2024. 5. 24

Japan Society of Civil Engineers
International Activities Center

IAC News No.139
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 ofcivil engineer and researcher once a month.
This month’s issue starts with the message of Mr. Makio Shichijyo the IAC Acting Senior Director, who hopes
to get the IAC utilized in strengthening international commuiation in JSCE. Then, follows three reports: 1) A
report about “Japanese Civil Engineers the Global Leaders Symposium Series Symposium No. 23. It focuses on
the influence on JICA’s project implemented in Africa, 2) the one about the DOBOKU COLLECTION exhibition
held from November 18 to 24 to celebrate the DOBOKU DAY November 18, together with “Bridges and Civil
Engineering Exhibition-Tokyo” in cooperation with Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and 3) the one about the
11th Joint Company Information Session for International Students. We happily realized, seeing newcomers in
addition to recgulars, that it would be one of the opportunities for Japanese companies and international
students to build communication with each other.
We are looking forward to your comments, feedback, and requests anytime. Thank you

Message from Acting Senior Director of IAC

Expectation for IAC’s Contributions to Developing JSCE’s
International Cooperation & Collaboration
The International Activities Center is made up of six groups: the Information
Networking Group, the International Communication & Collaboration Group, theProfessional Development and Education Program Group, the International Student
Network Group, the Project Group, and the International Civil Engineers Group. I
serve as the Acting Senior Director of the International Activities Center and theGroup Leader of the International Communication & Collaboration Group.
The core of the International Communication & Collaboration Group’s activities is
Makio Shichijoassisting the international exchange activities conducted by members of JSCE. While (Acting Senior Director,
there used to be active efforts taken with many countries, at present, efforts are ongoing IAC)
with Taiwan and, to a lesser extent, China and Vietnam, with efforts undergoing adecline after the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the reasons for this is the decline in the overseas activities of young academic researchers. This is thought
to be down to the fact that until around the year 2000, academic researchers were heavily involved in overseas
projects such as ODA, but since then, the number of opportunities for involvement has significantly decreased.
While the decline is attributed to fewer Japanese projects in Southeast Asia, a slowdown in technology
advancements compared to other countries, political changes in nations like Myanmar, and experienced experts
winding down their international exchange efforts, the coronavirus pandemic further accelerated the negative
trend.

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Despite the pandemic, however, there are numerous JSCE members, including academic researchers, who are
engaged in international relations through survey and research committees within JSCE or independent activities.
As Dr. Makoto Kimura the IAC Senior Director and Mr. Keitaro Komuna say (The IAC News No. 137 and No.
138 respectively) that, besides the 2022 JSCE President project has come to be run as an IAC activiy, the IAC’s
support and assistance, youth power, and veteran power will come more necessary in expanding and enrichingcommuncaiton and collaboration with international counterparts of the JSCE members.
The International Activities Center was set up as a section to function across different organizations within JSCE,
such as survey and research committees, and I am further exepcting the IAC to play an active role in promoting
the internationalization of the Japanese civil engineering field, strengthening cross-sector collaborations of suchas industry, academia and public sectors, and even wider communities such as engineering, financial andinsurance ones.
With the number of domestic projects dropping and also sensing that there is a relative decline in the capabilities
of Japanese engineers, overseas projects provide an important opportunity to develop one’s engineering skills.
JSCE is an academic society made up of engineers from the fields of industry, academia, and politics that
undertakes engineering activities to tackle various challenges from a neutral standpoint. I would like us toundertake initiatives that utilize these characteristics for the advancement of Japanese civil engineering overseas.
【Reported by Makio Shichijo, Acting Senior Director, IAC】

Japanese Civil Engineers the Global Leaders Symposium Series
Symposium No. 23: “African Infrastructure Projects and Their Impact”
On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, the Japanese Civil Engineers
the Global Leaders Symposium Series No. 23 “African
Infrastructure Projects and Their Impact” was held by the JSCE
International Activities Center with help from the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA). While the countriesof Southeast Asia and South Asia such as Indonesia, Cambodia,
Nepal, and Bangladesh have been covered to date, this time thefocus was on Africa, which is rarely in the spotlight. Although
we could not predict how many applications we would receive,

Infrastructure Development across Numerous
Countries in Africa by JICA
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UDEuJsD
080)

529 people registered in advance and 421 people attended the symposium on the day, which was a much higher
attendance than we had anticipated.
There are 51 countries in Africa. The population of Africa has increased by 170% in the past 20 years, and thescale of the economy across the entire continent has increased by 420%, showing tremendous financial growth1.
Holding the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) for the first time in 1993, Japan
has supported development in Africa consistently based on “African ownership” and the “international
community partnership.” In 2025, the ninth TICAD will be held in Yokohama. It is expected that more attention
will be paid to Africa going forward.

