2018. 11. 1

Japan Society of Civil Engineers
International Activities Center

IAC News No.73
2018 JSCE Annual Meeting ReportⅠ
International Panel Discussion“Comparison of infrastructure Maintenance andResilience among Asian and Western Countries”
International Panel Discussion titled “Comparison of
infrastructure Maintenance and Resilience among Asianand Western Countries” was held as one of the international
events in JSCE Annual Meeting 2018 on August 29 at
Hokkaido University, Sapporo. The International Panel
Discussion was jointly organized by the International
Activities Center and the JSCE-ASCE Special Committee
on Infrastructure Resilience. Dr. Yoshikazu Takahashi,
Professor of Kyoto University delivered a speech titled‘infrastructure resilience strategy in structure/earthquake

Dr. Kobayashi and International Guests

engineering’ as the first keynote speech. The second
keynote speaker, Dr Craig Davis who serves for the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power as
Waterworks Engineer and Water System Resilience Program Manager, delivered a speech on infrastructure
resilience framework which contextualize the linkage between the engineering aspect and social or community
aspect.
Followed by those keynote speeches, a panel discussion
session was held inviting representatives of Agreement of
Cooperation societies (AOC), Mr. Yan-Jang Su, a project
manager at CECI Engineering Consulting Ltd., from
CICHE (Taiwan), Dr. Kyungrock Paik, a professor of Korea
University from KSCE, Dr. Hideto Kon, a professor of
Hokkaido University and Mr. Takehiko Bamba of Hokkaido
Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism from JSCE introduced state-of-the- From right to left, Dr. Craig, Dr. Takahashi, Dr. Paik,
art practices for improving resilience and infrastructure Mr. Su, Mr. Bamba, and Dr. Kon
maintenance policies.
Dr. Kiyoshi Kobayashi, the president of JSCE commented that the backgrounds of necessity for resilience1policies were increasing vulnerability due to the advancement of social systems, the advancement of social
recognition of risks and the change of external force caused by the climate change. In addition, he insisted on
the necessity of comprehension through knowledge management and international platforms for discussion as
well as the importance of having continuous discussions in the international societies.
This discussion was held, supported by International Scientific Exchange Fund (ISEF). On behalf of theorganizers, I 'd like to express my appreciation for the ISEF.
【Reported by Masamitsu Onishi, Associate Professor ofDisaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University】

2018 JSCE Annual Meeting Report II
International Workshop for Young Civil Engineers
International Student Network Group, IAC held the International Workshop for
Young Civil Engineers, as part of the 20th International Summer Symposium, on
August 29 at Sapporo Campus, Hokkaido University. The workshop targeted theinternational students who were studying in Japan and international young civilengineers, under the theme of “When a Mega Disaster Strikes… - How would you
respond if you were a mayor? -”.
This workshop is very unique because the mayors in the Miyagi prefecture
experienced the same workshop half a year before the 2011 Great East Japan
Earthquake

andTsunami.

Yoshihiro Okumura（Kansai University）

Forty-one participants weredivided into seven groups, and they played the mayor ofcity damaged by a mega earthquake and tsunami disaster.
Each group discussed Common Operational Picture(COP) and Incident Action Plan (IAP); in what situation
the city should be in a week. Finally, they reported theobjectives and post-disaster policies and practices like a
Participants at the Workshop Closing

real mayor in a pseudo-press conference.

The participants’ comments are as follows:・This time the theme of the workshop was regarding preparedness and decision making, as being a Mayor ofa town/city after a post-earthquake or post-tsunami event. International students were categorized into different
groups of 6-7 members each where we discussed our ideas to support the cause. Every student was involved in
teamwork working through different case studies, which I think was the most salient feature of this workshop.

・There were many things to learn regarding post-disaster aftermaths, and how to plan, decide and implement
right actions. Also, the interaction with different nationalities at the workshop was an exciting experience.
Knowing people and sharing each other’s innovative ideas broadened my thinking and understanding ofdifferent study fields as well. The theme of this workshop was really great for brainstorming, interactive
learning, building relationships, and problem-solving. Overall, it was a friendly and enjoyable learning
environment. Thanks to JSCE International Activities Center for organizing such fruitful event.

