KUBOTA CORPORATECOMMUNICATIONMAGAZINE

2011

A Journey of Food, Water, and the Environment

PhotoMekong Delta
Nov. 2010

Opening Message

The Beginning of a New Journey
A long time ago, several million years ago, in fact, one of our ancestors slowly rose up and began walking upright on two legs.
Before long our direct ancestor, Homo sapiens (the modern human), was born in Africa.
Humans then left African soil to set out on a harsh yet glorious journey – in quest of a new frontier for their survival.
Human evolution is nothing more than following the trajectory of that journey.
And now, in the 21st century, we have begun to realize that the core state of things is not so very different from when we first
set out on our quest.
That is to say that the very survival of humans is now at stake, and we must undertake a journey to ensure our survival...
The memories of evolution are deeply engraved in humanity.
To live is to feel the light and the wind, to breathe, and to take food and water into our bodies to sustain life.
However, our global environment stands on the verge of crisis, and all over the world food and water shortages are worseningat an accelerated pace.
Food, water, and the environment –Only when we find solutions to the problems associated with these irreplaceable necessities, can we begin to pave the path
toward human survival and open up a new frontier.

C O N T E N T S
02The Beginning of a New Journey

04

Planet Earth in the 21st Century
6.9 Billion Peoples’ Journey into the Future

Opening Message

PrologueIn the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake
We at Kubota would like to express our most heartfelt condolences to the victims of the Great East Japan
Earthquake, which struck in the afternoon of March 31, 2011. We sincerely wish for the earliest possible recovery of
the affected areas. Faced with this unprecedented catastrophe, everyone at Kubota has renewed their determinationthat it is our mission as a responsible corporate citizen to make continued efforts to minimize the damage fromnatural disasters by tapping into all of the wisdom that we have.
One of the featured articles in this issue of GLOBAL INDEX tells the story of how we developed theearthquake-resistant pipes that underpin our living environment, effectively representing the fruit of our mostassiduous efforts to ensure the earthquake resistance in water pipes, one of the most essential utilities of our social
livelihood. As in the case of our earthquake-resistant pipes, we at Kubota will remain committed to the creation of aliving environment that will protect human lives and lifestyles and the development of social infrastructures.

In Quest of Solutions to Global Problems Involving Food, Water,
and the Environment

07

Chapter 1 [Food]Ⅰ The Bountiful Mekong Delta
Vietnam catches the wave of mechanized farming
20 Column

Unique Food Culture Nurtured by the Mekong River

23

Ⅱ Reviving Chaohu Lake, a Wellspring of Life

Chapter 2 [Water]

Environmentally friendly water circulation project in the vicinity ofHefei in China’s Anhui Province

33

Ⅲ Milestone in the Fight against Global Warming

Chapter 3 [Environment]

Chubu Sewage Treatment Center, Hamamatsu City
Reducing CO2 emissions by converting the fuel of a sewage sludge incinerator
40 Column“100 -Year” Durability – Our Benchmark-“GENEX” Next-generation Earthquake-resistant Ductile Iron Pipe

42

Special Interview

Humans Now Have an Urgent Decision and Resolution to Make
With a Clear Recognition of the Situation, We Must Make a Paradigm Shift of Values
to Protect this Planet from the Catastrophes Resulting from “Global Warming!”
Ryoichi Yamamoto
Chairman, International Green Purchasing Network (IGPN)
Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo

46

Living on Planet Earth

Closing Message

Cover photo: Mekong River, Vietnam

0203

0203

Prologue

FOOD

In Quest of Solutions to Global Problems Involving
Food, Water, and the Environment

A Quantum Leap in Scientific Civilization
That Stimulated the Turbulent 20th Century
In 1901 – the dawn of the 20th century – Stockholm,
Sweden, saw the first award ceremony of the Nobel Prize,
which was established in accordance with the last will of
Alfred Nobel, famed for his invention of dynamite.
Perhaps the fact that the Nobel Prize, which has honored
men and women for their outstanding achievements in the
progress of humankind, was born in the very first year of
the 20th century was indicative of the course to befollowed by what was then a new century, remembered in
the history books as a “century of science.” It was theIndustrial Revolution extending across the 18th and 19th
centuries that paved the way for the dramatic progress inscientific civilization in the 20th century. Triggered bytechnological innovation, the Industrial Revolution spreadthroughout the globe and went on to drastically change
the framework of social economy by giving birth tocapitalist and industrialized societies. World powers thenbegan to engage in a struggle for supremacy over thedivision of the world as they sought overseas markets inthe form of colonies. This eventually led to the two World
Wars, which wrought enormous destruction and confusion.
The tragic consequences will long be remembered as a
deplorable mistake of humankind in the 20th century.
Meanwhile, the scientific civilization of the 20th century
achieved remarkable progress. From spacecraft, aircraft,

