CONTENTS

Role of AJCE for Japanese Consulting Engineering Industry

Konomu UCHIMURA

2

Japanese Development Cooperation in a New Era- Key Features of New Charter and Way Forward -Izumi OHNO

4

Attendance at Nhat Tan Bridge Opening Ceremony

Yasuji NAGAYA

7

FIDIC Disaster Management Guide and Some
Considerations from Viewpoint of Sediment DisasterToshio KURASHIGE

9

Pablo BUENO
Masafumi MIYAMOTO

14
16

Takeya ISOBE
Koichiro HARU

18
22

AJCE 40-Year Commemorative Undertaking
Congratulatory Message from FIDIC President- Meeting the World's Demand for Infrastructure Summary
AJCE 40th Anniversary Special Seminar Report
Mission of Consulting Engineers
AJCE 40th Anniversary Ceremony

AJCE Activity 2014
Activities of Young Professionals (YP) in 2014		
Report on 2014 Young Professionals Exchange Program		
YPEP Japan 2014 – My Experience		
My Experience with Chuo Kaihatsu Corporation, 2014		
YPEP 2014 Summary		
3 Incredible Weeks with PCKK!		
YPEP 2014 Report 		
YPEP Program 2014		
2nd Contract Administrator Training Workshop for the		Overseas Construction ProjectInterdisciplinary Seminar 2014 "Innovation and Business Model 		– Road to Success"

25
28
30
33
35
37
39
41
43
45

Project Accomplishment by AJCE Members		

47

Editor's Note		

64

AJCE Members		

Cover : Japanese Kimono and Obi
Designed by Miho Yamato, CTI Engineering Co., Ltd.

1

NEWS LETTER 2015

Role of AJCE for Consulting Engineering
Industry in Japan

Konomu UCHIMURA
President, AJCECTI Engineering Co., Ltd

40th Anniversary of AJCE
I was elected as the new president of AJCE in
May 2014.

security payment for aging population in Japan.
Despite of the limited budget, we have been
taking a continuous reconstruction measures forrecovering from disaster caused by the Great
East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Further, we needto invest for mitigation against natural disasters
that may be caused by earthquake, typhoonand volcano eruption. In addition, maintenanceand renewal of decrepit infrastructure that wasconstructed rapidly in the last 50 years is a big
issue. An encouraging news for our industry is tohold 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games inTokyo.

A J C E w a s e s t a b l i s h e d i n 1974 a n d w a s
approved as a member association of FIDIC at
the general assembly meeting held in Cape
Town in the same year. In the succeeding years,
especially 1991 FIDIC Tokyo conference as a
trigger, AJCE has been exerting effort forstrengthening its structure as well as to increase
its members. Further, AJCE has taken active roleof Consulting Engineer as a FIDIC member
association representing Japan. It includes
nomination of FIDIC executive committee
member, serving and contributing as FIDIC
committee members, etc.

Leading edge technology of Consulting
Engineers is necessary for the development ofhigher-quality infrastructure under the limited
natural resources. In this respect, selection ofConsultant by QBS is the most effective measures
for securing high-quality infrastructure. Together
with FIDIC support, AJCE will further exert its
efforts for the dissemination of QBS in Japan.

AJCE celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2014 byinviting FIDIC president, Pablo Bueno for thecommemorable event. We will exert our effort
for raising the social status of Consulting
Engineers and expanding our industry indomestic and overseas market in cooperation
with FIDIC and member associations.

Quality, Integrity, Sustainability
These three concepts are the core principles
enforced by FIDIC. Government and private
sector in Japan have been promotinginter national business practice. We aim atexporting high-quality and sustainableinfrastructure based on fare competition linked
to the FIDIC condition of contracts.

Current State of Consulting Engineering Industry inJapanConsulting industry in Japan started in 1945 after
Wo r l d Wa r t o c o p e w i t h t h e d e m a n d f o r
re c o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e n a t i o n . S i n c e 1960,
Consulting Engineering industry has contributed
for the development of infrastructure in Japanfor about 30 years when Japan was in highgrowth period.

Similarly in domestic projects, new role ofConsulting Engineer is expected for thedevelopment of infrastructure that is based onfare competition, responding to changing social
needs. In Japan, har monization of humanresources, technology and legal framework
between domestic and oversea services are
becoming increasingly important issue. Existencevalue of FIDIC and AJCE lies on this point.

However construction investment in Japandecreased continuously after the peak in early
1990’s and its current state is about a half of thepeak. The main reasons of the downturn areeconomic stagnation and increase in social

2NEWS LETTER 2015
FIDIC 2014 Conference in Rio de Janeiro
The FIDIC Conference 2014 was held in Rio deJaneiro, Brazil as the first conference in SouthAmerica. About 700 people from more than 70
countries and territories have participatedincluding 36 participants from Japan. The main
theme of the conference was “Innovative
Infrastructure Solutions”. About 1 billion people in
the world don't have access to the benefit ofbasic human needs such as safe drinking waterand electric light.

consulting engineers is to provide “Innovative
Infrastructure Solutions” as highlighted in Rio
Conference.
Young Professional Exchange Program
In the recent FIDIC conferences, active role ofyoung professionals and women engineers is
drawing attention. Young Professionals Exchange
Programme (YPEP) was established in 1996 byfollowing the Memorandum of Understanding
between AJCE and CA (Consult Australia) tofurther promote cooperation and mutual
understanding between Japanese andAustralian young consulting engineers. Last year,
6 Australian young engineers visited Japan tohave training in AJCE member firms under YPEP
2014. In the past 19 years, more than 140 young
professionals from both countries attended thisprogramme. I have no doubt that this young
power will add a new page to build firminternational network and contribute significantlyin the progress of Consulting Engineering industry.

We, consulting engineers are mandated to offer
sustainable and innovative solutions under limited
financial condition in which measures fromfinancing to application of cutting edge
technology in construction and operation are
integrated in the solutions while considering
environmental impact.
On the other hand, a new perspective in thedevelopment of infrastructure is expected fromadvanced countries in Europe, Japan, etc. In
such complicated and diversified society, role of3

NEWS LETTER 2015

Japanese Development Cooperation in a New Era—Key Features of New Charter and Way Forward—

Izumi OHNO

Professor
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)On February 10 2015, the Japanese Government
adopted the new Charter for Development
Cooperation. In March 2014, H.E. Mr. Fumio
Kishida, Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced his
intention to revise the 2003 ODA Charter in his
policy speech. Subsequently, the Ministry ofForeign Affairs convened the Advisory Panel to
Review the ODA Charter (chaired by Dr. Taizo
Yakushiji, Professor Emeritus of Keio University),
which submitted its recommendations to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs in June 2014. Based on
the recommendations, the Ministry conducted
the drafting work and organized public hearingsand stakeholder consultations in parallel.

Development Cooperation Charter and what
are the drivers for this latest revision?
Key Features of the New Charter for Development
Cooperation
I would like to note five features of the newDevelopment Cooperation. First, it has beenrenamed from the “ODA” Charter. The name
“Development Cooperation Charter” isconsidered more suitable because it is not justdeveloped countries but also diverse actors(such as businesses, NGOs, local governments)that cooperate toward achieving inclusive,
sustainable, and resilient development—byutilizing respective strengths (finance,technologies, ideas and field experiences, etc.).
While ODA remains a core resource as thegovernment’s budget, it will increasingly play acatalytic role in mobilizing resources andexpertizes of the various actors mentioned
above.

This is the third charter, following the first ODA
Charter introduced in 1992 and the second one
revised in 2003. The first ODA Charter wasformulated at the time when Japan became the
top donor. This was an effort to articulate Japan’s
philosophy of international cooperation to theworld—mindful of the strong criticism the country
faced at the Gulf War in 1991 (“passive checkout
diplomacy”). The second ODA Charter wasformulated at the time when Japan faced theaustere budget and sharp decline of popularsupport to ODA (primarily due to the stagnateddomestic economy). Meanwhile, theinternational community showed solidarity toincrease ODA toward achieving the Millennium
Development Goas (MDGs) by 2015. Thus, it wasconsidered necessary for Japan to reaffirm its
determination to international contribution andenhance aid effectiveness both domesticallyand internationally. Moreover, in response tobroadening development agenda, the 2003
Charter made specific reference to humansecurity and Japan’s contribution to peacebuilding.

Second, the new charter refers to “national
interests” for the first time. It clarifies the objectiveof Japan’s development cooperation tocontribute more proactively to the peace,stability and prosperity of the international
community, with the expected consequence ofensuring Japan’s national interests. Clearly, it isgoverned by the higher strategies of the Abeadministration—such as the National Security
Strategy (December 2013) and the Japan
Revitalization Strategy (June 2013, revised in June2014).
Third, the new charter keeps Japan’s basic
philosophy of development cooperation in three
ways: (i) contribution to creating a peaceful andprosperous world by non-military means inconcert with the international community; (ii)promotion of human security and fundamental

Then, what are the key features of Japan’s new4NEWS LETTER 2015changed markedly, with the acceleration of
global integration, global power shift, and thes h a p i n g o f t h e p o s t -2015 d e v e l o p m e n tframework. There is a shared perception thatJapan and the rest of the world are entering a
new era.

human rights; and (iii) support to the self-help
efforts of developing countries through dialogue
and joint work. In doing so, Japan will strive toachieve high-quality growth and take a humancentered approach. It will also respect universal
values and strengthen the support to the rule ofthe law. There are essential elements of the post2015 development agenda, as well.

The 2003 ODA Charter was drafted in an age
w h e n O D A ( p u b l i c f u n d ) f ro m d e v e l o p e dcountries were the primary sources ofcontributing to socio-economic development ofdeveloping countries. Today, however, privatesector money that is 2.5 times as large as ODA
flows into developing countries. This means that
ODA is no longer the sole source of contributions
to these countries. In addition, rapidly growing
emerging economies (such as China, India, andBrazil) are increasing their presence as donors.
The recent announcement of the establishmentof the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
and the BRICS Bank are symbolic examples of thistrend.

Fourth, the new charter expands the scope ofJapan’s development cooperation in several
ways. For one thing, the target of ODA provision
has been broadened to include middle-income
countries as well as low-income countries. This isbecause there exist deep-rooted poverty andrising inequality in middle-income countries andalso these countries often need to strengthenindustrial competitiveness to overcome “middleincome traps”. For the other, while Asia willcontinue to be an important destination ofJapan’s ODA, Japan will step up its engagementin the other regions such as Africa, Middle Eastand Latin America. Moreover, with the growing
significance of disaster relief as well as
humanitarian and reconstruction assistance forpost-conflict countries, Japan will not uniformly
rule out extending the cooperation to the military
personnel of the partner countries—as long as
the support activities are directed to humanitarian
purposes.

The domestic environment has changed, too. In
Japan, particularly since the global financial crisis
triggered by Lehman Brother’s bankruptcy in2008, there have been more cases in which not
only large corporations but also small andmedium enterprises (SME) advance into overseas
markets for themselves and establish local
production operations. Japan is entering a new
age of internationalization. Moreover, following
the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, theJapanese government, companies andindividuals jointly participated in relief andreconstruction activities for the affected areas.
This experience of collaboration between the
public and private sectors and within the private
sector must be harnessed for development
cooperation abroad.

Fifth, the new charter emphasizes sharpening thestrategic focus of development cooperation andstrengthening collaboration with a broad rangeof actors. Specifically, Japan will tap theknowledge and technologies accumulated bybusinesses, citizens, universities and local
governments to maximize development
effectiveness. For example, the Japanesebusiness sector excels in environmental
technologies for producing clean water andrecycling wastes. Local governments have richexpertizes and knowledge of overcoming
pollution and urbanization problems that Japan
experienced during its rapid economic growth
period after World War II. The new charter
acknowledges the importance of mobilizingthese know-how and technologies accumulated
within Japan and using development
cooperation to help solving the challenges
faced by developing countries today.

Way Forward—Recommendations for Network-Based
Cooperation
Increasing global integration has blurred the lines
between overseas and domestic activities.
Moreover, the expansion of corporate activities
into emerging economies and developing
countries has broadened the interface between
development cooperation and business activity.
On another front, it is encouraging to witness thegrowth of human resources and organizational
networks built in Asia through Japan’s longstanding ODA and economic cooperation.
Building on a relationship of trust that has been

Key Factors behind the Formulation of the New Charter
The landscape of international development has

5NEWS LETTER 2015
established over decades of cooperation withJapan, Asian development partners are
increasingly becoming players of a new era ofdevelopment cooperation.

to here are multifaceted ones that encompass
partnerships with the private sector; the networkof people and organizations built up throughout
Asia by Japanese ODA; and the Asian networkthat has been mobilized for the development
partnership between Asia and Africa. The
network can extend further to include local
governments in Japan that support SME
development, NGOs, and other relevant actors,
making them key players in a new era ofdevelopment cooperation too. Embarking onsuch an endeavor would elevate Japan’s
development cooperation and place it squarelyat the center of the country’s basic national
policy and at the same time sharpen its strategic
focus in the current context of globalization.

As business activities in emerging economies anddeveloping countries expand and mature, the‘localization’ of Japanese companies will
become critically important. For business tothrive, partnerships forged with local networks ofhuman resources and organizations built throughODA will prove indispensable.
In this new era of cooperation, Japan should
leverage the strengths it possesses throughnetwork-based cooperation. The networks I refer6NEWS LETTER 2015

Attendance at Nhat Tan Bridge
Opening Ceremony

Yasuji NAGAYA

Vice-President, AJCE
President, Chodai Co., Ltd.

At every ceremony, I know well about our
vocation in charge of planning, design, andconstruction works that expresses joy and peaceof mind. Best of all is that all hardship and effort
tur n into joy in this ceremonial moment. In
particular, joy of local residents make this event
uniquely meaningful.

Early in the New Year of 2015, in Hanoi, Vietnam,a road that connects the Noi Bai International
Airport and Hanoi city has completed. At thesame time, the opening ceremony of Nhat Tan
Bridge, a continuous cable-stayed bridge having
5 main towers, was held. I participated in the
ceremony as the firm representative, responsiblefor design and construction management. I
would like to share my experience with readerson what impressed me at the opening
ceremony.

For more than an hour before the opening
ceremony, many people started gathering
around the venue and stay in the ceremony until
tape cutting. Then after the tape-cut, with greatglee, they took commemorative photos on thebridge in their own way while enjoying thesceneries from the bridge.

In the past, I have attended several otheropening ceremonies.