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First to present at the symposium was Ms. Ai Wakamiya of JICA,
who gave a talk about verifying the effect of maintenance using
satellite data on the Northern Corridor Project connecting
landlocked countries such as Uganda and South Sudan via
Nairobi from the Port of Mombasa in Kenya. On the topic ofrailroads and roads, the attention of the attendees was ignitedwhen it was quantitively shown that there is a difference in the
ripple effect along railway lines. This talk was followed by
JICA’s Mr. Yoshimoto Koyanagi who introduced the Port of

Basic Information about African Region(Four Countries)

Dakar in Senegal, Mr. Shigeru Kawakami of Dai Nippon
Construction who discussed the Nile Bridge in South Sudan, andMr. Yujin Uemura of Shimizu Corporation who introduced theTema Intersection in Ghana. Each of these constructions wasestablished with ODA from Japan, and they are projects that,rather than helping each individual country, went beyond borders
to build an international corridor connecting neighboring
countries. They were fascinating talks that gave insights into not
only the technical challenges but also the struggles and joy that

Lecture by Ms. Wakamiya

accompanied transporting materials and equipment and working
together with each country and the people of these three nations.
The second half consisted of a panel discussion involving the speakers. The panelists spoke openly to an
audience of mainly young engineers about the enjoyable differences of overseas projects compared to domestic
projects, such as the significance of supporting overseas projects as well as what it is like working and living
overseas.

Panel Discussion

As someone who helped plan this symposium, I was extremely happy that it was well received by the attendees
as well who were involved in a lively question and answer session containing questions such as: “What was thereason for adopting the rotary jacked pile method?” “How did you procure construction equipment and materials
in landlocked countries?” “How did you spend your days off?”, and I really hope this symposium acts as acatalyst for the attendees, especially the younger generation, to take an interest in Africa.

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Japan’s nominal GDP, which indicates the size of the country’s economy, has remained almost the same from 2002 to 2022 at $4.2 trillion. The

population of Japan has reduced from 127 million to 125 million. From 2002 to 2022, the size of Africa’s economy has increased by 420% from$700 billion to $2.9 trillion, while during this same period, the population has also increased from 820 million to 1.38 billion (source: IMF - World
Economic Outlook Database (October 2023 Edition)).

【Reported by Yukihiro Koizumi, Director of IAC, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA))】“DOBOKU DAY (Civil Engineering Day)" andCivil Engineering in Society Week (FY2023)


Introduction

At the JSCE Headquarters and eight branches across Japan, various events and activities are held as part of“DOBOKU DAY (Civil Engineering Day)” on November 18 and Civil Engineering in Society Week, a week ofcelebration from “DOBOKU DAY” until November 24 on which JSCE was established.
This is a report of the fantastic festivities that were held across the country for fiscal 2023. It has been 36 years
since “DOBOKU DAY” was established on November 18, 1987. Thanks to the tremendous help of each branchand each related society, “DOBOKU DAY” has taken root nationwide. As a member of the JSCE
Communication and Public Relations Center, I hope that we continue to teach the importance of social capitalto the general public. We hope that everyone continues to be understanding and cooperate in the years to come.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to everyone who gave their all to making the festivities a
success.


Report from JSCE Headquarters

The JSCE Headquarters, with the help of other related societies, undertook various initiatives primarily throughthe “DOBOKU DAY” and Civil Engineering in Society Week period. These included the sharing of information
with various media outlets, using the “DOBOKU DAY” logo, and holding the annual events related to“DOBOKU DAY”.
As part of sharing information with media outlets, a “DOBOKU DAY” advertisement was published in a sports
newspaper (illustration by manga artist Shoichi Haga), the president’s opening remarks on “DOBOKU DAY”
were published in a construction newspaer, and posts were published on social media. Elsewhere, flyers andpanels containing the “DOBOKU DAY” logo were produced and “DOBOKU DAY” goods (stickers, balloons,etc.) were actively handed out.
As an event related to “DOBOKU DAY”, DOBOKU COLLECTION is also held each year. DOBOKUCOLLECTION exhibits and makes public various collections that are not typically available to see, such as
historic documents, drawings, and photos of the civil engineering industry. Continuing from the success of lastyear, approximately 48,000 visitors made their way to the Event Corner at Shinjuku Station West Exit Plaza
during the four days from Tuesday, November 21 to Friday, November 24. On the first day, Tuesday, November
21, an opening ceremony was held for the first time in four years. It was attended by approximately 250 people,
including related parties and members of the press.

