JSCE Newsletter No.19, February 2007

Japan Society of Civil Engineers
International Activities Committee

NewsletterNo. 19 February 2007

Message from President

JSCE President Masanori HAMADAThe natural environment is changing in
the world: global warning, deforestation,desertification, river erosion and urban heatisland phenomena. These occurrences are
causing torrential rainfalls, huge storms, hightidal waves, drought and abnormally hightemperatures.
While, our social environment is alsochanging: it is becoming more susceptible tonatural disasters: rapid increase in population,
densely populated urban areas, depopulatedrural areas, human habitation on fragile ground,lack of cooperation and communication
between urban communities, and shortfalls in
funds for infrastructure developments for the
purposesof
disaster
mitigation
andenvironmental restoration.
Due to these changes, frequency ofnatural disasters has drastically risen for thelast two decades, particularly in the Asian
countries; about eight hundred thousand people
were killed by earthquakes, tsunami, floods
and storms, and of those victims, 90% were
found in the Asian region. In almost all
developing countries, poverty is the major
factorcontributing
toenvironmental
destruction and natural disasters. The farther
poverty deepens, the more seriously theenvironment is damaged and more widely
natural disasters attack the environment,
making another impact on the people’s lives.
This is a vicious poverty-environment-natural
disasters spiral, which goes on and on.
Also available on web: www.jsce.or.jp

Taking into account the impacts of thenatural disasters and environment destruction
on the human society, we, civil engineers
should pursue a professional goal ofcontributing to the people’s welfare on the
globe by means of building a safe and securesociety. Our responsibility and duty evolve
more diverse and heavier as time goes on.
JSCE has put its efforts into obtainingthat goal through various activities on several
occasions. Organizing seminars, workshops
and symposiums in cooperation with overseas
engineering societies and academic institutions
is one example.
Another is assisting post-disaster relief
activities. The Society has dispatched technicalteams formed with skilled engineers, scholars
and researchers of its members several times:
Soon after the Indian Ocean earthquake andsubsequent tsunamis and the Pakistan
earthquake, technical teams entered into
disaster-afflicted areas and joined local
engineers in reconstruction and recovery
activities. These teams have visited the areas
repeatedly since then. Meanwhile, Student
members have engaged in disaster education in
the earthquake-stricken areas in Indonesia
through conducting workshops, lectures anddrill for elementary- and junior high school
students in cooperation with college students
from the local areas.
In 2006, together with the members
from Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ), ourmembers established the NPO Engineers
without Borders, Japan (EWOB). Its mission isto transfer civil engineering knowledge andtechnologies for disaster mitigation andenvironmental recovery to person to person
and place to place, to offer technical assistanceto disaster-afflicted areas for their smooth
recovery and reconstruction, and to provide
disaster education to those areas and continue
it until it is rooted in them. Throughparticipating in the EWOB’s activities, theSociety will further expand its arena so that it
would work on creating a safe, secure andhealthy society more dynamically.
1

JSCE Newsletter No.19, February 2007

2006 JSCE Annual Meeting
The 2006 JSCE Annual Meeting washeld on September 20 through 22 at
Ritsumeikan University, Biwako-Kusatsu
Campus in Shiga Prefecture. International
programs were officially announced in the
Annual Meeting program and drew attention
from attendees at the event.
The international programs, consistedof Roundtable Meeting as a main event, Panel
Discussion, English Session and so on. There
were 25 participants from abroad including 6
from JSCE’s overseas sections. The details are
given in the next page.
The aim of the Roundtable Meeting is
to share information and to find out futureissues under a specific topic throughinformation exchanging and discussions. This
year’stheme
was“Restoration
andReconstruction from Natural Disasters.” Prof.
Hamada President opened the meeting withgreetings and introduced that aim. Then theoverseas participants gave a presentation inturn and exchanged opinions with each other.
In the ending, the opinions exchanged weresummarized in a form of “Shiga Resolution for
Restoration from Natural Disasters" with theunanimous approval from the participants. The
resolution is as follows:

Panel Discussion was carried out under
the theme of “Future of Civil Engineers’
Challenges to Environmental Issues,” chairedby Mr. Osamu Takahashi, Chair theInternational Activities Committee. 5 panelists
presented their views and opinions andexchanged with the audience.
Besides, the English Session and Panel
Discussion organized by the ACECC
Committee of JSCE and the Joint Seminar
hosted by KSCE and JSCE Concrete
Committees completed successfully.
A welcome reception for our overseas
guests was held at the first night of the Annual
Meeting. The participants enjoyed meetingwith international colleagues in a friendly
atmosphere.

