activities Center, gave a summary of the event’s proceedings.
I learned that Mozambique still suffers the aftereffects of its civil war, with no progress being made to eliminate the disparity between regions. It also has various issues such as a lack of systematic technical standards and a shortage of civil engineers responsible for the maintenance of bridges. After the lectures, there were lively question-and-answer sessions. This seminar was held both online and in person, with 405 people submitting attendance applications prior to the event. I hope the seminar served as a forum for providing lots of useful information to civil engineers working in Japan or overseas and for contributing to the deployment of Japan’s construction technologies in developing countries.
【Reported by Hiroshi Sasaki, Oriental Consultants Co., Ltd.】
International Education at Nagoya University
Leveraging Intra-Organizational Partnerships
Assoc. Prof. Miho Iryo
(Nagoya University)
Nagoya University has put efforts into international education in the field of civil and environmental engineering ever since it launched a MEXT Special Scholarship Program for International Students in 1987. Today, 38% of graduate students are international students. While internationalization initiatives, focused on the two programs of the MEXT Government Scholarship Special Allocation Program and Nagoya University Global Environmental Leaders Program (NUGELP), were introduced in issue No.74 (December 2018) of this newsletter, I would like to take this opportunity to give you an update on what has been done recently.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the acceptance and exchange of students having to be temporarily put on hold. While the program has been kept going by taking creative measures such as holding an online study tour instead of an overseas training tour, efforts are being taken to try to further expand the program while utilizing the know-how developed during that time. Furthermore, more recently, partnerships with other departments and universities are also being strengthened in conjunction with the international strategy and organizational reshuffle of Nagoya University as a whole.
In April 2020, Nagoya University merged with Gifu University as the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System, and since then has engaged in an education and research partnership that utilizes the strengths of both universities. The MEXT Government Scholarship Special Allocation Program for Civil Engineering has also been undertaken jointly with Gifu University since October 2021. The aim is to develop doctoral students who will grasp social infrastructure issues from the perspectives of global and local and solve them. The faculty of both universities hold joint lectures and research seminars about developing countries, as well as give research guidance. In addition to broadening their perspectives, the international students from both universities also have the opportunity to network.
The ‘Global Multi-Campus (GMC) Concept’ was presented as Nagoya University’s new international strategy, with the various international programs trying to make changes based on this strategy. Specifically, in April 2022, the International Affairs Division underwent a major reshuffle, and the Global Multi-Campus (GMC) Promotion Organization was set up in the university headquarters as a body to facilitate international expansion. The major international education programs at the university, including the Civil and Environmental Engineering Program, fall under this umbrella, aiming to strengthen ties while leveraging the strengths of each program.
Joint seminar with Gifu University
Visit to Chubu DX Center
Philippines Alumni Association Seminar (at De La Salle University)
International Program Closing Ceremony
【Report by Assoc. Prof. Miho Iryo, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University】
FY2023 JSCE Awards
Twenty-four civil engineers including two non-Japanese engineers were recognized with International Lifetime Contribution Award and International Outstanding Collaboration Award. The recipients by award are listed in the table below.
For further details, please visit https://www.jsce.or.jp/prize/prize_list/p2023.shtml.
< International Lifetime Contribution Award: 6 recipients >
The Award recognizes (1) Japanese civil engineers for their significant contributions to the development of civil engineering technology and/or the infrastructure development through their professional practices in and outside Japan; (2) non-Japanese civil engineer(s) for his/her commendable achievements to the progress and promotion of Japanese civil engineering.
| NAME | AFFILIATION |
| Mitsuhiko Okada | Airport Facilities Co., Ltd. |
| Sadao Orishimo | Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. |
| Hideki Sakaeda | Japan International Consultants for Transportation Co., Ltd. |
| Katsuhito Miyake | The Overseas Construction Association of Japan, Inc. |
| Kimiro Meguro | The University of Tokyo |
| Manuel M. Bonoan | Department of Public Works and Highways Republic of the Philippines |
< International Outstanding Collaboration Award: 18 recipients >
The Award recognizes young professionals who have made and will make a significant contribution to the development of civil engineering and/or the development of infrastructure outside Japan with their unique and inspiring perspectives and solid technical skills.