2

A Mayor Reports at a Press Conference

Participants as City Officers Discuss
Post-Disaster Policies

The Workshop was based on ISO 22320, which is the international standard of emergency management. The
experience that the participants gained in the workshop would help them to function well in the company andcountry regardless of any field they will work.
【Reported by Yoshihiro Okumura, Associate Professor of
The Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences, Kansai University】【Alumni of DOBOKU Series】
Life in Japan; A Transition Experience From College to Career
KAWIN Saipraserkit
Senior Professional Level Civil Engineer at
Department of Rural Roads, Ministry of Transport, Thailand.
Kawin was born in Bangkok, Thailand 1986. He received his B.E. degree in structuralEngineering from Chulalongkorn University in 2007, and the M.E. and Ph.D. degrees
in Fatigue of Steel Structures from the University of Tokyo Institute of Technology,
Japan in 2010 and 2012. Shortly after his graduation, he continued his career as an
assistant professor in Tokyo Tech., before moving back to Thailand in 2014 to serve
his motherland country. Currently, he maintains his position as a senior professional
level civil engineer at department of rural roads, ministry of transport Thailand.
Back in 2006, as a senior student in his fourth year in faculty of engineering, KAWIN Saipraserkit
Chulalongkorn University, Kawin has a chance to be a part in research involving with

(MiNistry of TraNsport,
ThailaNd)

the earthquake situation in ChiangRai, a province in northern part of Thailand. This
project gave rise to his interest in the study of earthquake. His advisor at that time, Dr. Anat Ruangrassamee who
is also an alumni of Tokyo Tech., gave him an advice to continue his study in Japan.

As one of the country thatthe earthquake most likely to occur, Japan has abundant resources of knowledge, as well as the ability andtechnology to conduct research in related topic. Considering about these facts, Kawin decided to take MEXT
scholarship and continue his grad school in Japan. He chose his field of study in steel and therefore he was3

assigned to the laboratory under supervision of professor Miki Chitoshi.
They say life is not a bed of roses, but first year as a
Ryugakusei was struggle and full of thorns. Shortly after his
arrival in Japan, Kawin found out that his advisor, professor
Miki was going to reach his retirement in three years. By thismeans, Kawin had only three from five years to complete bothmaster and PhD courses, including the minimum requirementsof 3-months internship and 5-publications for peer-review
journal papers (Requirement for the publication was raised
from three to five, in accordance to the shorten of his coursethhours). Undoubtedly, his first and second year life in Tokyo At the 64 International Institute of Welding Annual

Assembly & International Conference in Chennai,

Tech. was very stressful. After uncountable restless days and India in 2011
nights, tons of physical and mental suffering, Kawin had
adapted to work hard like a Japanese. Afterward, however, he realized that in order to achieve quality work,
getting plenty of rest is as much necessary. He learnt to maintain work-life balance and eventually had a healthier
student life in his third year.
After all the hard work, along with guidance and support fromhis advisor Prof. Miki following with Prof. Sasaki Eiichi,
Kawin was able to publish his fifth paper on his third year. Oneof his study was concentrated on the evaluation of the fatigue
strength of beam-to-column connections under a number ofmaterial-mismatched conditions, combined with the numerous
sizes of defects. In this study, Kawin proposed a master curveto evaluate the criticity of strength undermatching under highintensity cyclic loads (eg. earthquakes) as the result of his With Dr. Miki at the 66th International
experimental and analytical work on several types of joints. Institute of Welding Annual Assembly &International Conference in Essen, Germany in 2013

The study was awarded Henry Granjon Prize for design andstructural integrity in 2013.
After His graduation, without reluctance, he applied for the assistant professor
position in his laboratory. A major reason for apply this job was to extend his
research field in steel. Nevertheless, experience as an assistant professor was
totally different from what he had gained as a PhD student. Firstly, there was a
big language barriers difficulty. Though he didn’t have to speak Japanese when
he was a student, as a lecturer all teaching material and script had to be preparedin Japanese, which made it twice harder for him. Secondly, he used to work
solitarily when he was a student, becoming an assistant professor meant he has
to deal with many people from different role. It was not easy for him at first,
Assistant Professor at Tokyo

however this taught him a lot about human relationship and communication skill Institute of Technology
at work. Kawin utilizes these experience practically until nowadays. The
4