At the welcome reception
We, civil engineers assembled in Shiga on theoccasion of the Roundtable Meeting on“Restoration and Reconstruction from Natural
Disasters” in the JSCE 2006 Annual Meeting on
September 20th, 2006. Through extensive
discussions, we have reaffirmed the common
responsibility, mission and goal, and agreed
unanimously as follows:
1.

2.
3.

4.
5.

We, civil engineers, have committed to thewelfare of humanity and reaffirmed that we areof one mind in pursuing a better, safer,
healthier environment of society.
We have recognized international cooperation
as a vital force to fulfill the responsibility topeople.
We have resolved to further strengthen mutual
cooperation and to offer immediate assistanceat the events of natural disaster on any part of
the Asian region to minimize the impacts ofnatural disasters and to assuage people’safflictions.
We will develop a network to wider areas forsharing common understandings and forexchanging information and experiences.
We will promote and advance the science andpractice of Civil Engineering and related
professions for sustainable developments in the
Asian region.

The JSCE Agreement of Cooperation societies andorganizations that have agreed on this resolution:
Please visit the website: http://www.jsce-int.org/

2

Roundtable Meeting
Now that a series of the international
programs are recognized as a part of Annual
Meeting officially, we have to make more
effort than before to enhance the programs to
be welcomed and satisfy foreign guests as wellas Japanese participants.
Finally, we would like to express our
sincere thanks to all the participants, andespecially to the Organizing Committee ofAnnual Meeting, Kansai Chapter of JSCE and
Ritsumeikan University and all of the staff
members who kindly supported us.
Also available on web: www.jsce.or.jp

JSCE Newsletter No.19, February 2007

Venue:

Ritsumeikan University,
Campus , Main Conference Room

Biwako-Kusatsu

Date: 20th to 22nd September, 2006
Program(1) Roundtable Meeting
Topic: “Restoration and Reconstruction from Natural
Disasters”
Overseas Organizations: IEB, PII, KSCE, MACE,
CICHE, TCCE, ACECC, EIT
Participants: 60(2) Panel Discussion
Topic: “Future of Civil Engineers’ Challenges toEnvironmental Issues”
Panelists: Dr.Lee, Tai Sik (KSCE), Mr.Choibalsan
Nomdag (MACE), Dr.Yeong-Bin Yang (CICHE), Dr.
Yoshihisa Shimizu (JSCE), Dr. Syunsuke Ikeda(JSCE)
Participants: 56(3) International/English Session
Topic: “Projects in Developing Countries – Problems,Solutions and Achievements-”
Presenters: 5
Participants: 26(4) KSCE-JSCE Concrete Joint Seminar (Hosted by
KSCE & JSCE Concrete Committees)
Topics: “Maintenance and Management Strategy of
Infrastructures in Japan and Korea”
Participants: 39(5) Panel Discussion (in Japanese)
Topics: “Towards the harmonization of design codes in
Asian region”
Participants: 30

By Katsuji FUKUMOTO(Secretary General
International Activities Committee,
Obayashi Corporation)

JSCE Study Tour Grant 2006
TaweepChaisomphob
Recipient of
JSCE Study Tour
Grant, 2006
The Engineer
Institute ofThailandJapan Society of Civil Engineers isincreasingly gaining popularity due to its
active participation in the promotion of civilengineering discipline in national as well asinternational arena.
It’s creative and diverse activities in thefield of civil engineering have enabled it to
stand as the most active professional societies
in the world. JSCE has just completed its 90thbirthday and it is obvious that one will expect a
lot from the pioneer institution like JSCE forthe betterment of mankind in the years to come.
Among the varieties of cooperation with otherlike minded institutions, ‘Study Tour Grant’ isAlso available on web: www.jsce.or.jp