Five years ago, I attended the previous opening
ceremony of Can Tho Bridge in Vietnam. I still
remember that the bridge was crowded withmany people and bikes until midnight. Everyone
seemed happy and full of joy. Such kind of
moment makes me feel that I am really proud of
myself in engaging a job in infrastructuredevelopment.
In another previous opening ceremony, theisland crosslink in the Ehime Prefecture, Japan, it
seemed that all people in the subject islandcame and attended.
It is no doubt that crossing a river or the sea by
ships is time consuming as people often wait fora boat even more than an hour. Before the Can
Tho Bridge was built, boat operation was highly
influenced by weather. Sometime it was too
dangerous to commute by boats to school.
Further, some patients may not be able to go to
the hospital at time of emergency. Therefore,
infrastructure development is said to be
extremely important for securing safe living
against any physical condition.

7

NEWS LETTER 2015
extending roads, seems a bit inconsequential indeveloping countries, however, I believe that it
will reduce the gap between rich and poor.

Poverty is said to be one of the causes of many
conflicts. Developing infrastructure like a road isimportant to reduce the gap between rich andpoor. Road enables inland transportation andeasily delivers crops harvested in deepmountains. Products that can not carry and sellcan be carried and sold by construction of aroad.

As the consequence of the development, it will
eventually contribute to the world peace.
As can be seen from the context of this article,
by attending opening ceremony and witnessing
the joy of local residents as one of the persons
concerned, I feel happiness. Further, I consider
that development and construction of safe androbust infrastructure are important mission forengineers. After all, I believe that keeping thespirit of this thought for all the time is the mostimportant matter for consulting engineers.

Moreover, consumption of marine products canbe increased by extending market fromseacoast to the inland areas such as
mountainous region by which it will increase
revenue as well. From the viewpoint of poverty
alleviation, infrastructure development such as

8

NEWS LETTER 2015

FIDIC Disaster Management Guide
and Some Considerations
from Viewpoint of Sediment DisasterToshio KURASHIGEInternational Activities Committee, AJCE
Nihon Suido Consultants Co.,Ltd.

1. Introduction
In Japan, generally called the country of beauty,
from the time of the Yayoi period, started aroundthe B.C. 3rd century, the country has been builtwith growing rice, and it seems that the history
has been dependent on the benefit of an alluvial
plain along river. I remember what a certain
famous novelist introduced in his essay. He said
the French who visited Japan in 1868, when
Samurai Era just finished, murmured as follows:“Unlike France, Japan was given the country of arich crop from God, and was not suffered bygreat difficulties, either, yet has developed like
today. Isn't God unfair?" To be sure, it is right.

disaster prevention may feel this natural.

However, once it became heavy rain on theother hand, the alluvial plain was washed by theflood, and has repeatedly received serious flood
damage. Especially in the origin part which forms
a steep valley, the debris flood has affected thecommunities along a stream even into
destructive manner frequently. This report shows
the feature of Disaster Management Guide
which FIDIC published last year and somesubjects in application for sediment disaster.

3. Subjects on Application of the Guide to Sediment
DisasterSince the Guide is targeting any type of disaster,its contents are naturally led to covering quite
general issues at most. In a different view, theGuide requires the help from professional
engineers for their proper advises according to
the type and nature of the disaster. An engineer
will apply the Guide flexibly with full use of thetechnology backed by their experience, whenfacing at the disaster as a partner of the
management authority. I would like to see somesubjects on application of this Guide from aviewpoint of the consultant in this paper basedon the feature of sediment disaster in recent
years in Japan, which disaster my firm has beenlong devoting to.

This "FIDIC Disaster Management Guide" shows
the fundamental direction of the role which
consulting engineers and its association should
p l a y i n p re p a r i n g f o r d i s a s t e r s a n d i n t h eaftermath of a disaster. Accordingly it has nottaken the form of the detailed manual. The
contents of the guide consist of four "Rs" as thecore roles for disaster management. They are the" R i s k R e d u c t i o n " " R e a d i n e s s - P re - D i s a s t e r
Preparedness" "Response - DM Issues during the
Event and in the Immediate Aftermath" and the"Recovery".

2. Issue of FIDIC Disaster Management Guide
In the FIDIC 2014 Rio Conference last year, FIDIC
issued the guidebook on disaster management for
the first time as far as I know. After entering in the
21st century, there occurred devastating tsunami inIndonesia in 2004, the fierce hurricane "Katrina" in
the U.S. in 2005, the violent earthquake in New
Zealand in 2011, catastrophic earthquake andtsunami by "Great East Japan Earthquake" in 2011,
and a furious typhoon "Haiyan" in the Philippines in
2013, etc. in succession. Those successive serious
disasters finally encouraged FIDIC to publish thisguidebook. Although it seems to differ from theimages of the publication which has been tackled
so far by FIDIC, the engineer in connection withIn this Guide, engineers and member
associations have to prepare elaborately bythemselves, and commit themselves tocooperating closely with clients at a disaster inadvance to it, while participation of engineers
during and after disaster has to be recognizedindispensable. Further, the disaster management
authorities should fully understand the significant

9NEWS LETTER 2015
disaster happens locally, however, in the case ofheavy rain, disaster frequently arises simultaneously
in many places, and the management work
becomes broad-based naturally. Therefore, theframework which guarantees sufficient information
sharing beforehand is also needed among
consultants involved in the disaster agreement.

role of engineers. On the other hand, engineers
participate positively even in a planning phaseon risk mitigation to place emphasis on making
concept of resilience as a critical policy ofdisaster management.
(1) Preparation by Engineers Themselves
For engineers, their own preparation should
cover relevant training, strengthening of the
response and recovery capacity in theircompany, and making a necessary agreementwith clients like priority agreement, liability limiting
agreement and so on. The whole community isplaced under the extremely unusual situation at
disaster. Especially in the case of sedimentdisaster, since the damage may unfortunately
happen to involve loss of human lives, the stressof the persons concerned devoting to disastermanagement is definitely great and sometimes
stifles their feeling as well. Furthermore, there is adifficulty for engineers to make a calm and rightdecision and following act based on their longexperience within a limited time, for which theycannot seem to carry out sufficient technicalanalysis like computational simulation etc. In this
aspect, the Guide recommends member
associations to take a leading role on training.
Moreover, in the consultancy firm, BCP and safe
reservation of the personnel is inevitable inaddition to the importance of maintenance of
in-company infrastructures, such as the IT
environment, a communications network, andan alternative office building. Those issues could
be vital especially when volunteer activities orcooperative work based on a disasteragreement can be aimed at. Those should be
carefully elaborated from now on especially inhazardous country like Japan.

(3) Planning of Disaster Management
In the country where a disaster occurs frequently
like Japan, almost any of local and central
governments have developed disastermanagement plans including the facilities
planning for damage prevention or warning andevacuation system. As for warning ande v a c u a t i o n s y s t e m f o r s e d i m e n t d i s a s t e r,
h o w e v e r, h a z a r d o u s s i t u a t i o n s w o u l d b e
understandable like "This valley has a highpossibility of debris flood occurrence!". But there
left insufficient lead-time for residents toevacuate because sediment disaster suddenly
occurs in a quite short time and has thecomparatively so complicated mechanism thatrisk forecast cannot be done with a scientificreliability. In Japan, introduction of a warningand evacuation system or even a land use
control is imposed to the local governments fortheir high-risk area legally by Sediment Disasters
Prevention Act revised last year. And in order tomake effective risk mitigation of a sedimentdisaster, it is important to sustain the expectedfunction of the present facilities in a long run,resist from complete destruction even atreceiving an unexpected scale of disaster
exceeding the design criteria, or demonstrate
fixed effects for the damage alleviation even if it
happens to break down. And when a disasteroccurs, it is required to assess the scale andfeature promptly and to harness it in therestoration. Adding to that, periodical aerial
survey or fine geographical feature analysis aredesired as a pre-disaster preparation. With further
look at recent sediment disaster, there happened
debris flood which crossed across a valley
boundary and reached an adjacent floodstream, or found surprising examples wheredebris flood occurred at the valley in spite of not
fully developed.

(2) Commitment on Involvement of Disaster Management
to Client
The commitment on involvement of disastermanagement to clients is officially done with adisaster agreement. In that case, the Guide
recommends talking with a client about such
clause as liability limitation for engineers’ legal
responsibility. Especially in the case of sedimentdisaster, site problem quite often arises in a realsituation. It seems to be the future subject thatengineers would be granted immunity from liability
like entering into a private land within the range
required for investigation or cutting down aninter fering tree for recovery at a declared
emergency. Moreover, although each sedimentThose facts would encourage us to place theborder of risk in the far more distance.
4. Conclusions
In our country, the mudflow has been feared as

10NEWS LETTER 2015of last year. By this law, while releasing adangerous area and making the warning andevacuation system permeate, a duty will be
imposed upon the local governments so thatland use may also be restricted if needed.
However, since a sediment disaster is also getting
furious depending on an increase of the rainfall
intensity accompanied by global warming, I
would like to really expect that the ways of risk
reduction will be discussed and improved further.

a "Mountain Tsunami" from ancient times. Whenlandslide and steep slope failure are also taken
into consideration with debris flood in Japan, it issaid that a sediment disaster reaches the number
exceeding 1,000 affairs every year. Since Japan
has been suffered from catastrophic debris floodof Izu-Oshima the year before last and Hiroshima
last year, and hit by the dreadful volcanic
eruption of Mt. Ontake last year, Sediment
Disasters Prevention Act was revised at the end

11NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

January

AJCE New Year Celebration Party

February

2nd Contract Administrator
Seminar for the Overseas
Construction Project

OctoberNovemberYoung Professionals Exchange
Programme 2014 【see page 28】

2nd Contract Administrator
Training Workshop for theOverseas Construction
Project【see page 43】

12

July
40th Anniversary
Special Seminar【see page 18】

CE Promotion in
University【see page 27】

NEWS LETTER 2015

September40th Anniversary Celebration
Party 【see page 22】

FIDIC 2014 Rio de Janeiro Conference
Innovative infrastructure Solutions

FIDIC Conference

DecemberInterdisciplinary Seminar 2014【see page 45】

AJCE-Cup Futsal Game【see page 26】

FIDIC Conference
Reporting Seminar

13

NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

Meeting the World’s Demand for Infrastructure

Pablo BUENO
FIDIC President

As FIDIC joins with AJCE in celebrating its 40th
Anniversary, the world economy slowly emerges
from the Global Financial Crisis. The demand forinfrastructure remains strong however – a key
ingredient for economic growth.

Japanese market, AJCE rightly celebrates its
anniversary. But, perhaps it is time to review thebusiness model in order to capture more broadly,
the inter national standards and practices
developed by FIDIC, to enhance the voice of theindustry, and provide more integrated andhigher quality services to clients and to society.

The role of the consulting engineer therefore
takes on even greater significance, as
governments, clients, and society demand moresustainable and innovative solutions. Higher
quality and integrity are of greater importance intoday’s market. It is therefore clearly necessary
to invest more time in thinking before doing;
identifying optimum solutions, before detailed
design and construction commences. Only thiswill ensure a reduction in overall costs andminimised risks, to achieve successful outcomes.

FIDIC has developed sophisticated tools andguidelines, designed to assist consultants andclients to make informed decisions on identifying
the most appropriate project in which to invest,
with quality, integrity, and sustainability. Suchtools include Project Sustainability Management,p u b l i s h e d i n 2013; t h e F I D I C I n t e g r i t yManagement system, launched in 2011; and QBS(Quality Based Selection of consultants), also
released in 2013.

It is also clear that the professional advice
invested up front can have the greatest impact
on life-cycle costs for a project. Yet such advice
represents only a fraction of the overall
investment cost. The best decision a client canmake, is selecting the right consultant to provide
the highest quality advice. Such a prudent
investment will pay for itself many times over.
Selection based on quality is therefore
paramount.

The Global Market
The consulting engineering industry has become
truly global, with many consulting firms now
operating internationally, working across multiple
borders, sharing valuable resources in order toprovide the best services to clients. The need forstandardisation takes on greater significance inthe pursuit of excellence and cost efficiencies,
with more companies now operating ininternational markets. Often, the availability of
projects through development agencies such as
JICA can assist in gaining experience. But otheropportunities also exist. Collaboration between
national firms and international firms also offer
valuable experience. Consulting Engineering
Firms are not always treated fairly. In this sense,
FIDIC guidelines and standard Conditions of

Quality, Integrity, Sustainability
These were the core principles adopted by FIDIC
in 1913. These are the same core principles
reinforced at the Centenary event of FIDIC in2013.
Over 40 years of honourable service to the14NEWS LETTER 2015
identifying ways to integrate services for greater
efficiency and higher quality. A priority therefore
is the assessment of tools available to help makeinformed decisions and find better solutions tothe challenges facing Japan and its member
firms. I am confident that, together, the industry
will continue to flourish, and value added to theservices made available to clients, and tosociety. The future does indeed look bright, andthe consulting industry can be proud of its role inenhancing Quality of Life.
Once again, my warmest congratulations to
AJCE on this special occasion.

Contract offer useful tools for balanced andreasonable treatment in the market place.
A Strong Voice for the Industry
FIDIC speaks for the global industry. AJCE speaks
for the industry in Japan. Together, they explore
opportunities to strengthen that voice in order tosupport the objectives of Governments andsociety, and share with them international bestpractice. Together they pursue an improved
Quality of Life for everyone.
I congratulate AJCE on its significant achievements
and, on behalf of FIDIC, offer full support in15

NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

AJCE 40th Year Commemorative
Undertaking-Summary

Masafumi MIYAMOTO

Chairman, Committee for the 40th Year Commemorative Undertaking
President, TEC International

In order to celebrate 40th anniversary of AJCE,
the following events have been held.
Courtesy Visit of FIDIC President to Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)
Date & time: 8th July, 2014, 14:30 - 15:00
Venue: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport
and Tourism
FIDIC President, Mr. Pablo Bueno arrived in Tokyo
on 7th July a day before the courtesy visit. On
8th, together with Mr. Konomu Uchimura, AJCE
p re s i d e n t , N o r i a k i H i ro s e , i m m e d i a t e p a s t
president and Yoshi Yamashita, secretary generalof AJCE, Mr. Bueno visited Mr. Toru Shimizu,
Deputy Director-General for Engineering Affairs,
the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport andTourism (MLIT). Mr. Shimizu explained about
Japanese government’s policy on promotion of
infrastructure projects in oversea market andQuality Assurance Act for Public Works projects
amended in the last national legislature. He alsomentioned that important role of FIDIC contract
documents for overseas construction projects iswell recognized among concerned parties.
Further, he stressed that closer cooperation with
AJCE, the member association of FIDIC
representing Japanese CE industry, should beenhanced. In response to Mr. Shimizu, Mr. Bueno
stressed fair ness and impartiality of FIDIC
contract documents. He also explained that Cost
Based Selection (CBS) of consultants is prohibitedi n E u r o p e u n d e r t h e n e w 2014 E U P u b l i c
Procurement Directive and Quality Based
Selection (QBS) of consultants has come into
wide use.