0405

and ships, to automobiles and high-speed railways,
significant advances in the means of transportation havedramatically expanded the range of human activities into
the sky, the ocean, and outer space. Scientific civilization
has also continued to spawn epoch-making technologies
and products in diverse fields. The establishment ofpolymer chemistry accelerated chemical synthesis, andthis technology was applied not only to synthetic fibers anddrug discovery, but to the manufacturing of various
industrial products as well. In the medical and biologicalfields, advances in gene engineering and biotechnology,
which involve DNA and genomes, helped to overcome
illnesses and prolong lives. The advent of computers has
also had the most decisive impact on society since theIndustrial Revolution of the 18th century, while theinvention of integrated circuits and development of
information engineering and communication technologies
have written a new page in the progress of human society.
It is safe to say that 20th century humanity truly enjoyed
the benefits of such scientific civilization in the constantpursuit of greater affluence. At one time this attemptseemed to promise us a bright future, but in the latter halfof the 20th century we found ourselves facing new anddifficult problems.

Planet Earth and Humanity in a State of Crisis
What We Need is a “Path toward Survival”
Progress in scientific civilization has prompted industrial

WA T E R

Planet Earth in the 21st Century
6.9 Billion Peoples’ Journey
into the Futureadvancement in developed countries, followed by the birthof a society based on “mass production and massconsumption” as a symbol of affluence. To realize
affluence, economic growth was required. This economic
growth, pursued not only by developed countries but by
developing countries as well, resulted in the massconsumption of fossil fuels. It is a matter of common
knowledge that such all-out usage of fossil fuels has
invited a rapid increase in the emissions of CO2 and othergreenhouse gases, and it is no exaggeration to say thatthe serious environmental issues brought about by
resultant warming of the globe are the most urgent
problems that humankind must solve. The impact of global
warming is already becoming evident in many areas –rising atmospheric and oceanic temperatures, sea levelchanges, floods and draughts, abnormal weather such as
intense heat and hurricanes, extinction of species, as well
as depletion of water resources, accelerated
desertification and loss of forests, and decreased foodresources as a result of their effects on farming andfishery. As such, global warming can have a serious impact
not only on weather and the natural environment, but also
across an even broader range of fields that are tied up in
those issues, including our society, economy, andlivelihood.
Closely intertwined with these environmental problems
brought about by global warming are food and water
issues. Standing at around 2.5 billion in the early 20th
century, the global population exceeded the 6.0 billion

mark within this century (now 6.9 billion). It is expected tocontinue to increase to 7.7 billion by 2020 and 9.2 billion
by 2050, giving rise to the concern that serious foodshortages will occur on a global scale. As if linked with the
population explosion, shortages of water – a necessity forhuman survival – are becoming increasingly serious inmany parts of the world. Only 0.01% of the Earth’s water
may be consumed by humans, and it is estimated that 1.1
billion people around the world do not have access to safe
water, while 2.4 billion live without sewerage and othersanitation facilities. Given the population growth expectedin the future, it is clear that this serious shortage of water
on a global scale demands an urgent response. We must
realize that humanity may collapse if we cannot put an
end to these unprecedented critical changes that are
affecting the entire globe.
In sharp contrast to the 20th century, which must havebegun with brilliant hopes and dreams for the future, the21st century opened with anxiety and fear caused by theterrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the UnitedStates. As if this event had indicated what was to lie
ahead, the 21st century has been ridden with anaccumulation of difficult problems. These include not only
global environment issues, but also conflicts between
religions and races, terrorism, the existence of nuclear
weapons capable of annihilating the human race several
times, incurable infectious diseases, and the gap between
rich and poor countries as exemplified by the North-South
divide. Under such circumstances, we as humans are now

0405

Prologue

Chapter 1 [Food]E N V I RO N M E N T

Planet Earth in the 21st Century6.9 Billion Peoples’ Journey into the Future

required to seek a “path toward survival” by uniting ourwisdom and keeping the strong will to survive on thisPlanet Earth. We should never let this journey of 6.9
billion people into the future come to an end.