one that comes under “International ScientificExchange Fund” which is awarded to enhancemutual understanding and co-operation
between JSCE and overseas societies of thecivil engineering discipline. It was my goodluck that I was awarded the highly reputed
JSCE study tour grant for the year 2004.
Indeed, it was a great honor to Nepal
Engineers’ Association and personally me. I
am very much grateful to International Affairs
Section, JSCE for its incredible support indesigning a perfect study tour scheduleconsidering my subject of interest, i.e. disaster
related activities and organizations, on highlevel. I am quite hopeful that this award has atleast paved a way for the amicable relationshipbetween our two professional organizations.
I experienced the Study Tour extremely
inspiring and fruitful as it offered an
opportunity to observe Japanese technology.
What I noticed minutely was the geo-physicalfeatures of Japan that is manifested by its
dynamic tectonic activities. Japan has been
involved in the war against natural disasters for
hundreds of years in the name of floods,
typhoons, earthquakes, landslides and otherhazards. These sorts of disasters havecompelled the Japanese people to cope up withsuch adverse situations. Moreover, highseismic activities, poor topography along withcomplicated soil conditions and highpopulation density have coerced Japan todeviseadvancedcivilengineering
constructions to adapt suitably. Japan faced themost devastating earthquake of the century
named Kobe earthquake, 1995. It is believedthat if the disaster of the same scale would
have occurred in other regions besides Japan,
the loss would have been beyond ourimagination.
I was highly impressed when I was
taken to pay an observation visit to KansaiInternational Airport. It is indeed arevolutionary civil creation that is also
recognized as one of the ten great civilengineering achievements of the 20th century
for its construction technologies as well as
environmental conservation efforts and socialand economical contributions. Regarding the
Weighted Equivalent Continuous Perceived
Noise Level (WECPNL), 70 are kept within
the sea area, which meets the environmental
standards of surrounding areas. Likewise,
KansaiInternational
AirportLand
Development Co. Ltd. has been certified ISO
14001, an international standard forenvironmental management. Approximately
160,000 take- off and landings per year of thefirst phase airport is expected to reach a level3

JSCE Newsletter No.19, February 2007of 230,000 take-off and landings after thecompletion of second phase construction.
The next remarkable feature ofJapanese society that I noticed about is its
fascinating culture, social norms and values. It
was a great pleasure to meet so many
interesting and kind people during my stay inJapan who really have a genuine mutual
respect for others. The most attractive part that
one can observe about the modern Japan is its
research-oriented culture. It was found thatmajorityofuniversities,
construction
companies,
consultancies;
government
development organizations have their own
research wings that enhance the standard ofcivil engineering and construction business inJapan. The civil engineering profession isgetting more challenging in the context ofJapan as they are directing their efforts towards
above and under the water surface as they arelacking the ground space for civil constructions.

motorization goes, the urban traffic &transportation problems, such as city sprawl,
environment and energy problem, traffic
accident, a poverty layer, poor mobility ofhandicappedpeople,areaggravating
increasingly. On the other hand, as thedevelopmentof
information
andcommunication
technology,
theintelligentization of the traffic & transportation
system (ITS) is advanced. The new view ofthese problem solving is also appearing. To
exchange information and ideas continuously,
between the researchers in the field of thetraffic & transportation and the urban study
from Japan who have experienced these
problems and the researchers from China who
faced to these problems promptly, isconsidered to be very effective for thesustainable development of the cities in Asia inthe 21st century.
Aiming at building a place for suchexchange, Japan / China Joint Seminar on

CCES-JSCE Joint Seminar Report

Urban Development and Intelligent Systems
for the Future of Asian Cities, organized by-The 2nd Japan / China Joint Seminar on
Urban Development and Intelligent
Transport Systems for the Future of Asian
Cities (SUDITS 2006) was held in Harbin,
China
On July 30, 2006, the above joint
seminar, co-hosted by Civil Engineering
Academy of China (Urban Road andTransportation Engineering Committee) andJapan Society of Civil Engineers (Committee
of Infrastructure Planning Research), coorganized by Harbin Institute of Technology,
Toyota Transportation Research Institute(TTRI), Nagoya University and Urban
Transportation Centre (UTC) of the Ministryof Construction, and sponsored by Toyota
Mapmaster Incorporated, was held in Harbin
Institute of Technology.
In the Asian big cities where thepopulation increases rapidly and the4

Nagoya University (Morikawa and the
Yamamoto laboratory), co-sponsored by ITS
Japan, Toyota Transportation ResearchInstitute (TTRI) and Tsinghua University(Transportation Research Institute), wassuccessfully held in July 2005. The Japaneseand Chinese researchers working actively inthis field met together and confirmed thenecessity for exchanging information about theresult of research and the project relative withthe traffic & transportation and the urban study.
The subsequent seminar was decided to beheld periodically in 2006 and after.
In 2006, Harbin Institute of Technology
and Toyota Transportation Research Institute(TTRI) worked together as secretariats to
prepare the joint seminar. In order to heighten
the influence of such activity, the secretariats
called the joint sponsorship of Civil
Engineering Academy of China (Urban Road
and Transportation Engineering Committee)