Mr. P. Bueno (left), Mr. T. Shimizu (right)

FIDIC-AJCE Informal Networking
Date & time: 9th July, 2014, 11:30 - 13:00
Venue: Grand-Arc Hanzomon Hotel
Informal gathering between FIDIC President Mr.
Bueno and AJCE EC members and concerned
persons was held. In the meeting, AJCE President
Mr. Konomu Uchimura introduced activities of
AJCE and current state of consulting engineering
industry in Japan. Following Mr. Uchimura, FIDIC
President Mr. Bueno introduced FIDIC policy andactions that are considered relevant to AJCE

16

NEWS LETTER 2015
the 6th November, 2014.

activities. Opinions were exchanged on matterssuch as procurement of consulting services andresolution of unilateral project contracts.

Commemoration Publication for AJCE 40th Anniversary
A publication containing 40 years records of
AJCE activities on consulting engineering industry
in Japan and our future prospects, mission androle were published as of January 1st, 2015.
About 400 copies were distributed to members,clients, and related associations both in Japanand overseas.

AJCE 40th Anniversary Seminar on “Role of Consulting
Engineer”
Date & time: 9th July, 2014, 13:30 - 17:30
Venue: Grand-Arc Hanzomon Hotel
Detail of the seminar is reported in AJCE 40th Year
Commemorative Undertakings.
AJCE 40th Anniversary Ceremony
Date & time: 9th July, 2014, 18:00 - 20:00
Venue: Grand-Arc Hanzomon Hotel
Detail of the ceremony is reported in AJCE 40thYear Commemorative Undertakings.
Support for Dispatching Young Engineers to International
Conferences
As a part of AJCE 40th Year Commemorative
Undertakings, AJCE supported 5 young engineers
for attending FIDIC Rio de Janeiro Annual
Conference.
All of the young engineers attended the Rio
conference made presentation at FIDIC
Conference Reporting seminar held in Tokyo on

17

NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

AJCE 40th Anniversary Special Seminar Report
Mission of Consulting Engineers

Takeya ISOBE

Vice-Chair, Professional development committee,AJCE
General Manager, international Business Division, CTI Engineering Co., Ltd.

Date & Time: Wed. July 9, 2014, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Venue: Grand-Arc Hanzomon Hotel, Room Hikarino-ma
Number of participants: Approx. 140

under the theme of “Harmonization between
Man and Environment — Role of Consulting
Engineers.” Prior to the Tokyo Conference, weplanned for 1987 FIDIC Kyoto Conference;
however, it was canceled due to the rapid
appreciation of the yen. Since its establishment,
three members of AJCE, namely Mr. Takeo
Morimura, Mr. Yumio Ishii, and Mr. Akihiko Hirotani,served as members of the FIDIC Executive
Committee. In 1997, we held a QBS seminar on“Selection of Consultants Based onCompetence” by inviting William Lewis, past
President of FIDIC. With this as a turning point, theMinistry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and
To u r i s m o f J a p a n i n t r o d u c e d a p r o p o s a lcompetition in 2000. In 2004, we held the 30th
anniversary symposium. In 2012, AJCE changed
to a public service entity due to the government’s
reform on public organizations. Unlike otherassociations in Japan, AJCE possesses a uniquecharacteristics of having lawyer members.

An outline of the speeches is as follows:
1. “ For ty-year Histor y of AJCE and Prospects ofConsulting Engineers”
Presented by Konomu Uchimura, President, AJCE
The speech was composed of three parts:
40-year history of AJCE, the activities of AJCE,
and the prospects of consulting engineers.

FIDIC’s basic philosophy is composed of threeelements: Quality, Integrity, and Sustainability. To
achieve our goal based on this basic philosophyof FIDIC, we have to integrate activities insideand outside of Japan, nurture attractive
consultants who can seamlessly work both athome and abroad, develop human resources
with comprehensive management capabilities,
and prepare a working environment in whichyoung, senior, or female engineers can exhibit
their individual abilities. The roles of the“Engineers’ Association,” as well as individuals,
companies, universities, and purchasers, areimportant to attain this goal. As there is a variety

Mr. Konomu Uchimura, President, AJCE

AJCE, organized by members of The Institution ofProfessional Engineers, Japan, was establishedand became a member of FIDIC in 1974. Since
then, the number of corporate members has
increased and the organization has grown larger.
In 1991, we hosted FIDIC Tokyo Conference18NEWS LETTER 2015
FIDIC recommends the selection of CEs based on
their quality and technology (QBS). The EU’s Public
Procurement Directive issued in 2014 stipulates that
intellectual services such as design work shall not
be procured only by price competition (Article 35),and only selection based on quality shall bepermitted (Article 67). It shall be evaluated that theenvironment surrounding CEs is moving in the right
direction. Consulting engineers are responsible forthe entire life cycle of a project from planning toconstruction and operation. In particular, theirinvolvement in the planning phase of a project isessential. Although the planning and design costaccounts for a small percentage of the life cycle
cost of a project, it has a significant effect on its
success. For example, taking The Paris Métro
construction as an example, the more you spend
on geological analysis in the construction cost, themore the construction cost itself was reduced. To
reduce the cost and risk and make the projectsuccessful, the amount of investment in consulting
before construction should be increased. As theinternational market is huge, we should do a lot ofthings as consulting engineers.

of consultant-related organizations in Japan, it
has been difficult for one body to promote
representative activities on behalf of the otherJapanese organizations. In order to strengthen
the ability to communicate inside and outside ofJapan, we have to join forces with Japan’s
consulting engineers (CEs). We will further
endeavor to establish a new CE association
representing the CE industry in Japan in the near
future.
Finally, we would like to express our sincere
gratitude to those who opened the door to theworld for the Japanese consulting engineers andcontributed for 40 years to AJCE’s development.
We will pioneer a new path in the next generations
to come.
■ “The Strategic Role of Consulting Engineers”
Presented by Mr. Pablo Bueno, President, FIDIC■ “JICA’s Approach with Consulting Engineers toward
Development”
Presented by Mr. Toshiyuki Kuroyanagi, Vicepresident, Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA)
Mr. Kuroyanagi introduced an outline of current
Official Development Assistance (ODA) and
importance of collaboration between CEs and
JICA.
Mr. Pablo Bueno, President, FIDIC

Mr. Pablo Bueno presented the philosophy andan outline of the activities of FIDIC, and thenstressed the importance of selecting consultant
engineers by their quality and technology(Qualifications-Based Selection, or QBS). The
philosophy of FIDIC is to build a sustainable world.
At present, 1.5 million professional engineers andsixty thousand companies from more than 100
countries are participating in FIDIC. It has issued anumber of publications such as the FIDIC
Conditions of Contract, known as the FIDIC
Rainbow Collection, and about 40,000 copies ofit have been issued every year. FDIC has also
made a major contribution to the settlement ofcontract disputes worldwide.

Mr. Toshiyuki Kuroyanagi, Vice-President, JICA

Self-supporting effort of aid-recipient countries andhuman security are prerequisites that have not

19NEWS LETTER 2015changed for the last 60 years in international
cooperation and assistance. On the other hand,“diversity,” “change in ODA role,” and“competition” have changed substantially.
“Diversity” includes giving assistance to emerging
countries and expanding disciplines not only tocover technical assistance but also research
assistance to handle global-scale issues, as well as
forming close relationships with private companies.
As for “change in ODA role,” the initial 20 years of
ODA aimed at contributing to the world in the postwar reconstruction period. And after the JICA wasestablished in 1974 and issued its three-fold ODA
plan in 1978, the objective of ODA has been
contributing to the world as a mature nation since
1994. “Competition” reflects the emerging powerof China and South Korea; however, we can keep
our good position through the united effort of all
the sectors in Japan.

Prof. Izumi Ohno, GRIPS

ways to participate in and contribute tointernational development assistance.

JICA introduced the FIDIC Red Book MDB 2010
Edition as JICA’s standard bidding document.
We are also preparing to apply the FIDIC Yellow
Book to plant-related provisions. A balanced
selection of QBS, selection based on quality/
technology, and QCBS (Quality and Cost Based
Selection), selection based on quality/
technology and cost, is important. I quite agreewith FIDIC’s QBS-oriented stance.

In the era of globalization, the environments u r ro u n d i n g i n t e r n a t i o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t i schanging. Developed countries have assisteddeveloping countries, in ways focusing on
international public interest, such as poverty
eradication. In recent years, due to theparticipation of private investment and emerging
donor countries, the aspect of development has
also become important. The private sector playsa pivotal role to balance development andbusiness. Diversity, complexity, and widespread
assistance has transformed developing countries
into economic growth centers.

As an effort toward the development of young
human resources, we have organized study
sessions for both young CEs and young JICA staff.
To my surprise, even a university student who
majored in engineering does not know about theoverseas development CEs. We have to makeefforts to broaden the range of potential CEs.
Projects in developing countries require a varietyof capabilities, so it is important to nurtureengineers with diversified characters. We willcontinue to set up opportunities, such as study
sessions, where young CEs and our staff can
i n t e r a c t . We w o u l d l i k e t o h a v e a g o o dpartnership with CEs, rather than having a
vertical relationship.

Japan has been involved in inter national
development assistance, both as a recipient and adonor country, unlike Western nations. Based on
this experience, Japan has emphasized self-help todeveloping countries. Japan has assisted mainly
Asian countries in the development of economic
infrastructure so far, with a view to creatingsynergistic effects among investment, trade, andaid. Japan is able to share the same interest withthe partner country from the viewpoint of adevelopment site to perform the task. This is theadvantage that Japan already has.

■ “ Recent Trend in International Development andDevelopment Cooperation of Japan in New Era”
Presented by Professor Izumi Ohno, National
Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)
Prof. Ohno presented an overview of recent
inter national development assistance andinvolvement of Japan in the new era, anddescribed the roles that Japan should play andIn recent years, some East Asian nations like
China and South Korea have emerged as
donors, though they used to be recipients. In thisnew era, a wide range of private sectors,
including small and medium-sized enterprises, will

20

NEWS LETTER 2015
participate in this activities. Besides, Japan will beable to build a network of human resources andorganizations in cooperation with emerging
Asian donors, and this will also become anadvantage for it.

General contractors from Japan received
overseas orders worth more than 1 trillion yen in
1983. In 2013, in spite of the changes in social
circumstances, they received overseas orders
amounting to around 1.6 trillion yen, and 70% of
these orders were from Asian countries. As thegovernment’s concrete measures to support
overseas infrastructure development, we
introduce Japanese companies and technologythat are considering expanding overseas topartner countries. In addition, we help domestic
companies to mitigate various business risks, inareas including contract procedures for overseas
expansion, safety management of the site, andquality control. In this context, MLIT has been
conducting various seminars on road, urban
development, risk management, andconstruction supervision, etc. to share its technicalexperience with governments of foreign countries
such as Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Cambodia,
Vietnam, and other Asian countries.

Since the 2000s, donor countries involved ininternational development assistance haveactively been reconsidering their development
policies. Most of those countries arestrengthening the relationship between aid andthe domestic growth strategy and security of thecountry, with a view to balancing international
growth gains and national interests. Japan has
also started to review the Official Development
Assistance Charter and held meetings to
exchange views.
Finally, Prof. Ohno introduced cases in which
Asian experts were mobilized to Zambia, newinitiatives making use of the experience of local
government in infrastructure development. She
underlined the important keywords of “strategy”
and “cooperation” that are linked to activatemoney, human resources and knowledge.

Specifically, in the disaster-prevention area, weare conducting overseas aid by making the bestuse of our experience of the Great East Japan
Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster. Japan helped
the Turkish government to manage its disasterprevention infrastructure and reconstruction andrecovery measures.

■ “MLIT Initiatives to Promote Overseas Developmentof Infrastructure System”
Presented by Mr. Toru Shimizu, Deputy DirectorGeneral of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)

We provided dam management solutions toVietnam. We sent emergency assistance when
the Philippines was hit by a typhoon andsupported its recovery plan. When flooding
devastated Thailand, we dispatched vehiclemounted pumps. In Indonesia, we gave
technical assistance in the area of natural dam
management against landslides. As such,
Japan’s technical assistance has achieved
magnificent results in saving a lot of lives andassets. In the field of sewer systems, many local
governments are trying to contribute to foreigncountries in cooperation with the private sector, by
providing their maintenance know-how. In theroad-related sector, we have proposed holding
proposed-type seminars to introduce technologies
developed by private companies, transportation
management systems that use GPS technology,
and technology of recycling paving material. In
the field of maps, GSI is promoting a projectutilizing crustal deformation information fordisaster prevention.
Now we are also promoting a global mapping
Project.

Mr. Shimizu introduced the current situation ofoverseas infrastructure development, support
measures taken by the national government,
and implementation of projects for disasterprevention, sewer systems, roads, and maps.

Mr. Toru Shimizu, Vice Director-General, MLIT,

21

NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

AJCE 40th Anniversary Ceremony

Koichiro HARU

Vice-Chair, Policy and Planning Committee, AJCEManaging Director, Nihon Suido Consultants Co., Ltd.

Following the 40 th Anniversary Seminar, thecelebration ceremony was held at Grand-Arc
Hanzomon.

various obstacles andbarriers it was in 1975 when
AJCE finally became amember association. At
that time, they didn’t havesuch convenient tools as
e-mail, and also travelingabroad was restricted,
therefore we can imagine
the hardships of ourpredecessors. For Japanese
consulting engineers, gaining the FIDIC
membership was the first step towards
contributing to the world. Based on such efforts,
we can now celebrate our 40th anniversary. I
would like to take this time to applaud ourpredecessors for their tremendous efforts.”

The ceremony was a grand event worthy of theanniversary with 120 participants, including
distinguished guests such as Mr. Pablo Bueno,
FIDIC president, Mr. Hideo Tokuyama, ViceMinister for Engineering Affairs of MLIT, Mr. Sotaro
Ito, Deputy Director-General of MEXT, and Mr.
Toshiyuki Kuroyanagi, Vice-President of JICA, and
AJCE members including former presidents of
AJCE.