4Opening Ceremony of DOBOKU COLLECTION
2023 (Photo taken together with “DOBOKU DAY”
Panel)DOBOKU COLLECTION 2023

The main exhibits at this year’s DOBOKU COLLECTION were “100 years since the Great Kanto Earthquake:
Today’s prosperity built on restoration of the imperial capital,” “Chuo Shinkansen using the Superconducting
Maglev,” and “the restoration of the Morimura Bridge.”
Theme one of the exhibition contents, “100 years since the Great Kanto Earthquake: Today’s prosperity built on
restoration of the imperial capital,” exhibited with a focus on civil engineering structures that have continued tosupport our lives since the restoration, marking 100 years since the Great Kanto Earthquake brought
unprecedented destruction in mainly Tokyo and Kanagawa. This exhibition, based on materials collected fromthe efforts of DOBOKU COLLECTION team and the “Key Civil Engineering Heritage” feature published in
the JSCE Magazine, provided detailed explanations using drawings and photos from which you could sense
how Tokyo has grown since the project to restore the imperial capital.
Theme two, “Chuo Shinkansen using the Superconducting
Maglev,” is a major project that is attracting attention as
Japan’s new main transport route, with construction
ongoing. Upon its completion, it will lead to the formationof a “Super Mega Region” that integrates the three major
metropolitan areas of Japan: Tokyo, Chukyo, and Kinki. In
addition to using photos and video footage to show how theSuperconducting Maglev works, as well as workers
tackling the construction of the challenging Minami Alps
tunnel, shield tunnels of the cities, and elevated bridges,

A super-large “Chuo Shinkansen using theSuperconducting Maglev” facade

this exhibition also used models and 3D project mapping to
educate visitors. Many visitors took photos to remember the day in front of the super-large facade produced
exclusively for this event using a photo of the front of the Chuo Shinkansen. Visitors of all ages seemed to learn
and get excited about this new piece of infrastructure.
As for the third theme, “the restoration of the Morimura Bridge,” it has been over 100 years since the bridge
was constructed. Images were used to give a comprehensive introduction to this project to restore a heavily
deteriorated tangible cultural asset on the brink of collapse. As very few books remain from the time of thedesign stage, illustrations were created and reproduction calculations were made based on 3D measurements,and visuals were used in chronological order to explain the process of restoration and construction activities

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aimed at reusing the original components as much as possible. This was also combined with tales of the struggles
faced by the engineers who made the restoration a success.
This year’s DOBOKU COLLECTION was also held together with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureauof Construction at the same time as the “Bridges and Civil Engineering Exhibition - Tokyo” (organized by the
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Construction). “Bridges and Civil Engineering Exhibition - Tokyo”
exhibited a model of the restored Kiyosu Bridge in honor of 100 years since the Great Kanto Earthquake. Other
initiatives included the handing out of bridge cards and making paper crafts.
A yellow color scheme was adopted as the signature colorfor DOBOKU COLLECTION venue in Shinjuku. We
received a lot of feedback from visitors who said they
were drawn into the venue as they passed by and were
captured by the eye-catching designs of the quintessential
Doboku facade and flyers even from a distance. In thevenue itself, as a means of giving out goods to visitors
who answered the questionnaire, the card machine, whichemitted cards containing photos of civil engineering
heritage, and the capsule toys, which were modified to

DOBOKU COLLECTION was
everyone from adults to children.

enjoyedbycatch the eye by flashing light from inside the capsule machine, both proved very popular. The battery-poweredtrain that ran on the model produced to give an impression of the underground track of the Chuo Shinkansen
was also a big draw among the visitors.
We hope to make use of the interactions we had with the visitors to DOBOKU COLLECTION to generatevarious ideas for future exhibitions to further communicate the greatness of civil engineering with more people
and deepen their understanding of the field.
*This article was published in the May 2024 issue of the JSCE Magazine. Please check the JSCE Magazine for the reports of the eight branches
across Japan.

【Report by JSCE Communication and Public Relations Center】

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11th Joint Company Information Session forInternational Students (Online)
Since 2013, the International Student Network Group of the International Activities
Center hosts Joint Company Information Session for international students studying
in Japan to provid them information on the businesses of Japanese civil engineering
companies, overseas projects, and recruitment. This year (2023), the 11th Company
Information Session was held online from 12:00 to 17:50 on Saturday, December 9,in collaboration with the IAC International Civil Engineers Group and the Global
Civil Engineer Research Subcommittee of the Consultants Committee. A total of 83
international students from universities national wide and 17 Japanese companies
participated on the day. The participant companies are as follows.