Also available on web: www.jsce.or.jp

JSCE Newsletter No.19, February 2007

and Japan Society of Civil Engineers(Committee of Infrastructure PlanningResearch) and made it realize as stated in theabove.
This seminar began from the welcome
reception in the night of July 29, and finishedby the Banquet in the night of July 30. The
number of participants was about 100 (seePhoto). The speeches and presentations whichwere made by dividing into seven sessions on
July 30 were 41 in total. Moreover, number of
papers including which could be presented as
the limiting time is 65. All papers were
published, together with 6 presentationmaterials, in both the paper version and the
CD-ROM version.
At the opening ceremony, Prof. Sun
Heyi, the vice-president of Harbin Institute ofTechnology, addresses welcome speech.
Continually, Prof. Takayuki MORIKAWA
from Nagoya University, Prof. Liu Guisheng,
the director of Urban Road and Transportation
Engineering Committee of Civil Engineering
Academy of China and the president of Beijing
General Municipal Engineering Design andResearch Institute, and Prof. An Shi, the deanof School of Transportation Science andEngineering of Harbin Institute of Technology
addressed speech respectively.
As the representatives of Japan, Prof.
Noboru HARATA from University of Tokyoand Prof. Takayuki MORIKAWA gave the
keynote speech entitled by "transport andsocial exclusion: quantitative index andapplication results" and "a dynamic guidancesystem (DRGS) using probe vehicle data"
respectively. Moreover, at the closing
ceremony, Prof. Shoji Mizokami from
Kumamoto University, the former SecretaryGeneral of Committee of Infrastructure
Planning Research of JSCE gave a speechpromising the realization of the 3rd joint
seminar in Japan and appealed for theparticipation from China in 2007.
Besides above-mentioned Prof. Haradaand Prof. Morikawa, Prof. Mizokami, Dr.
Jiangqian YING, Associate Professor of Gifu
University, Dr. Junyi ZHANG, Associate
Professor of Hiroshima University and Dr.
Ryosuke Ando, Research General Manager &Chief Research Engineer of Toyota
Transportation Research Institute (TTRI),
made the presentations respectively on the
research results and projects in Japan.
Last but not least, gratitude isexpressed for various organizations andindividuals who supported and took part in
the joint seminar. Especially, I deeply
appreciate Prof. PEI Yulong, Director of
Also available on web: www.jsce.or.jp

Traffic & Transportation Research Lab of
Harbin Institute of Technology, and the staff in
Harbin Institute of Technology who did theirbest for the joint seminar preparation,
operation, making of proceedings and so on.
Furthermore, the greet gratitude is deeply
expressed to Japan Society of Civil Engineers,
Toyota Mapmaster Incorporated and Harbin
Institute of Technology for their financial
supports.
This seminar was supported by the
Scientific Exchange Fund of JSCE.
By Ryosuke Ando
(Toyota Transportation Research Institute)

KSCE-JSCE Joint Seminar Report

Key members in the seminar
The KSCE (Korean Society of Civil
Engineers)-JSCE (Japan Society of Civil
Engineers) Joint Seminar on Recent Progressof Concrete/Steel/FRP Hybrid Structures washeld in Gwangju, Korea, in conjunction with
the Annual Meeting of KSCE on October 13,
2006. This seminar was proposed by JSCE in
the wake of the publication of English Editionof the Guidelines of Verification for SteelConcrete Hybrid Structures by JSCE. A verystrong relationship has recently beendeveloped between the two countries in thefield of steel and concrete structural
engineering. To enhance further collaboration,
the seminar was planned on the basis of theagreement of cooperation between KSCE andJSCE.
The seminar began with the opening
speech by Professor Sung Wo Lee, Chairmanof Structure Committee of KSCE. Then,
Professor Tamon Ueda, Chairman ofCommittee on Hybrid Structures gave opening
address including the introduction of JSCE
activities on hybrid construction. After the
opening ceremony, six lectures were provided
with very active discussion.
The KSCE and JSCE published theproceedings of the joint seminar, in which
three papers each from JSCE and JSCE are
5