“In the seminar, FIDIC president Bueno said that
we have to learn from the lessons of the world
because what happens in the world may
happen in Japan.”“Mr. Kuroyanagi and Prof. Ohno made speecheson general policies for Japanese ODA,
expressing that some development policies andcontents should be changed and improved.”(1) O pening Remarks by Mr. Konomu Uchimura,President of AJCE
The president of AJCE first expressed his deep
appreciation to the distinguished guests andattendees, and then looked back on the 40-year
history of AJCE, and stated his general policy
towards the future. “For Japanese engineers, inthe 1960s, several attempts were made to
become a FIDIC member, however due to“Mr. Shimizu of MLIT showed some projects
carried out by MLIT. I had an honest impressionthat MLIT has changed, because in the past it
was impossible to hold seminars in collaboration
with MLIT. Under the recent Government policies,
however, we have had significant support from
MLIT, which is appreciated from the bottom of
my heart.”22

NEWS LETTER 2015
“We will continue discussing all the issues wehave been discussing this afternoon, and manyother problems common to our consulting
engineering industry at the end of September in
Rio de Janeiro, and I hope that I will be able tosee you.”“Through the whole seminar, I fully became
conscious that the consulting industry is facing aturning point in terms of oversea businesses.
AJCE needs to understand our standing point
and make way for progress in the future, and as
the president of AJCE, I myself would like tomake a great effort on this matter.

Finally the President closed his remarks withJapanese ‘Omedeto Gozaimasu’.

(2) C ongratulator y Address by Mr. Pablo Bueno,
President of FIDIC
Beginning with Japanese“Konbanwa”, President
Bueno drew loud laughter
from participants saying“I have to translate
Spanish to English in myh e a d , a n d t h e n M r.
Yamashita translates it toJapanese. We will see
what comes out of this.”(3) Congratulatory Address by Mr. Hideo Tokuyama,
Vice-Minister for Engineering Affairs of MLIT
“Congratulations on the
40th anniversary of AJCE.
Actually I just assumed mynew post yesterday;
therefore this is my first workas the Vice-Minister.”“The environment surrounding
infrastructure development
in Japan is facing a big
turning point. In the recent
decade, public works weretreated as wastes; however, with many casualties
due to unfortunate disasters and aging
infrastructures, the policy for infrastructuredevelopment has significantly changed. ‘Bill for
Ensuring the Quality of Public Works’ was revised
and the national budget of MLIT reached rockbottom for the first time in 13 years. We should
carry out the necessary projects.”“After this intensive afternoon of very interesting
discussions, I would like to congratulate you all in
more relaxing way.”Forty years is a long time, butduring that time this association has been able togrow and come together to build a foundationof its stand and the greater support to its
members.
We FIDIC encourage and support even stronger
voice of the Japanese consulting industry.”“We know there are other sister associations ofyour association, and the closer you are to all ofthem, the stronger you will be in representing theconsulting engineering industry of Japan.”“Especially the top propriety is the maintenanceof aged infrastructures. Next July, the mandatory
inspection for 700,000 bridges and 10,000 tunnels
will begin. This will be a hard work; however a
new maintenance industry, which is huge andstable, is going to be born. We should not hollow
the domestic construction industry. I am
expecting the industry to progress expansively.”“A few months ago this year, I was visiting acountry in Africa: I was in Mozambique. And in
the airport of South Africa, I saw an African
proverb which says ‘If you want to go fast, go
alone, but if you go far, go together.”“FIDIC has come far in its hundred years, and weare pleased to come with the Association ofJapanese Consulting Engineers as a strong
supporter for these forty years. The industry
needs to be proud of its achievements andregularly demonstrates its value to society andour quality of life.”“In addition, infrastructure export is set forth as animportant measure in the Government’s growthstrategy. This is not easy to achieve, but weshould make an effort to grow this industry not
only for the domestic markets but also forexporting our technologies to overseas.
Regarding infrastructure maintenance, after
struggling to create and stabilize the domestic
industry, we can expect the large potential inoverseas markets. ”“As I say congratulations on your forty years
anniversary, I would ask you all to remember
these words: I hope we all go far and I lookforward to us going together.”“I would like to develop the domestic and23

NEWS LETTER 2015(6) Introduction of Past Presidents of AJCE
As representatives of the past presidents, Mr.
Masao Umeda, Mr. Yumio Ishii, Mr. Akihiko
Hirotani, Mr.Noriaki Hirose , and Mr. Konomu
Uchimura were introduced.

overseas market in cooperation with you, andmove ahead in the same direction as yours
towards a brighter future.”(4) Toast by Mr. Toshiyuki Kuroyanagi, Vice-Presidentof JICA“It has been 60 years since Japan started its ODA
program, and 40 years since JICA was established.
JICA’s history has been supported by AJCE andits members. I would like to work hard with you tomake the world better.”
He made a toast with Japanese “Kanpai!”, andadded Spanish “Salud!” for the FIDIC President.
(5) AJCE 40th Anniversary Ceremonial Award
The distinguished 28 members of AJCE were
honored for their long contribution to theassociation. Mr. Kumagaya Tadateru, AJCE
Board Member, called the names and President
Uchimura offered a testimonial to Mr. Kurosawa
as a representative. After the speech of Mr.
Kurosawa, ceremonial photographs were taken.

(7) Slideshow of AJCE History
The Slideshow of AJCE’s forty-year history waspresented with collection of precious
photographs from the beginning to the present
of AJCE.
(8) C losing Remarks by Mr. Yasuji Nagaya, VicePresident of AJCE
Closing remarks were made by Vice-President
Nagaya, and finallythe grand ceremonycame to a close.

24

NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

Activities of Young Professionals (YP) in 2014

Sumihiro SAWABE

Vice-Chair, YPSC
Chodai Co., Ltd.

Saori TAKAGIYPSCKokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd.

1. Site visit for YPs
On 9th September 2014, site visits in Ariake Water
Reproduction Center of Tokyo Metropolitan
Government and Tokyo international Forum were
held by Young Professional Sub-Committee(YPSC). This is an activity of the YPs for the
purpose of understanding project objectives,
background, design concepts, operation &maintenance and future improvement.

Takuya YAGAMIYPSCCTI Engineering Co., Ltd
YPSC: Young Professional Sub-Committee

the sewerage treatment method and thestructure of facilities from participants, and alively discussion about them followed.
Tokyo International Forum, approximately 15
years old since its opening in 1997, is undergraded repair work now, and the P. T. Morimura& Associates, Ltd., one of member companies of
AJCE, carried out the repair plan. A characteristicof this repair is to change illumination to LED,
which earns a large saving in the electricity
consumption. In addition, solar water heater andsolar panel are equipped on the roof top in thedesign stage. It is a building in consideration ofenvironment. For the participants, it was avaluable experience to visit the roofs, backstage
and facility room locating underground, which
are usually not admitted to visitors.

Ariake Water Reproduction Center has started its
o p e r a t i o n i n S e p t e m b e r, 1 9 9 5 . U n i q u echaracteristic of this facility is to introduce theA2O method into the sewerage treatment
system which removes nitrogen and phosphorus
effectively by passing an aversion tank, anoxic
cistern, and aerobic cistern sequentially. During
the site visit, there were various questions about

25NEWS LETTER 2015
2. 5th “YAKAI” Social Networking Event
After site visit, a social networking event called as“YAKAI” was held by YPSC. About 20 YPs fromseveral companies participated who enjoyedexchange of communication among them. This
event provided an opportunity to disseminate
activities of YPs.

players showed quick and energetic
performances despite of work-related stress.
After the tournament, players moved to a beer
drinking pub to celebrate winners. All the playersof AJCE member firms agreed to hold futsal
games on regular basis. Achieving these
meaningful successes, AJCE-Cup Futsal Game
will continue.
4. YPEP & Young Summit
YPEP (Young Professionals Exchange Program)
was established in 1996 between AJCE and CA(Consult Australia). Since 1996, over 140 YPs( Yo u n g P r o f e s s i o n a l s ) p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e
program. The past trainees of YPEP are now
taking major roles in the activity of YPSC.
In October 2014, 6 YPs from Australia had training
in AJCE host firms for 3 weeks.

3. 2nd & 3rd AJCE – Cup Futsal Games
AJCE-Cup Futsal Games 2014 were favorably
convened twice. The first one was held in May
and the second was in November. These games
were realized by a huge success in the First
Game in 2013 which was held for enhancing
activities of AJCE members, YPs in particular.

On 29th Oct, YPSC organized a dinner cruise on
Yakata-Bune (houseboat) for the first time. Main
purpose of this dinner cruise was to let all thetrainees experience a taste of Japanese cultureon the Yakata-Bune. It started with a seasonal
cuisine which brought a friendly atmospherebetween Australian and Japanese YPs. During 2
hours of the cruise, all YPs enjoyed the beautifulnight view of Odaiba (Tokyo Bay Waterfront)
from the top deck of the Yakata-Bune while
enjoying various Japanese food and Sake
(Japanese rice wine).

The Second Game in May 2014 was
overwhelmed by approximately 80 players in 10
teams, which recorded one of the largest
number of participants in the past YPSC events.
The Third Game in November 2014 gathered asmuch as 60 people in 8 teams.
In the competition, 8 teams were divided into 2
leagues. Each team was ranked according to
the results of winning or losing in the round-robin
tournament of 6mins’ match in the respective
league. Then, teams of the same rank in two
leagues competed in the final tournament.
Champion team was awarded “AJCE CUP”.
Though the games started at 7 p.m. after work,

On 31st Oct, Young summit was held in Tokyo, in
which all trainees presented their fruitfulexperience and findings in the 3 weeks oft r a i n i n g . A f t e r p re s e n t a t i o n s , ro u n d t a b l e
discussions by trainees, mentors and YPSC
members were carried out by dividing

26

NEWS LETTER 2015
participants into 6 groups. In the round table
program, following 2 topics were discussed:

family and friends than Japanese which would
reflect difference in working environment.

1. D ifference in work environment between
Japan and Australia,
2. Difference in social life between Japan andAustralia.

5. CE Promotion in University
YPSC has been conducting lectures on CE and
CE industry and role of CEs to University students
since 2010 to advocate CE profession.

Based on the outcomes from the discussion on
the first topic, common subject in almost every
young summit, following difference was drawn
between Japan and Australia:

On 26 th November, 2014, 5 YPSC memberspresented issues on CE industry which areconsidered relevant to about 80 students in aclass room.

- S tatus of government officials and engineers
Employer-consultant hierarchy condition is strongin Japan. However, it is rather equal in Australia,- Work load and working hours
In general, Japanese CEs have heavier work
load and long working hours,- Changing workplace and career.

YPSC aims at the following objectives throughthe lectures:
1. To disseminate works of CE among university
students and faculties,
2. T o i n f o r m s t u d e n t s t h a t w o r k s o f C E i scontributing greatly in economic and social
development while keeping sustainable
environment in the world
3. To inform students that profession of CE isindeed rewarding and enjoyable. They arewelcomed to join in such a challenging

It is common practice to change working place
for career build-up in Australia, young
professionals in Particular.
There were opinions that Japanese firm should
consider Australian practice to improve working
environment.

profession.

Closing Remark
The first field tour was realized last year as a partof promoting YPSC activities. In this year, aseminar on famous satellite “Hayabusa” ,whichcollected samples from a small star in solar
system, Itokawa” and returned to the earth byovercoming difficulties. A person in charge of thedevelopment of Hayabusa will be invited as a
special speaker. These activities bring us precious
opportunities to reaffirm the joy of working as
consulting engineers. Finally we would like tothank senior consulting engineers for invaluable
support and encouragement to YPSC andappreciate their continuous advice andunderstanding.

In the second topic, following differences wereacknowledged and shared among participants:- ‘Nomikai’ (drinking get-together) after work and‘Omiyage’ (souvenir) culture is common inJapan- Australian frequently have BBQ with family andfriends in the weekend.
-M any multinational networks exist in Australia
It seemed that Australian spend more time with27

NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

Report on 2014 Young Professionals
Exchange Program

Takeya ISOBE

Vice-chairman, Professional Development Committee, AJCE
Executive Manager, International Business Division,
CTI Engineering Co., Ltd.

AJCE has been holding the Young Professionals
Exchange Program (YPEP) since 1996, as one of
the major activities where young consulting
engineers from Australia and Japan can interact
with each other. I would like to report on theoutcome of YPEP 2014, which was conducted byhosting six young CEs as trainees from Australia.

Welcome Party

This year, the visit-training was scheduled from
October 14 to 31, for about three weeks in total.
On the first day, October 14, six Australiantrainees and their mentors from the Japanesehost companies got together in meeting room of
Chodai Co., Ltd. and the orientation was held.
The trainees and mentors from host companies
had already been communicating via e-mailsince May in order to deepen their mutual
understanding. The trainees were asked to reada book called “Japan As It Is” before they cameto Japan. The orientation started with a selfintroduction in Japanese by all the trainees. As
we had enough time to spare, chair of theorientation encouraged the participants to starta free-discussion session. I was a little bit worried
about whether this attempt would be successful,
but my fear ended up being groundless. Every
trainee participated in the discussion in an active
and lively way. I expected that the pre-visit
training for several months might have a great
effect on this training program and make it avery significant one.

Orientation

On October 15, the training program at eachhost company started. Thanks to the goodoutcome of the pre-visit training, it seems that thecontents of the training program were very
substantial and fruitful. Some of the trainees went
on for the training to the areas affected by the2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
disaster, as well as local cities such as Hiroshima
and Osaka. I suppose they were able to learn a
lot by visiting the local and rural areas andsubject fields in Japan, rather than staying in a
big international city like Tokyo.
On October 25 and 26, there was a tour to Kyoto
and Nara. The trainees got on a Shinkansen(bullet) train, saw the traditional beauty ofJapan, and slept on a futon (mattress made ofcotton) in a tatami (rush mat) room of a
traditional Japanese-style inn. All of the trainees
were excited to have such an unusual andprecious experience.

28NEWS LETTER 2015
After lively discussions, we held a Farewell Party
where plenty of crabs were served. AJCE
President Konomu Uchimura also joined this party
and everybody enjoyed the final period of
exchange.
I participated in YPEP for the first time. I had
heard earlier that it was a good event, and I felt
it was very meaningful training. I hope thisprogram will help form good relationships andprospective human networks not only between
the trainees and mentors of the host company,
but also between both companies of Australia
and Japan.