| NAME | AFFILIATION |
| Kenichi Ito | Shimizu Corporation |
| Sohei Uematsu | Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. |
| Yujin Uemura | Shimizu Corporation |
| Hiroyuki Ota | Kajima Corporation |
| Kentaro Okuno | Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. |
| Nobuaki Kita | The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. |
| Hidetaka Sakabe | Japan International Cooperation Agency |
| Yukitomo Tsubokawa | National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism |
| Ryoko Nakano | East Japan Railway Company |
| Shinichiro Nagao | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism |
| Yasuhito Numazawa | Dai Nippon Construction |
| Hisada Shin | Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. |
| Masaru Hirano | Taisei Corporation |
| Kyozo Fujita | Penta-Ocean Construction Co., Ltd. |
| Yoshitomo Miura | Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. |
| Kaname Mizuno | Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd. |
| Tomoki Miyano | Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. |
| Heri Mulyana | Taisei Corporation |
FY2023 JSCE Awardees
HKIE Structural Division’s fruitful visit to JSCE
Ir. Prof. DAI Jian-Guo
(HKIE Structural
Division)
Ir. Prof. LAM Heung-Fai
(HKIE Structural
Division)
The The Annual Visit 2024 of Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) Structural Division to Tokyo was held from 25 to 28 April 2024. There are 27 participants in the visiting team, including experienced structural engineers from Hong Kong consultant firms, contractors and government departments and professors from different universities in Hong Kong.
With the help from Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), HKIE Structural Division successfully arranged several important technical visits in this trip to Tokyo, such as the visit to TEKKEN R&D Center, NOVARE (Shimizu Innovation Hub in Tokyo) and the University of Tokyo. The HKIE-JSCE Structural Engineering Workshop is arranged on the second day (26 April 2024, Friday) of the annual visit.
In the morning of 26 April 2024, Ms. Yukiko Shibuya, Mr. Shion Sugino and Mr. Koji Arai from JSCE guided the HKIE Structural Division delegation on a technical visit to NOVARE (Shimizu Innovation Hub in Tokyo). The visiting team was also accompanied by Mr. Yukihiro Koizumi, Mr. Shunichi Matsuda, Mr. Kodai Sugawara and Ms. Yukiyo Komine from JICA (Photo 1).
After lunch, the visiting team arrived to the JSCE Headquarter, Room AB at about 1pm for the HKIE-JSCE Structural Engineering Workshop. The representatives from JSCE were JSCE Structural Engineering Committee members Prof. KURIHASHI Yusuke, Kanazawa University, Dr. HAMANO Masahiro, Metropolitan Expressway Co. Ltd., Dr. WATANABE Ken, Railway Technical Research Institute, and Prof. NAGAI Kohei, Hokkaido University.
The workshop was started by a welcoming speech from Ir. TANG Kevin, Chairman of HKIE Structural Division, and Prof. KURIHASHI, Chief Secretary of JSCE Structural Engineering Committee. It followed by a series of seminars.
The first seminar “Introduction of HKIE and HKIE Structural Division” was offered by Ir TANG Kevin. The seminar briefly covered the vision, mission and core values of HKIE together with its history and its organization. HKIE focuses not only on the qualification and membership of local engineers through the 22 engineering disciplines, it also concentrates on promoting engineering to the general public through the 19 divisions with the Structural Division being one of them. Kevin’s seminar also covered the major events that have been organized by the Division, such as the Annual Dinner, Structural Excellence Award, Annual Visit, Annual Seminar. Furthermore, the Division also contributed in publications (e.g., handbooks for codes of practice), serving the community and student activities that inspire young people to choose structural engineering as a career.
The second seminar was offered by Dr. HAMANO under the topic of “The Rapid Replacement of The Damaged Expressway Bridge in Two Weeks”. This is very impressive to “replace” the damaged bridge with a new one within a short period of time. The difficulties were not only from the technical side, but also on the logistics and the traffic management considerations.
Dr. WATANABE offered the third seminar on “Overview of Railway Concrete Bridges”. The earthquake early warning system covered in the seminar is completely new from the Hong Kong people’s viewpoint. By taking advantage of the difference in propagation speed between P-wave and S-wave, engineers can squee a short period of time to inform people about the approaching of an earthquake.