In the 21st Century, Kubota Will Tackle
Global Problems in the Areas of Food,
Water, and the Environment
Having celebrated the 120 anniversary of its
foundation in April 2010, Kubota has promoted its
corporate activities amid global upheavals across threecenturies, from the 19th to the 21st century. Throughout
its history, Kubota has set for itself the mission of taking
on the challenge of “resolving social problems” throughits business undertakings. Lamenting over the many
lives being lost due to waterborne infectious maladies
such as cholera in the late 19th century, Kubota founder
Gonshiro Kubota keenly felt the need to develop
waterworks for controlling such diseases, thus beginning
Japan’s first production of iron pipes for water supply in
1893. Since that time, the company has leveraged themultifaceted products and technology in its business tooffer solutions required by society to problems such as
national modernization and development of social
infrastructures during the Meiji period (1868-1912),
post-war reconstruction, high economic growth, andsubsequent environmental issues. “Promotion of
corporate activities directly contributes to thebetterment of society” – this philosophy sums up
th

0607

Kubota’s “DNA” that has taken root and been
continuously inherited throughout the company’s history.
On the occasion of its 120th anniversary, Kubota
established the corporate mission of “solving theworldwide problems of food, water, and theenvironment.” In the area of food, the company will help
to resolve the world’s food problems through the supplyof tractors, combine harvesters, and other forms offarming machinery and agricultural management
techniques developed based on its experience withpaddy field agriculture. Water supply is the mostimportant infrastructure for humans as it is directly
connected to food and environmental problems. Tapping
into its total “water engineering” prowess nurtured
through business in Japan, Kubota aims to offer
solutions to the world’s water problems. And in the areaof the environment, the company will make the most of
its “environmental engineering,” which has beenuniquely developed from its waterworks business, inorder to share innovations in environmental conservation
with the rest of the world.
This issue of GLOBAL INDEX coincides with the new
mission that Kubota has embraced. Each topic covered
here clearly reflects Kubota’s DNA. Continuing the willthat has been built into that DNA and taking action
accordingly will serve as a strong support for thesustainable development of the world and humanity, andeventually contribute to a “better tomorrow for thePlanet Earth” – This is Kubota’s firm conviction.

The Bountiful Mekong Delta
Vietnam catches the wave of
mechanized farming

In the vast stretch of mountainous areas extending across the Tibet Autonomous
Region at the eastern tip of the Himalayas, China’s Yunnan province, andnortheastern Myanmar, a number of deep gorges are carved into the landscape.
Fed from the waters of these regions and passing through a total of six countries
including Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia to eventually reach southern Vietnam is
the Mekong River – Southeast Asia’s longest river with a total length in excess of
4,800 km. Vast amounts of soil washed down from erosion in the upper reaches of
the river have accumulated through powerful sedimentation to form an extensive
delta in the downstream areas of the Mekong River. In Vietnam alone the delta area
covers an extensive area of some 40,000 km2 (4 million ha), making it by far thecountry’s largest breadbasket. In September 2008, Kubota became the firstinternational agricultural machinery manufacturer to establish a subsidiary in theSocialist Republic of Vietnam (Kubota Vietnam Co., Ltd. [KVC]) in order to explore
the Vietnamese market with a focus on the Mekong Delta region. In this featurearticle, we zoom in on the circumstances faced by Vietnamese rice farmers amid
the wave of mechanized agriculture with updates on Kubota’s activities there, alongwith a brief introduction to the Vietnamese food culture nurtured by the fertile landof the Mekong Delta. Our journey begins in Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest
metropolis and gateway to the Mekong Delta.