Yakatabune Cruise and Dinner

The 2014 Young Professionals Exchange Program
successfully came to an end. Its success was
entirely due to the support of the AJCE-member
host companies and the cooperation of many
employees in charge of training. In the future, I
look forward to your further support for thedevelopment of YPEP.

In the final week, there was a social gathering ona yakatabune, or houseboat. Every participant
seemed to be pleased and very satisfied.
The trainees stayed at the home of an employeeof the host company during the weekends oftraining program. They experienced and learned
about the differences in business practices
between Australia and Japan. I suppose it was avery meaningful experience for them to see theprivate life of a Japanese consulting engineer.
A training report and discussion event named“Young Summit” was held on the last day. The YP
Subcommittee of the Professional Development
Committee of AJCE organized this session. Afterthe group discussion based on a specific theme,
each group made a presentation. One trainee
was assigned to each group. The presentations
had many things in common. Although thetrainees were accepted by different companies,
the things they achieved in the training seemed
to be similar.

Get-together

Young Summit,
Presentation

Young Summit,
Discussion
Young Summit, Oriental Consultants Co., Ltd.

29

NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

YPEP Japan 2014 – My Experience

Ki Johnston

Japanese Firm; Oriental Consultants Co., Ltd.
Australian Firm; Aurecon

Program introduction
I was hosted by the Japanese multi-discipline
consultancy, Oriental Consultants, as part of the
YPEP Japan 2014 program coordinated by AJCE
and Consult Australia. I was part of theTransportation Engineering and Traffic Safetysection in Oriental Consultants where Mr Otsubo
was my Japanese mentor. Mr Otsubo went
beyond his role as my mentor, organising myentire program and activities during my time at
Oriental Consultants and making sure I felt
comfortable for the length of the program.

Technical ExperienceI gained technical experience through a variety
of means including site visits, forums and reviewof technical documents.
Following my arrival in Japan I was fortunate
enough to attend the Japan-OECD Policy Forumon Urban Development and Green Growth
focusing on Transport Orientated Development(TOD) in Japan. The forum provided me an
insight in to the Japanese approach to TOD
particularly around the integration of private andpublic developments and transport facilities. I
was particularly interested in the legislativerequirements and mechanisms available toenable development of TODs including the land
value capture system and the floor ratio system.
Following the forum I was able to visit three sites
within Tokyo where TODs have been successfully
implemented including Marunouchi andToranomon Hills. I was particularly interested in
the integration of the traffic infrastructure withint h e To r a n o m a n H i l l s d e v e l o p m e n t w h i c hincluded a road tunnel

Prior to arriving in Japan, Mr Otsubo and myself
undertook several video conferences where wewould discuss the pre-training program which
included Japanese and English practice,differences in Japanese and Australianconsultancies, general engineering differences,
cultural differences and our career backgrounds.
Mr Otsubo and Oriental Consultants went to
extraordinary lengths to tailor the YPEP programaround my experience. The dedication of all
Oriental Consultants staff to help make theexchange program a once in a life time
experience was very much appreciated.

Oriental Consultants organised a site visit to
Tohoku region where I visited Rikuzentakata,Matsushima and Sendai. Tohoku Prefecture wasdevastated by The 2011 Great East Japan
Earthquake and Tsunami. The impact to theregion can still be witnessed after more than 4
years since this devastating event. I visited theseaside town of Rikuzentaka where the low-lying
areas of the town were completely destroyed
except for a few scattered buildings which
provide a solemn reminder of the destruction. I

During my three weeks at Oriental Consultants I
developed technical skills through site visits,
presentations, and review and discussion ofstandards and requirements. I was fortunate
enough to have many cultural experiences
including visits to world heritage areas and areas
encompassing thousands of years of history. An
overview of my technical and culturalexperiences is discussed below.

30

NEWS LETTER 2015
million to construct with the two bicycle lifts
costing nearly half of the total capital cost. I
found the facility extremely interesting as a similar
facility has recently been constructed in
Brisbane, Australia, however, the usage fee ismuch higher.

attended site with Oriental Consultant engineers
who are helping with the reconstruction works. A
ginormous earthworks program of 12 million
cubic meters of cut to fill and over 3km of
conveyer systems utilised to transport fill from twolarge mountain cut site has been undertaken as
part of an ambitious approximately $1B threeyear construction period. The works being
undertaken will raise the natural surface level by
5m and create an earth structure dike to protect
the region against future tsunami events.

To k y o c o n t a i n s s o m e o f t h e l a r g e s t r o a dinfrastructure projects in the world. As part of the
YPEP program I was fortunate enough to visit two
significant operating projects; Aqua-Line andOhashi Junction. The Aqualine is a multilane
10km tunnel and 5km bridge linking Tokyo to the
Boso Peninsula underneath and over Tokyo Bay.
The infrastructure is unique in that the tunnel rises
out of the ocean and connects to a bridge
structure. Also at this location is the ‘Umihotaru’
which provides rest and refreshment facilities aswell as lookouts across Tokyo Bay on a manmade
island. The infrastructure is an engineering marvel
and cost over $11 billion in 1987. Ohashi Junction
is a multi-level road structure connecting several
Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway routes. The spiralstructure includes extremely tight radii and highsuper-elevation which requires detailed line
marking and signage to help mitigate roadaccidents. I was impressed with the large
infrastructure and the engineering limits applied
to ensure operational success in a restrictedenvironment.

Part of the rebuild process also encompasses
transport facilities. As part of my visit to the region
I was able to inspect the new Bus Rapid Transit(BRT) system. This system replaced the railway
which was severely damaged by the tsunami
and earthquake event, however, utilises key
sections of the alignment including tunnels. I was
impressed with the bi-directional system and useof the existing infrastructure which minimised thecost and time to implement the 99km relinking
key regions.
Site visits were also organised around the local
Kanto region including Tokyo, Yokohama andSaitama. Together with the Social Planning andPolicy section at Oriental Consultants I visited a
Michinoeki in Tochigi. A Michinoeki literally meansa road station and is a road side facility
consisting of toilets, rest areas and shops selling
local produce. The first Michinoeki wasconstructed more than 20 years ago and today
more than 1000 exist throughout Japan. Thesefacilities are somewhat similar to those inAustralia such as large road stops, however, thenotable difference is that they do not sell fueland do not include multinational food outlets.
The Japanese embrace the Michinoeki culture
where I witnessed the busy facility. The
Michinoeki which I visited also included a freefoot onsen which was great. No facility like thisexists in Australia and is a place which reallyprovides great outcomes and experiences forvisitors and the local community.
In Ibaraki Prefecture north east of Tokyo I visited a
new bicycle facility which was installed adjacentto the local train station. The facility canaccommodate 800 bicycles. 400 bicycles can be
stored manually while an additional 400 bicycles
can be stored automatically 24 hours per day
using specially designed bicycle lifts andautomatic systems. Storage is cheap at only
$1.50 per day. The facility cost approximately $4

A p a r t f ro m s i t e v i s i t s I a l s o d e v e l o p e d a n
understanding of Japan’s traffic safety standards
and requirements following review of standards
with Mr Ostubo. I identified and discussed thedifferences between Australia and Japan roadsafety standards including the use of Road Safety
Audits (RSA). I believe this learning helped both
Mr Otsubo and I further develop our skills in thisfield. I also participated in engineering
presentations where I presented my key
Australian project experience. This wasreciprocated through Oriental Consultant
presentations regarding traffic safety, particularly
congestion mitigation and accident mitigationand traffic accident surveys.

Cultural Experience
Mr Otsubo, Oriental Consultants and YPEP atevery opportunity ensured that I had a great
experience in Japan. I was extremely lucky to beable to experience and participate in a wide
variety of culture activities.

31

NEWS LETTER 2015
Following three weeks of embracing theJapanese culture, from eating rice morning,noon and night, to attending the Japanese
workplace where people run for the door so as
not to arrive 1 minute late, I was able to develop
a greater understanding of the Japanese work
culture, re-invigorate my Japanese language
from high school and understand the Japanese
way of life. It was a wonderful experience.

Together with traffic safety department I visited
Enoshima and the Kamakura area, seeing
shrines, temples and the famous Daibutsu‘Budda’. I tried the local beer and cuisine,
Shirasu-don - raw white bait fish on rice. I tried
Shabu Shabu at a very traditional and impressive
Japanese restaurant at Kamakura, learnt new
Japanese expressions “Ma Ma Ippai Douzo” and“Ma Ma Shacho Douzo” – please drink more andplease drink more Mr President.

Summary
The YPEP Japan 2014 program allowed me todevelop technically, professionally and culturally.
It has allowed me to understand the Japanese
way of life and working culture and highlighted
the benefits which I can apply in Australia.

Mr Otsubo hosted me at his family home. I had
the pleasure of meeting Mr Ostubo’s family,
where they let me experience Japanese living,although Mr Otsubo’s family went out of their
way to impress me with delicious food and lots ofbeer.

I am extremely appreciative to Mr Otsubo andOriental Consultants for hosting me, and going
above and beyond to make my time in Japan aonce in a lifetime experience. Mr Otsubo andOriental Consultants have demonstrated thepoliteness and generosity of Japan. I am thankful
for all the time, effort and money which has
been invested by Oriental Consultants and Mr
Otsubo, and I hope that in the future myself andAurecon have an opportunity to host an Oriental
Consultant representative.

I experienced Izakaya, the Japanese pub,followed by Karaoke in Shinjuku. Luckily the beerhelped my singing, or at least to forget thesinging. I had the best ever tasting sushi in Sendai
and experienced the famous Matsushima town. I
went to the onsen where I experienced
traditional the Japanese washing, soaking andhot spring social culture. I now wish these facilities
were available in Australia.
I had the opportunity to visit Kyoto and Nara,
where I saw 1000 year old relics as well as theg r e a t G o l d e n P a v i l i o n , K i y o m i z u Te m p l eoverlooking Kyoto and the Nara Daibutsu. Kyoto
and Nara really made me think about andembrace the Japanese culture which has been
harmonised with modern Japan.

AJCE and the YPEP organisers have created afantastic program. I thank them for their
dedication and congratulate them on the
success of the YPEP Japan 2014 program.
どうも

32

ありがとう

ございます

NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

My Experience with
Chuo Kaihatsu Corporation, 2014

Trainee:David Dixon

Japanese Firm: Chuo Kaihatsu Corporation
Australian Firm:URS

During my stay with Chuo Kaihatsu Corporation(CKC) I was able to take part in many site visits tolear n about their business and add to mytechnical knowledge. I was also able to learn
more about Japanese culture, both in business,
history and after hours. I also sampled a vastarray of different foods and drinks.

resulted in 827mm falling on the island over a
period of 24 hours, with a sustained 520mm fallingover a 6 hour period. This combined with thesteep slopes of Mt Mihara, resulted in a large
landslide to the town of Oshima. CKCs role is tomonitor some of the existing slopes to be able toprovide advanced warning to evacuate thetown in the future.

Working life
With CKC I was able to learn about their businessand current projects via site visits. This included
observation of boreholes. The first borehole wasbeing conducted to determine the liquefaction
risk of a man-made embankment. At the second
site, this borehole was being conducted toprovide information for pile foundation design. I
was also able to visit the Railway TechnicalResearch Institute, in Hikari, Tokyo.

CKC were also monitoring slope stability in a
deep cutting in Chichi-bu, Saitama Prefecture.
Here I took part in maintenance and inspection
works for the sensors. CKC are also involved in
the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. I was able to provide
my experiences on the Tokyo train and subway
network to help improve the English information
for the games.
Cultural Experiences
I was able to enjoy some of the past times of theJapanese while here. I went to watch the

MLX01 Maglev Train

I also had the opportunity to take part in a sightvisit to Izu Oshima Island, the largest of the Izu
island chain. In October, 2013 Typhoon Wipha

Yokohama F.Marinos

33

NEWS LETTER 2015
Yokohama F.Marinos take on Shimizu S-Pulse;
Yokohama won 1-0.
I went hiking through the Japanese forest
between Mt. Takao to Lake Sagami. I also
enjoyed two typhoons, Phanfone and Vongfong,and experienced a magnitude 3 tremor. I also
took a weekend trip to Kyoto and Nara to see
the temples and shrines from the old capitol.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to Chuo Kaihatsu Corporation forallowing me to enter their company for three
weeks. I would also like to thank AJCE andConsult Australia for organizing the program, as
well as URS, for allowing me to take part in theexchange.

The YPEP participants34NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

YPEP 2014 Summary

Daniel Leong-scottJapanese Firm; Nihon Suido Consultants Co., Ltd.
Australian Firm; Parsons Brinckerhoff

INTRODUCTION
For YPEP 2014, I spent three weeks with Nihon
Suido Consultants (Nissuicon), learning about
their work and experiencing Japanese culture. In
this time, I participated a wide range ofprofessional, social and cultural activities with myhosts, who were very hospitable and friendly.

monitoring and maintenance.
I spent part of the second week working with thestructural department and learning about theirwork. As a structural engineer myself, I wasinterested in the use of Finite Element Modelling(FEM) for the many of their projects, as I only use
it occasionally for complex projects. It was alsointeresting to learn about earthquake design,and the emphasis on earthquake resistance instructures. Earthquake design is a significant
consideration for Japanese structural engineers,
due to Japan's define susceptibility to serious
earthquakes, however it is not such a major
concern in the work I have done.

WORK EXPERIENCE
When I first arrived in Japan, I attended twoorientations and welcome parties, one hosted by
AJCE and one by Nissuicon, to meet all of theother YPEP participants and my hosts. I was given
a presentation about Nissuicon's work, and hadsome lessons on Japanese business etiquetteand the Japanese language, including how towrite my name in Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji(Japanese characters).
The rest of the first week included meeting many
more Nissuicon employees, giving presentations
about my work in Australia, and learning about
the Official Development Assistance (ODA) workthat Nissuicon does in developing countries,
particularly in South East Asia. I was shown ane x a m p l e o f a p ro j e c t t o re p l a c e a w a t e r
treatment plant in Cambodia, which was very
interesting as my company does not do any suchwork (to my knowledge).
Early in my second week, I went to Kawai Water
Treatment Plant, a recently upgraded water
purification facility in Yokohama. I was impressedby the efficiency of the plant, which usedceramic membrane filters, and the high-techfacilities, including tablet computers used for

In the second week, I went to Tohoku, the area
affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami,
to see the devastation and learn about the35

NEWS LETTER 2015
Here I went grape picking, went to Mount Fuji
and had a hot bath at an Onsen overlooking thecity of Kofu.

recovery effort. It was confronting to see thewide open spaces which were once full ofhouses and the damaged remaining
infrastructure. Particularly interesting was thegovernment building in Minamisanriku which has
been preserved in remembrance (see picture).