Finally, Prof. KURIHASHI offered the last seminar on “Damage of Bridge Structures on the Noto Peninsula Earthquake”. The Noto Peninsula earthquake happened on 1 Jan 2024 with a magnitude of 7.5 (MW). The visiting team is very sorry about the fatalities and injuries in this earthquake. This is one of the duties of structural engineers to learn from the damages caused by the earthquake. Although we do not have the technology to stop earthquake from happening, but we can certainly design structures (buildings and bridges) in such a way to reduce the level of structural damages under similar earthquakes in the future.
After the seminars, there were very fruitful discussions between the two engineering parties. The exchange of ideas is extremely important, and the teams certainly established strong linkages for future collaborations.
After the discussion session, Ir. TANG Kevin, Chairman of HKIE Structural Division, presented souvenirs to Prof. KURIHASHI (Photo 2), Dr. HAMANO (Photo 3), Dr. WATANABE (Photo 4) for their informative seminar and valuable discussions during the workshop. Finally, Ir. TANG Kevin and Ir. CHIN SP, Deputy Chair of HKIE Structural Division, presented souvenirs to Mr. Sugino, Ms. Shibuya and Mr. Arai to thank for their contributions in organizing the workshop. Finally, a group photo was taken outside the JSCE Headquarter (Photo 5).
Concluding this trip, Ir. Kevin Tang said this visit was very fruitful. He expressed his gratitude to the support from JSCE and JICA in organizing some visits during the HKIE Structural Division Annual Visit especially the visit and discussion with the JSCE technical committee on composite structures. Structural engineers from Hong Kong are knowledgeable on structural design in resisting wind action, while Structural engineers in Japan are familiar with earthquake design. The discussion and experience sharing are certainly beneficial to both parties.
Photo 1 Group photo at NOVARE
Photo 2 Ir. TANG (left) and Prof. KURIHASHI (right)
Photo 3 Dr. HAMANO (right)
Photo 4 Dr. WATANABE (right)
Photo 5 Group photo outside the JSCE Headquarter
【Reported by Ir. Prof. LAM Heung-Fai, Assoc. Prof of City University of Hong Kong,
Hon. Secretary, HKIE Structural Division and
Ir. Prof. DAI Jian-Guo, Chair Professor, City University of Hong Kong,
Committee Member, HKIE Structural Division】
Updates
◆In response to 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake
https://www.jsce-int.org/node/873
◆The International Infrastructure Archives – A Compilation of Japan’s Greatest Projects in Transfer of Civil Engineering Technology in Service –
http://www.jsce.or.jp/e/archive/
◆Infrastructure System Resilience: An Engineering Framework for Assessment, Management, and Governance
https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/9780784485088
◆IAC “News Pick Up!!” on the JSCE Japanese website
https://committees.jsce.or.jp/kokusai/iac_dayori_2024
◆【YouTube】 Civil Engineering, in Your own Words (Full ver.)
https://youtu.be/r1Dc37kABXM?feature=shared
◆The English Summary Edition of JSCE Standard Specifications for Concrete Structures
https://www.jsce.or.jp/committee/concrete/e/web/pdf/Summary_edition_2024...
◆Summary of featured articles in JSCE Magazine Vol. 109, No.7, July 2024
http://www.jsce-int.org/pub/magazine
◆Journal of JSCE
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/journalofjsce
◆Call for Nominations for the ACECC Young Engineer Professional Achievement Award
https://committees.jsce.or.jp/acecc/node/59
◆Frontiers of Concrete Technology, 7th JSCE Concrete Committee Webinar
https://www.jsce-int.org/node/893
◆Safe and Healthy Work in the Digital Age 2023-2025 Campaign
https://healthy-workplaces.osha.europa.eu/en/media-centre/events/launch-...
◆【YouTube】 Taiwan Public Infrastructure Archives: Public Water Supply Series
https://youtu.be/mMMvODevd_Q?feature=shared
◆ACECC Future Leaders：https://aceccfutureleaders.org/
◆CECAR10：http://www.cecar10.org/
◆The Japan Foundation Indo-Pacific Partnership Program (JFIPP Research Fellowship)
https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/project/intel/exchange/jfipp/research/index.html
◆IABSE Symposium Tokyo 2025
https://www.iabse.org/Tokyo2025/
◆ECCE Manifesto for Action for the EU term 2024-2029
http://www.ecceengineers.eu/news/2024/ecce_manifesto_2024.php?id=41
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