JSCE Newsletter No.19, February 2007

included. There were 37 participants in theseminar. It is expected that this seminarpromote future collaboration and development
among engineers and researchers of Japan and
Korea.
Finally, we would like to express our
sincere thanks to Prof. H. W. Song and theother staffs of KSCE who kindly organized theseminar.
By Hiroshi YOKOTA(Port and Airport Research Institute)

The JSCE/JCI–VIFCEA/VCA Tokyo
Workshop in 2006

Key members in the workshop
Japan Society of Civil Engineers(JSCE)/Japan Concrete Institute (JCI) –Vietnam Federation of Civil Engineering
Associations (VIFCEA)/Vietnam Concrete
Association (VCA) Tokyo Workshop was heldat JSCE Headquarters on 14th and 15th
September 2006, based on the conclusions of
the JSCE – VIFCEA Workshop, which washeld in Ho Chi Minh City University ofTechnology on 9th December 2005 (SeeConcrete Committee website).
The purpose of this workshop is toexchange the information on ConcreteStandard Specifications in Japan and Vietnam
and to discuss the direction of futurecollaboration.
Eventually, the following
Tokyo Resolutions were passed:(1) JSCE/JCI – VIFCEA/VCA Tokyo
Workshopparticipantsconfirm
theimportance to continue our collaborationand to develop Concrete Standard
Specifications for Vietnam as a JapaneseTechnical Cooperation Project (JTCP).
(2) JSCE/JCI – VIFCEA/VCA Tokyo
Workshop participants agree to prepare theframework of JTCP by organizing acommittee co-chaired by Koji Sakai, JSCE
and Tran Ngoc Hung, VIFCEA.
According to the report by VIFCEA,
Vietnam would like to develop a set ofbuilding codes and standards by 2010 and to6

have the cooperation of the Japanese partners
for their completion. JSCE also would like tocontribute to the Vietnamese challenge basedon our experience. It is expected that theTokyo Resolutions will work.
By Koji SAKAI(Kagawa University)
Publications
ARTICLES (From Apr. 2005 to Jan. 2007)
JSCE Guidelines for Concrete No.5:
STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONCRETESTRUCTURES–2002“Seismic
Performance
Verification”, April 2005, Pages 47, Price: JPY1,470-,
ISBN4-8106-0485-3
JSCE Guidelines for Concrete No.6:
STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONCRETESTRUCTURES –2002 “Materials and Construction”,
November 2005, Pages 443, Price: JPY2,520-, ISBN48106-0513-2
JSCE Guidelines for Concrete No.7:
RECOMMENDATIONOF
ENVIEONMENTALPERFORMANCE VERIFICATION FOR CONCRETESTRUCUTURES (DRAFT), June 2006, Pages 28, Price:
JPY1,260-, ISBN4-8106-0576-0
JSCE Guidelines for Concrete No.8:
RECOMMENDATIONSFORSHOTCRETING(DRAFT), September 2006, Pages 303, Price: JPY3,360-,
ISBN4-8106-0559-0
JSCE Guidelines for Concrete No.9:
RECOMMENDATIONSFORDESIGNAND
CONSTRUCTION OF ULTRA HIGH STRENGTHFIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES(DRAFT), September 2006, Pages 106, Price: JPY1,680-,
ISBN4-8106-0557-4
Journal of Global Environmental Engineering vol.11:
August 2006, Pages 73, Price: JPY6,000-, ISSN 13411268
Structural Engineering Earthquake Engineering vol.23:
No.1 April 2006, Pages 179, Price: JPY2,039-,
No.2 October 2006, Pages 149, Price: JPY2,039-, ISSN
0289-8063
Journal of Hydroscience and Hydraulic Engineering
Vol.24:No.1 June 2006, Pages 176, Price: JPY3,150-,
No.2 November 2006, Pages102, Price: JPY3,150-, ISSN
0912-2508
For orders, please contact:
MARUZEN Co. Ltd., Export Department
P.O. Box 247 Tokyo Nihonbashi 103-8691 Japan
Tel: +81-3-3273-3234
Fax: +81-3-3273-1044

Send your comments, suggestions and contributions
to: iad@jsce.or.jp
JSCE Website: http://www.jsce.or.jp
Editorial Board:International Activities Committee, JSCE

Also available on web: www.jsce.or.jp