On the second weekend, all of the YPEP
participants went to Kyoto and Nara for guided
tours around some of the many famous Buddhist
temples and Shinto shrines. I particularly enjoyed
Nijo Castle and Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion,
pictured) in Kyoto, and Todai-ji in Nara. Nara wasa fascinating place, full of deer who roam theparks and casually walk amongst the tourists. In
Kyoto, we stayed in a Japanese Ryokan, andslept on futons on tatami (Bamboo mat) floors.
While this was an interesting experience, it wasvery uncomfortable as the futons are very thinand the floors are hard.

In the final week, I went on a site visit to a storm
water pipeline in Kawasaki. This was a massive
6m diameter, 2km long underground pipe toprovide emergency storage and transfer of storm
water in the a major flood event. I had neverbefore seen a pipeline project of such magnitude,
and we were able to walk through the pipe which
was an interesting experience.
In my time at Nissuicon, I also learned a lot about
Japanese working culture, in particular the
rigidity of the work day. Work begins at 9:30am
and finishes at 5:30pm, with a one hour lunch
break at 12:30pm. There is a chime that sounds
at each of these times to alert the workers, who
use time cards to clock in and clock out.
Japanese people are known for working longhours and I found that this was the case at
Nissuicon. It was common for my hosts to work
more than 50 hours in a week, which is rare inAustralia.

I spent one of my final days in Tokyo doing acultural experience tour with two of my hosts. In
the morning, we went to a shrine in Hiro-o andwrote a Buddhist prayer in Kanji, using traditional
brush calligraphy. Following this we went to two
art museums in Roppongi, the Mori Art Museum
and the Nezu Museum. The Nezu Museum
featured an extensive Japanese garden filledwith traditional sculptures and artefacts, which
was stunning.
CONCLUSION
I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience inJapan. It has been fascinating to learn about
Japanese work and culture. I have made many
new friends and had the chance to experienceso many different aspects of Japanese culture
thanks to my hosts. I would particularly like tothank Mr. Riota Adachi for all of the work he put
into hosting me. Domo arigato gozaimashita.

CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
As well as learning about the technical andprofessional side of work in Japan, I was also able
to experience the social and cultural aspects. I
went out for lunch and dinner with my hosts
almost every day, and tried all kinds of Japanese
food, including sushi, sashimi, udon, soba, ramen,
nabemono, yakitori and taiyaki. I also tried lots ofJapanese drinks, including Matcha (green tea)and Nihonshu (Japanese Sake). My hosts took
me to Japanese restaurants and bars, including
Izakaya and Karaoke bars. Through theseexperiences I learned about the social culture of
the Japanese workplace. Japanese workers arenormally good friends with their colleagues andoften socialise outside of work.
On my first weekend in Japan, went to the Meiji
Shrine, Yoyogi Park, Harajuku, and the Tokyo
Metro Government office, which has anobservatory at 200m from the ground. Meiji Shrine
was a particular highlight as it was the first Shinto
shrine I had been to, and I was amazed by thearchitecture and the scale. On the first weekend,
I also spent a day in Yamanashi, west of Tokyo.

36

NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

3 Incredible Weeks with PCKK!

Trainee: Tim Powell

Japanese Firm: Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd.
Australian Firm: Parsons Brinckerhoff

T h e t h re e w e e k s a s p a r t o f t h e Y P E P 2014
program in Japan have been one of the mosthectic and enjoyable experiences of my shortprofessional career. I was adopted by the Pacific
Consulting Engineers (PCKK) Railroad Planning
Section as their newest member and immersed in
the nuances of Japanese Railway planning anddesign. My placement saw me working primarily
with the Railroad Planning team with shorter stints
in the Railway Bridge and Tunnel teams. The
detailed program prepared for me combined
learning sessions about railway design and afterhours sessions about “entertaining” whichinvariably involved copious amounts of draft
beer, shochu, sake and headaches in themorning.

design. Particular emphasis was given to
Shinkansen and Light Rail transport which
seemed appropriate given my hometown
Melbourne is the owner of the world’s largest
street tramway network.

My first weekend was spent on homestay at the
Kawai residence in Chiba prefecture. I was
warmly welcomed by the family and given an
introduction to family life in Japan. It was arefreshing change from the hectic, fast-paced
environment of Shinjuku. We had a dinner party
on Saturday night complete with Japanese BBQ
and sushi followed by a chance to explore Chiba
on Sunday with an afternoon nap on Sunday tocomplete the relaxing weekend.
My second week focussed more on structural
aspects associated with railway design. I wastaught about Japanese cut and cover methods
which were demonstrated by a visit to the new
Shibuya Station for the Fukutoshin and Toyoko

I was based in the Shinjuku office and spent timein the office and out on site visits. The first week
was a whirlwind of social events including my first
baseball game (Tigers v Giants!) and an
introduction to Japanese Railways and their37

NEWS LETTER 2015lines. The focus shifted from tunnels to bridges
later in the week as I was taught about railway
bridge design in Japan. A highlight of this week
was my visit to the Nexco Central Communication
Plaza in Kawasaki to see highway operation inaction.
The second weekend saw an amazing trip to
Kyoto and Nara. We stayed in an authentic
ryokan on tatami and futon which left me with asore back for days. The group had traditional
meals at the ryokan and were ferried aroundKyoto and Nara. My personal highlights were
Kiyomizudera and a fun night on Pontocho
which involved some geisha/geiko/maiko (Inever quite figured the classifications out)spotting.

aspects of Japan that I wasn’t able to see on
two previous trips to Japan.

The final week revolved around the project thathas fascinated me about Japan for a number ofyears; the Chuo Linear Shinkansen. Being a bit ofa “tetsudo otaku”, I have been keenly following
advances in magnetic levitation technology. A
t r i p t o t h e Ya m a n a s h i P re f e c t u r a l M a g l e v
Exhibition Centre was the highlight of my trip as I
was able to observe the Linear Shinkansen zoom
by at a speed of 500 km/hr!

I would like to thank AJCE and Consult Australia
for putting together this program. I would like topersonally thank the staff at PCKK, in particular
the Railroad Planning team for hosting me andputting up with my limited Japanese for 3 weeks.
Special mentions go to Eiji Kawai and Takahito
Shindou who tirelessly worked to ensure I have
had an amazing time in Japan. I hope that therelationships I have forged with both Japaneseand Australians can be maintained and that westay in touch.

I have found the experience to participate in the
YPEP to be very rewarding on both a personal
and professional level and it has shown me

どうもありがとうございます !

38NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

YPEP 2014 Report

Trainee: Thomas Meldrum

Japanese Firm: CTI Engineering Co., Ltd.
Australian Firm: AECOM

1. Introduction
I have just completed a three week exchange
program in Japan. So how did it come to passthat an AECOM engineer used to working on site
in the sleepy Queensland town of Gatton findhimself in the high-pace, high-tech metropolisthat is the Japanese capital? Basically, I saw anemail come through from Consult Australia about
an exchange program they were offering in
partnership with Association of Jap anese
Consulting Engineers (ACJE). The program, called
Young Professional Exchange Program (YPEP),
has been running from 1996 and has provided aplatform for young engineers from Australia andJapan to experience the culture andengineering techniques of the host nation. I put
in an application, was fortunate enough to be
accepted, and even more fortunate that
AECOM assisted me to pursue this fantastic
opportunity. I arrived in Tokyo just prior to
T y p h o o n Vo n g f o n g , a n d s e t t l e d i n t o m yapartment, which is a short walk away from theoffice.

challenges to Australia, with numerous naturalbarriers such as mountains and rivers to
overcome as well as unpredictable snow falls,
earthquakes and typhoons.

Photo 1: Presenting in Tokyo

3. Site visits
I embarked on a trip to the Great East Japan
Earthquake affected region of Tohoku which wasdevastated by the 2011 earthquakes andsubsequent Tsunamis. I visited the city of Yamada
which was almost completely submerged fromthe Tsunami and was on fire for three days after
the earthquakes. Almost 1800 people lost theirlives during the disaster. I visited the CMJV office
which two design firms and three construction
firms work in a joint venture which is a new
business model in Japan. CMJV are responsible
for raising the height of the town by cutting amountain to use as fill material and also
relocating houses to the newly flattened areas.
There is also other civil infrastructure such as road,train station and drainage line reconstruction. I

2. Host company - CTI Engineering
My host firm is CTI Engineering, a Tokyo-based
company who employ around 1350 employees
across Japan. They work in similar fields as
AECOM, and have a strong transport team. I
presented to the company in the Tokyo, Sendai
and Osaka offices about my work in Queenslando n t h e Tr a n s p o r t N e t w o r k R e c o n s t r u c t i o n
Program (TNRP), while Japanese engineerspresented on a variety of topics. It is clear fromearly conversations with my Japanesecolleagues that they face different engineering

39NEWS LETTER 2015
5. Home stays
I was very fortunate to have two home stays
during my time in Japan.
The first stay was with the Tomoto family in Tokyoand we visited Senso Ji, the Edo-Tokyo Museumand Mt. Takao with its spectacular views of Tokyoand Yokahama. I learnt how to make kantan(easy) Sushi, which is the typical sushi roll found inAustralia. The second stay was with the Teraoka
family in the Nara prefecture, which is a ruralarea in Japan.

also visited the town of Rikuzentakata where asole 27 m tall pine tree survived the Tsunami outof a forest of 70,000 trees. I was also able to visits
other pieces of engineering infrastructure such as
the Ohashi Junction, Nexco Traffic Control
Centre, a tunnel being constructed on the
Hanshin Expressway and the Seto-Ohashi Bridges.
I also visited the town of Kurashiki where a recent
retrofit to this popular area has reduced barriers
to people with a disability.

Photo 2: Inspecting earth moving escalator
Photo 3: Jinrikisha ride with host family

4. Japanese working environment
On my first day at noon I was greeted by thesound of a chime to signal that it was lunch time,
not long after the chime the lights were dimmed.
At the end of the day (5pm) another chime
w o u l d s o u n d , a l t h o u g h i t w a s r a re f o r m ycolleagues to be leaving the office unless it wason “no overwork day” (an initiative between agroup of consultants to ensure their employees
are not overworked). I was told that is notuncommon for people to still be in the office past
10 pm. My colleagues also enjoy spending time
together outside of work hours from dinner toplaying sports. This creates a strong bond
between the teams and they also enjoy social
activities such as welcoming me to the firm.

6. Acknowledgements
I have to start off by thanking my mentor,
Nakamura-san and my own personal translators
Long-san and Teraoka-san. I would also like tothank my two host families, the Tomoto Family
a n d t h e Te r a o k a F a m i l y f o r a w o n d e r f u lexperience. This would not have been possible
without the support of CTI Engineering, AECOM,CA and AJCE and for that I am most grateful. My
host firm and family have been mostaccommodating and, thankfully, their English is a
lot better than my Japanese. It is Australia’s turnto host young professionals from Japan next year
and I hope that we can be as accommodating
as my colleagues here have been to me.

40NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

YPEP Program 2014

Trainee: Rachel Hackett

Japanese Firm: Chodai Co., Ltd.
Australian Firm: Aurecon

Introduction
D u r i n g m y p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n t h e Yo u n gProfessionals Exchange Program (YPEP) 2014, I
was fortunate to be placed with Chodai Co., Ltd.
i n t h e S o c i a l a n d E n v i r o n m e n t Te a m . T h i sexperience provided a fantastic opportunity tolearn about environmental assessment andmanagement projects and methods in Japan
with a leading consultancy, as well as learning
about the many social and cultural traditions.
Work Experience
Throughout my training program with Chodai I
was able to work in both the Tokyo and Hiroshimabranches.

surveys were for Japanese Giant Salamander
and raptors such as the Mountain Hawk-eagle
which are on the Minister of the Environment Red
List in Japan. I am very happy to say that we
found a Japanese Giant Salamander during thesurvey!

Whilst in the Tokyo branch, I presented myresearch on the difference between theJapanese and Australian Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) processes. There were alsopresentations and discussions between members
regarding the fauna and flora survey methods
used in both countries and conservation
measures which are incorporated into design ofprojects.
I attended a site visit of a major highway project
under construction in the Chiba prefecture near
Tokyo, where I observed environmental measures
which have been implemented into the highway
design such as noise barriers and green belts.
During my week in the Hiroshima branch I was
lucky enough to participate in two days of fieldsurveys for a highway project in Shobura City
(approximately 100km from Hiroshima). The field

Attending Asa Zoo in Hiroshima after the fieldsurveys was very beneficial to understand many

41

NEWS LETTER 2015
Japanese culture and traditions.
I enjoyed a weekend in Osaka visiting Osaka
Castle, Arima-onsen (Mt Rokko), and Harukas
300.

of Japan’s native wildlife, and we also visited thesalamander breeding program facility which
helped in learning about this unique species.
During this valuable office and field work
experience with Chodai, I have learnt a lot
about Japanese survey methods, Japanese floraand fauna, project structure, and conservation
measures.

Whilst visiting Osaka for the weekend, I was
invited to homestay with a Chodai members’
family. This was a appreciated experience tolearn about family living and customs in Japan.

Cultural Experience
Whilst spending three weeks in Japan, there weremany opportunities to learn about aspects ofJapanese culture including – traditions, religion,
art, and food.
In Tokyo I visited Tsukiji Fish Market, Kachidoki
Bridge Museum, Tokyo Tower, and many of the
big shopping cities (Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, andShibuya).
My trip to Hiroshima included seeing many
interesting sights, including – Kintai Bridge,
Miyajima Island and Aquarium, Sanzoku, and Asa
Zoo. I also had time to visit the Hiroshima Peace
Museum and Atomic Bomb Dome Memorial
which was a very sad but important experience.

The AJCE organised weekend in Kyoto weekend
with other YPEP participants was a great way tosee many famous shrines and temples – myfavourite was the Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden
Pavilion).