message he got was that there is no such thing as impossible, it’s just a matter of figuring out how and be well
prepared.
At present, Kawin is running a feasibility study of the Chao Phraya River Crossing Bridge in Phra Samut Chedi
district, SamutPrakan province under the department of rural road, in cooperating with Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA). If the project can be carried out, it will help supporting main transportation system
in Bangkok eastern suburbs area, as well as improving provincial logistic and transportation between regions byconnecting the southern, western and eastern part of Thailand. However, the design study of the bridge is underprocessing. If it is approved, this bridge will become a new longest span suspension bridge of Thailand.
Alumni of DOBOKU Series is in collaboration with Editorial Committee of JSCE Magazine.
《Column》 Chitoshi MIKI, President, Tokyo City University
It is my pleasure to introduce Dr. Kawin, one of my first-class supervisees. Despite my unavoidable
request for him to complete his MS and PhD study in a very short term, due to my retirement, hesuccessfully accomplished this difficult requirement. From reading his article published here, it is veryclear that he had gone through many challenges. As I believe his excellent potential, I pretended not to
be aware of his hardship at that time. He had been continuously presented his studies at IIW commission
XIII, the world leading society of the fatigue study, and he was once awarded IIW Henry Granjon prize.
He is so competitive that I was asked from one leading University in Europe to recommend him forapplying to the tenure-track position. If possible, I am confident to say that I really wish if he continues research with me.

Japanese Civil Engineers The Global Leaders Symposium Series No.12“Construction project of port and harbor infrastructure in theworld ～The Port Vila Lapetasi International Multi-Purpose
Wharf Development Project～”, July 19, 2018
The Global Leaders Symposium Series No. 12 “Construction Project of Port andHarbor Infrastructure in the World” focused on Japan’s overseas port investment
works, for the second time in the series, covering topics on the national government
policy accelerating Japanese participation in overseas infrastructural investment in
the port sector, including an example of efforts in transferring technology on Japan’s
port- related design codes and construction standards to Vietnam.
It was emphasized that current port investment practices require participating
engineers more integrated, especially with experts at operating the infrastructure inquestion, not only at contractual phase but also for its successful implementation.
Another emphasis was placed on mutual understandings and reliance of Japanese andclient engineers which is essential for the successful participation and implementationof the project, and that, for that purpose, establishing a common technical backgroundamong engineers on both sides is very important. The introduced technicalcooperation is considered as one example of pioneering and good practices.

5

Takao Kakei(JSCE Fellow, Director ofInternational Activities Center,
JSCE)In the second part of the symposium, a project report on the
new multi-purpose wharf at Port of Port Villa, Vanuatu, a
JICA loan project, was presented. The project was
implemented for relocating container- and cargo-handling
capacities of the port to a new site at the Lapetasi district toease traffic congestions caused by cruise and cargo vessels
in the existing main terminal. The new wharf was officiallyinaugurated on February 24, 2018, that was almost 2 years
since the construction started.

TOA CORPORATION Delivered a Presentation
about the Port Vila Lapetasi Project

The project included the construction of a new 200m long steel pile wharf with concrete coping, relating dredging
and land reclamation works with some technical challenges and environmental issues to be overcome on a rather
tight schedule; on-time mobilization of all imported steel pipes and hat-type sheet piles and their precisionsetting , hard schedule coordination with neighboring construction works and site users, and the relocation ofcoral community found at the construction site. Speakers from TOA CORPORATION, the main contractor of
the project gave presentations on project engineering, contractual, constructing and environmental aspects.
Interesting facts and experiences in everyday life on/off the construction works in Vanuatu were also introduced
from individual perspectives in the session as has ever been done in the symposium series.
【Reported by Takao Kakei, JSCE Fellow, Director of International Activities Center, JSCE】

Updates◆Seminar on the Dissemination of Japanese Technical Standards Overseas, The 9th JOPCA Seminar(November 7, 2018)
http://committees.jsce.or.jp/kokusai/node/131◆2018 Joint Company Information Session (November 17, 2018)
http://www.jsce-int.org/node/574◆The 1st Joint Symposium on Structural and Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering ISO-23469(November 27, 2018)
http://committees.jsce.or.jp/eec2/node/139◆Japanese Civil Engineers the Global Leaders Symposium Series No.13 (December 18, 2018)
http://committees.jsce.or.jp/kokusai/◆CECAR8 Online Registration (Early Bird: June 1, 2018 – Jan 31, 2019)http://www.cecar8.jp/◆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/◆Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council (ACECC) International Newsletter
http://www.acecc-world.org/newsletter.html

6◆IAC “News Pick Up!!” on the JSCE Japanese website
http://committees.jsce.or.jp/kokusai/node/118◆Summary of featured articles in JSCE Magazine Vol. 103, No. 11, November 2018
http://www.jsce-int.org/pub/magazine◆Journal of JSCE
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/journalofjsce◆IAC Students and Alumni Network
http://www.jsce-int.org/IAC_network§ 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

7