Ji Dang(International Student
Network Group, IAC)

[Participant companies]
Eight-Japan Engineering Consultants Inc., TOA Corporation, Penta-Ocean Construction Co., Ltd.,
Katahira & Engineers International Co., Ltd., Asunaro Aoki Construction Co., Ltd., Obayashi Corporation,
Something Co., Ltd., Electric Power Development Co., Ltd., Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd.,
Hazama Ando Corporation, TSUCHIYA Corporation, JGC Corporation, Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd.,FORUM 8 Co., Ltd., Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd., Integrated Design & Engineering Holdings
Co., Ltd.
This event was held in three parts: (1) the Opening Session, (2) the Company Sessions, and (3) the “Senpai”
Sessions. In the first part, the Opening Session, the purpose of the Company Information Session was explained
during the opening remarks, and then Ms. Thithudung Nguyen (Shimizu Corporation) and Mr. Deepanshu
Agarwal (Location Mind), who are former international students that now playing a key role in Japanesecompanies respectively, gave talks about “Senpai’s Experience in Studying and Working in Japan”, in which
they introduced their experiences regarding topics such as research activities at Japanese universities, job
hunting, and works in their companies.
In the second part, from 12:45 to 16:35, each participant company held four Company Sessions in the form ofa web meeting for 20 minutes per session. In those sessions, information was provided on topics such as thecontents of work, introductions to overseas projects, and how to join a Japanese company.
After the Company Sessions drew to a close, Senpai Sessions were held with the help of five former international
students who have landed themselves a job at a Japanese company. Those involved were Ms. Nguyen, Mr.
Deepanshu, Ms. Suihei Ryu (Asunaro Aoki Construction Co., Ltd.), Mr. Shrestha Ashishi (Hazama Ando
Corporation), and Mr. Lucas Alves (Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd.). From their position of experience, these fiveindividuals discussed the preparations and skills required for getting a job in Japan. Event attendees eagerly
asked their seniors questions, sparking passionate discussions beyond the boundaries of seniority.
The International Student Network Group will continue to work together with former international students who
are now employed at Japanese companies to provide useful information to current international students aiming

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to get a job in Japan.
In the end, I would like to share with you about the internship survey conducted by the International Civil
Engineers Group of the International Activities Center. This group collects information about internships at
Japanese construction companies for international students to assist them. The International Civil Engineers
Group will conduct a survey of construction companies and share the information they collect with international
students through each university. We would like to ask for your kind cooperation with the survey. For details
about the survey, please contact the International Activities Center secretariat (iad@jsce.or.jp).

★Notice About the 26th International Summer Symposium★
The International Student Network Group will host the 26th International Summer Symposium at the JSCE
Annual Meeting in 2024. As part of the symposium, the Global Civil Engineers Workshop will be organized
for international students, Japanese university students, and young engineers. For details about theworkshop, please check the International Activities Center website. We hope to see you there!

【Reported by Ji Dang, International Student Network Group (Saitama University)】

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 forAssessment, Management, and Governancehttps://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_20240227.pdf◆Summary of featured articles in JSCE Magazine Vol. 109, No.5, May 2024
http://www.jsce-int.org/pub/magazine◆Journal of JSCE
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/journalofjsce◆Frontiers of Concrete Technology, 6th JSCE Concrete Committee Webinar
https://youtu.be/O9SjBacieXg?feature=shared8◆Safe and Healthy Work in the Digital Age 2023-2025 Campaign
https://healthy-workplaces.osha.europa.eu/en/media-centre/events/launch-ceremony-healthy-workplacescampaign-safe-and-healthy-work-digital-age-2023-2025◆【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◆The 12th East Asian Dam Conference (EADC)︓https://confit.atlas.jp/guide/event/eadc2024/top◆The 10th World Water Forum︓https://worldwaterforum.org/◆78th ECCE General Meeting（22 - 24 May 2024, Riga, Latvia）
http://www.ecceengineers.eu/news/2024/78_ecce_meeting.php?id=41◆IABSE Symposium Tokyo 2025
https://www.iabse.org/Tokyo2025/§ IAC News Subscription §The IAC News is one of the communication tools to share information and ideas with the members. We would like to invite
you, your friends and colleagues to join the communication and to subscribe the IAC News. Please register online:(http://www.jsce-int.org/node/150). We look forward to meeting you.
§ IAC Facebook §Recent activity of International Activities Center is introduced on this Facebook. Please see this home page(https://www.facebook.com/JSCE.en).
Comments and Questions
Please send us your feedback and comments to help us improve the IAC news. We look forward to hearing from you.
JSCE IAC: iac-news@ jsce.or.jp

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