Arigatou gozaimasu

I discovered that Japan has a wide array of
traditional and delicious food! Some of myThank you to AJCE and Consult Australia forproviding this amazing opportunity to explore afascinating culture while expanding ourtechnical knowledge and professional
experience in Japan.
Thank you very much to my host company
Chodai, and mentor Aya Asai, for planning awonderful program of learning and experience.
All Chodai members of the Hiroshima, Osaka andTokyo branches taught me that Japanesepeople are very kind and generous, and I lookforward to visiting my new friends again!

favourites include – Okonomiyaki, yakitori,
Sanzoku-yaki, ramen, udon and katsu.
Sightseeing was also incorporated into theprogram in spare time to ensure learning of the42NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

2nd Contract Administrator Training Workshop
for the Overseas Construction ProjectContract Administrator Training Subcommittee,
International Activity Committee

Explanation of the Clauses in FIDIC Red Book MDB
version 2010 (Mr. Akira SHIROYA)
Before going into the case study session, Mr.
Shiroya made an explanation on key Points on“Contract” and “Contract Clauses” for facilitatingd i s c u s s i o n . M r. S h i r o y a m e n t i o n e d t h a tcomprehensive knowledge on contract
management is essential for the project
manager in pursing projects successfully. Mr.
Shiroya explained importance of the contract
and basic principles of understanding contracts
applicable to both Common and Civil law
countries such as Contra Proferentem, Quantum
Meruit, and Time at Large. In addition, Mr. Shiroya
presented the important principles that are keys
for consultants/ engineers to process claims
properly.

Date and Time: November 21, 2014 10:00-19:30
Venue: Room 3A, Nippon Koei Co., Ltd.
Number of Participants: 28
Introduction
The Overseas Construction Subcommittee forcontract engineers was established in 2012 to
improve the ability of engineers who work as aContract Engineer/ Engineer on overseas
projects.
This workshop was organized for targeting thepersons who have over 3 years’ experience on
overseas project. The lecturer explained on thecore clauses of contract management based on
FIDIC Red Book MDB such as “Extension of Time”
and “Additional Payment”. The participants
discussed case study by forming 5 groups basedon the lecture and background of a case study.
Following the opening address by Mr. KURASHIGE,
Chairman of International Activities Committee,
the workshop entered into the program as
described below.

Finally, Mr. Shiroya focused on relevant clauses
regarding “Extension of Time” and “Additional
Payment” in FIDIC Red Book MDB version 2010.

Mr. Toshio KURASHIGE,
Nihon Suido Consultants
Chairman, International Activity Committee

Mr. Akira SHIROYA,
Nippon Koei Co., Ltd.
Chairman of the Subcommittee

43NEWS LETTER 2015
Workshop: Group discussion on “Extension of Time”
and “Additional Payment” with a case study (Mr.
Masaru KAIDO)Participants were formed into 5 groups (each 5-6
persons) for the discussion as outlined below:

Q&A at the group discussion.
1. The information on arbitration is closed.
2. There are no limit for submitting Notices andClaims.

1. Self-introduction
2. Outline of the case
3. Outline of the Technical Specification
4. Group discussion Part 1 & 2
4-1. Outline of the issue4-2. Group discussion
4-3. Presentation & Lecture
5. Group discussion Part 3 & 4
5-1. Outline of the issue5-2. Group discussion
5-3. Presentation & Lecture
6. Q&AGroup Discussion

Closing Address
In closing address, Mr. Akira SHIROYA announced
that the subcommittee will continuously hold thew o r k s h o p t o p ro v i d e c h a n c e s t o i m p ro v epractical skill of project managers and contractengineers in charge of overseas projects.

Mr. Masaru KAIDO, Adjudicator,
Principal of the Kaido & Associate
Member of the Subcommittee

In the group discussion, the Part 1 & 2 wereallocated for Variation & Additional Payment,
while the Part 3 & 4 were assigned for Delay,
Disruption and Extension of Time.

Remarks
This was the 2rd workshop by the Subcommittee. It
was observed that level and depth of discussion
grew as the workshop advanced.

Mr. Kaido stressed the importance of validationof the claim. Notice of a Claim should be issued
within 28 days after becoming aware of an eventthat may lead to claims or the validation of theclaim shall be expired.

44

NEWS LETTER 2015

AJCE Activity 2014

Interdisciplinary Seminar 2014
"Innovation and Business Model– Road to Success"
Hiroshi TANAKA

AJCE Executive Committee Member
Chairman, Technical Exchange Committee

Date : November 4, 2014
Venue: CTI Engineering, Room 10A
Speakers: Gaku SUZUKI : Senior Officer, Hitachi,Ltd. Rail Systems Company,
Tetsuhito NAKANO: Deputy General Manager,
Nippon-Koei Railway Planning Dept.,
Tetsu HIRAKI: Member, Japan Weather Association,
Terumi HIRANO: Managing Director, Greenway
Co., Ltd.
Hiroshi TANAKA
Chairman, TEC

Hiroshi HANAOKA
Member, TEC

II. Outline of the Seminar
1. Presentation by Mr. Gaku SUZUKI“History of Introducing High-Speed Train andBusiness Model Leading into U.K. Market”
Since 1999, Hitachi started challenge entering
into railway market in U.K. In the past 15 years, it
has conducted in-depth
market research,technology development
and examined procurement
and contract strategy. As
the results of many lessons
learnt, and extensive efforts
in overcoming these
difficulties, Hitachi could
achieve contract in a highMr. Gaku SUZUKI
speed railway from UK
government.

I. Introduction
In the Technical Exchange Committee (TEC),
professional consulting engineers serving in the fieldof construction, machinery,electricity, etc. have been
exchanging information andraising capacity throughcommittee activities. As apart of the activities,
captioned seminar wasplanned and implemented.
Outline of the seminar isreported in the following
sections.
Mr. Konomu UCHIMURAIn the lecture, Mr. Suzuki presented ① Hitachi
business over view, ② Trend in railway development
technology, ③ Challenge and success of entering

President, AJCE

45

NEWS LETTER 2015
into UK market ④ Challenge and accomplishment
in PPP projects, ⑤ development and prospect ofHitachi business in UK railroad. Breakthrough into
the market was enthusiasm, perseverance,
innovation, investment, and working closely withlocal partners.

weather forecast. Following the history, as one of
the meteorologists who develop mathematicalmodels, speaker introduced concept andprinciple of mathematical modeling. Then,
improvement of model accuracy by integrating
observations on land and remote sensing, etc.
was explained.

2. Presentation by Mr. Tetsuhiro NAKANO“The Railway Construction
Projects in Mongolia”

Further, he explained application of the models
for disaster prevention in the light of various
weather stages. He stressed necessity ofdevelopment in weather forecast in①
improvement of local prediction model, ②
improvement of detailed remote sensing
observation, and ③ dissemination of the usage ofnumerical forecast.

Government of Mongolia isplanning to export theworld’s largest natural
resources reserved in theGobi Desert to Russia,
China, South Korea,
Japan, etc. Foreign andlocal financing entities are
Mr. Tetsuhito NAKANO
participating in investment
for the development. Development of railway
from South Gobi to Russian border has begun ascoal mining is highly dependent on road or
railway transport in Mongolia, Railway project of
1,520Km in total length was presented in which ①
Outline of the railway project, ② TechnicalAdvisory Service, ③ Environment considerations
along the railway route, ④ Various technicalchallenges including financing were introduced.
Speaker explained that the railway project will
be further extended in the future.

4. Presentation by Mr. Terumi HIRANO“Plant Factory”
In the recent years, plantfactory is calling attention
for its potential to increase
the crop yield per unit
area. Mr. Hirano, who has
been trying to develop
profitable plan business,presented history and
Mr. Terumi HIRANO
current situation of plantfactory, requirement for profitable plant factoryand future prospect. Plant factory started in
1960s in Europe, then it was introduced in Japan
in 1980. Various trials for plant business werechallenged since late 1980s in Japan. However,most of the trials did not bring profit as the
production cost was high. Mr. Hirano stressed
importance in the following requirements forprofitable plant business: ① cheap construction
cost, ② low running cost, ③ selection ofcompetitive plants and seeds, ④ establishmentof distribution and marketing system.

3. Presentation by Dr. Tetsu HIRAKI“Weather Forecast andNumerical Modelings”
At the beginning ofp r e s e n t a t i o n , D r. H i r a k i
spoke about the Crimean
War in the mid-19th
century which triggered
the construction of
weather forecast facilities
Dr. Tetsu HIRAKI
and establishment of themodern meteorological observation network.
Speaker firstly introduced modern history ofHe showed profitable examples of producing
beansprout, mushroom, arugula, baby-leaf and
Italian parsley.

46

NEWS LETTER 2015

Project Accomplishments by AJCE Members

The Project of Landslide Management in the Republicof Mauritius
Principal
Firm (s)KOKUSAI KOGYO CO.,LTD

Project Site

Republic of Mauritius

Client inistry of Public Infrastructure and Land
M
Transport (MPI)

Finance

Official Development Assistance (ODA)

PeriodMay 2012 - March 2015

Type of
Project

Technical Assistance(JICA Project)

Project Outline
Mauritius is an island country vulnerable to climatechange, particularly landslide issues. Recently,
environmental changes and land development on
steep slopes are increasing natural disaster losses.

Protecting Mauritius’ precious coastal resources is another vital
aspect of this project

MPI wishes to tackle such issues, particularly landslidedisasters, which are common in Mauritius. Therefore,technical skills and knowledge of landslide measuresare vital.
MPI is endeavoring to build its technical capacity andexpertise including of methodologies to understandlandslide mechanisms, risk identification, monitoring,and countermeasure formulation. With thisbackground, the Mauritius government requested theJapanese government to implement this project tohelp it overcome the abovementioned issues using
technical expertise and lessons learnt from Japan.
Details1) F ormulation of a landslide management plan toestablish a landslide monitoring system.
2) Implementation of the landslide countermeasure
works feasibility study and pilot project to examine,
implement and learn specific approaches.
3) Capacity building on landslide management skills to
MPI [u3]counterparts and other related institutions.

Community participatory discussion using a disaster risk map

Working on a pilot project for landslide countermeasures47

NEWS LETTER 2015

Project Accomplishments by AJCE Members

Preparatory Survey on the Project of Restoration of Water
Supply System for the Reconstruction of Léogâne city in Haiti
Principal
Firm (s)Chuo Kaihatsu Corporation

Project Site

Léogâne city, Haiti

ClientJapan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA)

Finance

JICA

PeriodJanuary 2012-March 2014

Type of
Project

Preparatory Survey

Project Outline
In January 2010, the great earthquake occurred near
the Léogâne city, approximately 29 kilometers west ofPort-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.
The earthquake caused major damage in Port-auPrince and other settlements within the region.
A lot of infrastructures of Léogâne city were damagedb y t h e 2010 e a r t h q u a k e . G o v e r n m e n t o f H a i t irequested to Japanese government the grant aid forthe implementation of the "Project of Restoration of
Water Supply System for the Reconstruction of
Léogâne city (hereinafter referred to as Project) ".
This preparatory survey includes the outline design forwater supply system and the estimation for the
implementation of Project.
Details
The following activities were conducted in this survey.
1) Confirmation of background of Project.
2) Confirmation of organization for implementation.
3) Study of natural condition of Project site.
- Well boring, pumping test, water quality test,
topography survey, geotechnical survey.
4) Study of environmental and social considerations.
5) Outline design of facility of water supply system.
- Pumping station, water treatment facility,- Elevated tank,- Water distribution network.
6) Plan of Operation and Maintenance.
7) Cost estimation of Project.

48

NEWS LETTER 2015

Project Accomplishments by AJCE Members

North-South Expressway Construction Project(Ho Chi Minh City – Dau Giay Section) in Vietnam
Principal
Firm (s)Nippon Koei Co., Ltd.

Project Site

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Dong Nai
Province

ClientVietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC)

Finance

Japanese ODA Loan,
ADB’s OCR Loan

PeriodDec. 2009 - Feb. 2015

Type of
Project

Engineering Services for Detailed Design(whole section) and Construction
Supervision (JICA Section).

Project Outline
The objective of the Project was (i) to solve the urgent
demand for transport on National Highway No.1, Dong
Nai – HCMC section, (ii) to accelerate development ofsatellite urban areas in HCMC, and (iii) to provide
adequate and efficient access to the proposed Long
Thanh International Airport.

Interchange (Photo by VEC)

The four-lane expressway with emergency lane oneach side allows for speeds of up to 120 km/hr, thehighest in Vietnam. The distance from HCMC to Dau
Giay (Dong Nai province) is shortened to 55 km withtravel time of one hour, instead of 70 km and threehours, respectively. This saves transport cost forvehicles from 20% to 30%.
The expressway, which opened in Feb 2015, plays animportant role in reducing traffic jams in the region,
minimizing traffic accidents, saving time and transport
cost for vehicles, as well as promoting businessbetween southern economic hub HCMC and otherlocalities in region.
Details: (Whole section)
Length, Lanes : 55 km, dual 2-lane		 (dual 4-lane in ultimate stage)
Interchanges : 4 interchanges
Major bridges :	L ong Thanh Bridge of PC box girder(Total 2,326 m long)
Viaduct: Total 6,517 m long
Minor Bridges :	12 (Total Length: 3,498 m)
		 (JICA Loan Section)
		 9 (Total Length: 785 m)
		 (ADB Loan Section)
Traffic Control :	ITS system (traffic information system,
toll collection system)Long Thanh Bridge (Photos by VEC)

Opening Ceremony (Feb. 8, 2015)49

NEWS LETTER 2015

Project Accomplishments by AJCE Members

Yonki Toe of Dam (YTOD) Hydropower Station Projectin Papua New Guinea
Principal
Firm (s)Nippon Koei Co., Ltd.

Project Site

Yonki,
Eastern Highlands Province

ClientPNG Power Limited (PPL)

FinancePNG Power Limited (PPL)

PeriodJune 2011 - April 2014

Type of
Project

Engineering Services for Management,
Design and Construction Guidance

YTOD PS Project

Project Outline
The YTOD Project is to deliver 18 MW power to Hidden
Valley Mines through the Ramu Power Grid of PPL.
Though EPC Contract was concluded in 2008, it was
terminated by the Employer PPL for non-performanceby the Contractor in civil construction works inparticular. Nippon Koei was then invited to take overand manage the Project to complete the construction
works and to supervise installation of generating
equipments.
N i p p o n K o e i p ro v i d e d P P L w i t h 1) P ro j e c t
Management of the whole YTOD Project, 2) Design of
the YTOD powerhouse and supervision of civil works, 3)Construction guidance for civil works under direct
management by PPL, and 4) Supervision of the E&M
installation works including commissioning tests.
Project features:- Rated discharge & head: 24.4 m3/s x 2 units = 48.8
m3/s & 43.0 m- Penstock: D3.60 m x L117 m- Power station: 9 MW x 2 units @ 300 rpm, 50 Hz, PF 0.85
- Transmission lines to Ramu 1 Power Station: 132 kV x
L1,845 m, transformer 21.6 MVA

Outdoor switchyard & transformer

Bolder riprap against flooding

YTOD power station & tailrace channel

50NEWS LETTER 2015

Project Accomplishments by AJCE Members

Development of Bandung Institute of Technology (III)Principal
Firm (s)Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd.

Project Site

Bandung, Indonesia

ClientGovernment of Republic of Indonesia

Finance

Japanese Loan

PeriodMarch 2009 - March 2018

Type of
Project

ODA Loans

Location of Bandung

Project Outline
As stipulated in the Mid-Term National Development
Plan and other related plans regarding thedevelopment of education, science and technology
in Indonesia, the necessity for the development of thehuman resources has been recognized as the core of
the industry and academic research. In order toachieve this goal, Bandung Institute of Technology(hereinafter called as the “ITB”) has played a key role
to produce the top level scientists, engineers andresearchers who have contributed to industries,
academia and economic development in Indonesia.
Therefore, for the promotion of qualitative andquantitative expansion of education and research at
the ITB by enhancing its research facilities andcapacity, the Project has been executed.

ITB Campus
Details51

NEWS LETTER 2015

Project Accomplishments by AJCE Members

Ho Chi Minh City Water Environment Improvement Project (WEIP)
Principal
Firm (s)Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd.

Project Site

Ho Chi Minh City of the Socialist
Republic of Viet Nam

Client

HCM City Urban-Civil Works Construction
Investment Management Authority(UCCI)
People Committee of HCMC

FinanceODA Loan of Japan and HCMC PC’s
BudgetPeriodAugust 2002 – June 2015 (Construction
was completed)Type of
Project

Review of Detailed Design andConstruction Supervision

General Layout of Project

Project Outline
The urbanized area and water population of Ho Chi
Minh City have increased rapidly due to theremarkable economic development since 1980s
without sufficient infrastructure, especially urban
drainage and sewerage system. Domestic andindustrial wastewater was directly discharged into
water bodies, such as rivers, canals and pond which
aggravated serious water pollution and bad odor.
This project aimed to improve urban water
environment conditions by improving canal, urban
drainage and sewerage systems and to contribute toimprovement of living condition of people in Ho Chi
Minh City.

Canal Improvement

Details
Canal Improvement; Dredging (481,756m3), Revetment(5,663m)
Existing Combined Sewer improvement; Ø800 2500mm x 2000mm (9,882m)
Intermediate Wastewater Pumping Station

Interceptor Sewer Ø300 - 2200mm (10,891m)
Conveyance Sewer; 1300mm x 1200mm x 2 cells(3,481m)
Intermediate Wastewater Pumping Station (Capacity:
66.7m3/min. x 3 units),
Wastewater Treatment Plant (Treatment Capacity:
141,000m3).

Wastewater Treatment Plant

52

NEWS LETTER 2015

Project Accomplishments by AJCE Members

Myanmar National Transport Master Plan (MYT-Plan)
Principal
Firm (s)Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd.

Project Site

Myanmar

ClientJapan International Cooperation
AgencyMinistry of Transport, Myanmar

FinanceTechnical Cooperation

Period2012.12 – 2014.9

Type of
Project♦ Master Plan
♦ Feasibility Study

Project Outline

Infrastructure is an essential element of Myanmar’s
economy and the Government is committed to pursuing
new policies and initiatives that promote more efficient
travel, for business and for people.
The purpose of the Myanmar National Transportation
Master Plan is to guide transportation growth andplanning in Myanmar for the next two decades. This
Master Plan will serve as a blueprint for transportation
strategies and the basis upon which capital
improvements are made over this period. This Master Plan
will also provide guidelines that are adaptable to otherindustrial sectors and to private investment, and assist withinvestment planning and decision making for a variety oftransport sector projects. In this way, the Master Plan will
influence the transport sector’s development, bypresenting a set of policies that are relevant to all modesof transport, as well as development strategies for specificmodes like road/road transport, rail, air, maritime andinland water- way.

MYT-Plan Multi-Centric Balanced Development Strategy

Details
The associated transport projects and activities can help
these modes achieve the Transport Vision, which is
1. To establish a long-term development vision andcorresponding strategies of the transport sector, in linewith the National Comprehensive Development Plan
(NCDP).
2. To draw up an integrated national transport network
plan, which enables multi-modal transport services allover the country.
3. To provide an effective coordination mechanism intransport planning and investment.
4. To minimize environmental impacts caused by thetransport infrastructure development through better
planning and enhanced coordination between theministries concerned.
5. T o improve safety and security to inter national
standards.
6. To encourage the private sector’s involvement intransport infrastructure development, operation,
maintenance and management.
7. To support other industrial sectors by providing safe,
secure, reliable, reasonable and all season transport
services.

Rehabilitation and Modernization of Yangon – Mandalay Railway

Inland Water Transport Facilities Improvement and Development in Mandalay

The East-West Economic Corridor Road Improvement Project53

NEWS LETTER 2015

Project Accomplishments by AJCE Members

Project for Improvement of Operation and Maintenance of Water
Supply and Sewerage Systems in Parana State, BRAZIL
Principal
Firm (s)Nihon Suido Consultants Co., Ltd

Project Site

Curitiba Metropolitan Area Parana
State, Brazil

ClientB R A Z I L , PA R A N A S TAT E S A N I TAT I O NCOMPANY (SANEPAR)

Finance

JICA

PeriodOctober 2012 – September 2015

Type of
Project

Technical Cooperation Project

Project Outline♦ Capacity of SANEPAR for operation and maintenance(O&M) of sewage pipe network is strengthened.
Troubles such as blockage due to aging of sewage
pipe network and the back flow by infiltration water
were recognized as issues on the O&M. Investigation,
diagnosis and rehabilitation of them are conducted tosolve these problems. As a result of investigation it was
revealed that the problem is wide-ranging and a wide
variety of investigation method and countermeasures
are required.

Project Map

Details- Implement baseline survey on O&M of sewage pipe
network and identify the issues- Conduct training courses on O&M and diagnosis ofsewage pipe network- C onduct OJT on sewage pipe network diagnosis
using TV camera- Conduct OJT on monitoring sewage quantity using
flowmeter- Establish the policy of improvement plan of sewage
pipe system

Field Investigation by Simple TV camera- A nalyze results of diagnosis, study rehabilitation or
renewal of sewer pipe in pilot areas including nonopen trench method, and establish rehabilitation/
renewal and improvement plan of it- Implement rehabilitation, renewal and improvementof sewage pipe network in the pilot areas- Formulate a draft diagnosis plan for entire sewage
pipe network in CMA and coastal area

Field Investigation by Insert-Type TV Camera

54NEWS LETTER 2015

Project Accomplishments by AJCE Members
Study Area
Outline of the Pilot Area
Area

279ha

Extension of Sewge Pipes

64,562m

Number of manholes

1,305

Number of House Connections

4,558

Results of Diagnosis by Insert-type TV camera plotted on the Ledger

Activities of “River School”

OJT on monitoring sewage quantity using flowmeter

Demonstration of non-dig Pipe Rehabilitation Method

Investigation of Illegal Connection

Seminar55

NEWS LETTER 2015of the2015
ProjectAchievement
Accomplishments
byYearAJCE
Members
Consulting Services by CTI Members

CONSULTING SERVICES FOR CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISION FOR
NOI BAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO NHAT TAN BRIDGECONNECTING ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN VIETNAM

TYPICAL CROSS SECTION

Consultant

Project Site

Project Features in Management Aspects[Schedule] Catch up the delay due to Land Acquisition andcompleted the opening ceremony on schedule.
[Quality] Concrete, Asphalt and Others strictly controlled by
Consulting Team
[Safety] Until the final completion of the project without any
interruption to the accidents

Stanley Consultants INC
CTI Engineering
International Co., Ltd.
Joint Venture
Ha Noi City, Vietnam

ClientP r o j e c t M a n a g e m e n t U n i t N o .85,
Vietnam(PMU85)

Finance

JICA Loan, Japan

PeriodJuly. 2011 - Mar. 2015
(45 months)

Type of
Project

Construction Supervision
I-Girder Erection
at Ca Lo Bridge

Project Outline
The project is to provide main road, collector roads,
interchanges, flyover crossing railway, underpasses andbridges as a crucial north area of industrial district of Ha Noi
City.
The major achievements of the project are:i) Development of the north area of Hanoi Cityii) Effective road network with other main routesiii)	Improvement of traffic speed and congestion between
Noi Bai International Airport and center of Ha Noi City
Project Scope
The scope of the project under JICA Loan is construction of
12.1 km long high standard road, consisting of 80-100m rightof-way , having 32m main road and two 7.5m collector roads,
3 interchanges, 3 crossing flyovers, 6 bridges, 4 underpasses.
< 1. Nam Hong & Nguyen Khe Flyover: L=285m x 2 >- Superstructure
7-span continuous PC box-girder- Abutment
RC inverted-T type
- Pier
RC wall type
- Foundation
Cast-in-place pile (φ1.0m)< 2. Railway Flyover: L=389m >- Superstructure
10-span continuous PC super T-girder- Abutment
RC inverted-T type
RC T type- Pier- Foundation
Cast-in-place pile (φ1.0m)< 3. Ca Lo & NH2(F) Bridge: L=330m, 236m >- Superstructure
10/7-span continuous PC I-girder- Abutment
RC inverted-T type
- PierRC T type- Foundation
Cast-in-place pile (φ1.0m)

Location of the Project(Red Line)

Flyover of Nam Hong56

PC Super-T Girder Launching

Ramp A and B

View from the Main Bridge

Flyover above Railway

NEWS LETTER 2015

Building sustainable cities of the future

Green communities
Geospatial advantage green communities

Our Major Fields
for international development

We have geospatial technology to create ever more accuratemaps, essential for developing social infrastructure and nationbuilding—the backbone of economic growth. We are providing
total solutions that merge our geospatial and urban planningtechnologies with renewable energy sources and to create safer,disaster-resistant communities of the future.
Environment/energy

Solid Waste
Management

Disaster prevention/risk reduction

Geospatial
information
consulting

Supporting government

Disaster Prevention

Business Solutions

Social infrastructure
Water resource
development

Survey and Mapping

URL

2 Rokubancho,Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo,Japan 102-0085
http://www.kk-grp.jp/english E-mail info_overseas@kk-grp.jp

57

NEWS LETTER 2015

C KC
ODA Loan Project
Teite river basin depollution Project in Brazil

Water,
Disaster Prevention,
Environment,
Agriculture,andHuman Resource
Development

ODA Loan Project
Sanitation Improvement Project for
BaixadaSantista Metropolitan Region,
BrazilTechnical Cooperation ProjectManagement of Non-revenue Water in Kenya

CONTACT

CONSULTING ENGINEERS & PLANNERSCKC Chuo Kaihatsu Corporation

http://www.ckcnet.co.jp
3-13-5, Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8612, Japan
TEL: +81-3-3207-1711 FAX: +81-3-3232-3625 E-mail: overseas@ckcnet.co.jp

58NEWS LETTER 2015

ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS

We plan, design and manage
projects of infrastructure & social
development to contributeto the growth of all nations

WORLDWIDE NETWORK OF OFFICES
Asia

Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Yangon, Naypyidaw, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Dhaka, New Delhi, Colombo

Middle East

Amman, Tunis, Rabat, Cairo

AfricaNairobi, Gaborone, Maputo

Latin America

San Salvador, Panama City, Medellin, Lima, Sao Paulo, Asuncion

NIPPON KOEI CO., LTD.
(Head Office)

5‐4 Kojimachi, Chiyoda‐ku, Tokyo 102‐8539 JAPANTEL: +81‐3‐5276‐3596 FAX: +81‐3‐5276‐3002
Website: www.n‐koei.co.jp/english

59NEWS LETTER 201560

NEWS LETTER 2015

61

NEWS LETTER 2015

Towards Quality Water LifeHEAD OFFICE
22-1, Nishi-Shinjuku, 6-Chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
163-1122 Japan
Tel：+81-3-5323-6260 FAX：+81-3-5323-6487

OVERSEAS REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE
Jakarta, Indonesia Tel：+62-21-5744441
Seoul, Korea Tel：+82-2-3664-6306
Hanoi, Vietnam Tel：+84-4-3512-2438

62

NEWS LETTER 201563

NEWS LETTER 2015
It was just one and half years ago, when I joined in this industry. I had no knowledge and image
about the profession, “Consulting Engineer (CE)”. As a person on the street, like others, all I saw was
fine-looking buildings, roads and bridges. I couldn't imagine invisible dedication of CEs behind therealization of these achievement. Now, through a new viewpoint of a CE, I can enjoy watching theformation and function of a city as I know the works of CEs behind the scenes. Acknowledgementof this reality has become a personal delight.

Aaa
aaa a license to
In Japan, to be qualified as a Professional Engineer (PE) is as hard as obtaining
aaa
practice as a lawyer. In contrary, it seems that social recognition of CE & PE, and their remuneration
are lower than that of lawyers. This may be attributable to the fact that CE industry was establishedjust after World War II and it does not have enough time to be acknowledged by society in Japan.
Despite of this background, CEs in Japan have been working faithfully for raising the people's qualityof life by keeping quality of infrastructure. Though it is my personal feeling, CEs in Japan should be
acknowledged more.
Before closing my note, as a member of Publicity and Relations Committee of AJCE, I would like toexpress my pleasure that I am able to take a role of disseminating and introducing works of CEs
through publication of English newsletters and Japanese bulletins to concerned parties both inJapan and FIDIC. Further, it may enhance increasing people's recognition on the contribution of CEs
as well as to encourage young engineers to join this rewarding industry.
April 2015
Ei SEKI

Editor's note

AJCE NEWS LETTER, April 2015
Publication: ASSOCIATION OF JAPANESE CONSULTING ENGINEERS (AJCE)
3-16-4, Ueno, Taito-ku, TOKYO 110-0005 JAPANTel : +81-3-3839-8471 Fax: +81-3-3839-8472
Email: info@ajce.or.jp Web: http://www.ajce.or.jp
Edit: AJCE Publicity & Relations Committee
Cover: Miho Yamato, Publicity & Relations Committee
Layout: Daioh Co.,Ltd.
1-7-5 Uchikanda Chiyoda-ku, TOKYO 101-0047 JAPANTel : +81-3-3292-1488∙1487  Fax: +81-3-3292-1485
http://www.dai-oh.co.jp64