China
Hanoi

Laos

Gulf of
TonkinHainan(China)Hue

Thailand
Vietnam
Cambodia

MekongRiver
Dong Thap Province(Mekong Delta)
Ho Chi Minh
My ThoGulf ofThailandSouth China Sea■ Socialist Republic of Vietnam

0607

Chapter 1 [Food]

The Bountiful Mekong Delta

Creating a Dealer Network in the
Mekong Delta Region while Cultivating aService-oriented Mindset
Ho Chi Minh City. French Colonial architecture, an opera
house standing at the city center, a Catholic church –scattered throughout the city one can still see thelingering vestiges of the French colonial rule. At thesame time, this is a city that has followed, and still
follows, an explosive growth trajectory, propelled by thesocialist-oriented market economy introduced following
the Doi Moi (renovation) economic reforms initiated in1986. Not surprisingly, nothing among the buildings
recalls the days of the Fall of Saigon in 1975, whichmarked the end of the Vietnam War, and the southern
tranquility that was so visible in the past – women
clothed in ao dai and families on motorcycle excursions

in the cool of the evening – is most certainly being lost.
Heavy foreign capital inflow stemming from a desperate
effort to accelerate the transition to a market economy
has completely altered the face of the city. High-risebuildings, elegant condominiums, shopping malls,
name-brand stores, restaurant chains, electronics massmerchandisers, and so forth – the scenery here is not so
different from what would be seen in Japan or advanced
countries of the West. However, this familiar scenery is
broken up by the presence of a tremendous number ofspeeding motorcycles. During the morning and evening
rush hours, the streets are flooded with an overwhelming
tide of two-wheeled vehicles that completely cover theroads. It is as if the motorcycles themselves represent
the driving force behind the economic growth ofVietnam, one of Asia’s most up and coming countries.

Flowing through the city center,
the Saigon River plays a key rolein the city’s water transport system.

Waves of commuter motorcycles
flood the morning streets in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Ben Thanh Roundabout
is the key road junction
leading to central andnorthern Vietnam.

Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica constructed in the late 19th century(Church of the Holy Mother)

Skyscrapers rise up in
Ho Chi Minh City

The Central Post Officewith a magnificent classicalarched ceiling

0809

With a skilled driver behind the wheel, our 10-seat van
maneuvers through the waves of motorcycles to KVC,
Kubota’s outpost in the Vietnamese market located in
the My Phuoc Industrial Park, 45 km north of Ho Chi
Minh City. Some 70% of Vietnam’s citizens live in rural
areas, and agricultural and marine products account forroughly 30% of the country’s exports; however, the rateof mechanization in the farming sector stands at onlyaround 20%. Several years ago, Kubota began a market
survey in the country and concluded that Vietnam, andparticularly the Mekong Delta region, was standing on
the “eve of mechanization.” It thus went on to establish
KVC in September 2008 to produce tractors, combine
harvesters, and agricultural implements. The country
requires agricultural machinery, primarily due to thecurrent labor shortage as ongoing industrialization leads
the workforce to concentrate in metropolitan areas, andalso because of the essential need to increase crop
yields efficiently. Given this situation, KVC began its
inroads into the market by creating a dealer network inand around the Mekong Delta. As of now, the network
has expanded to cover nearly the entire delta area.

“Our goal is to be the leading manufacturer of acomprehensive range of agricultural machinery in
Vietnam. The key to achieving our aim is to have an
extensive dealer network and offer better customer
service at each contact point. This is where we are
pouring in the greatest amount of resources. One of thethings that we are doing in this regard is helping local
dealer staff to develop a ‘business mindset,’ e.g.,
providing training sessions and other occasions to teachthem what it means to serve others. When leading
players from Europe and North America and Japanesecompetitors enter the Vietnamese market in the future, I
believe that quality of service will be the single mostimportant factor in making positive differentiation. By
fostering a service-oriented mindset in each individual
staff member at our dealers, we can propose solutions
that cater to specific user demands – This is somethingthat we are eagerly engaged in at this time.” (Satoshi
Suzuki, General Director, KVC)

0809

Ⅰ

Right: Unhulled indica rice (polished)
Indica makes up the majority of rice produced in Vietnam.

Chapter 1 [Food]

The Bountiful Mekong Delta

Left: Portraits of Ho Chi Minh, symbol of the country’s
unification, are still found everywhere in the country.

Winding Road for Farming in Vietnam
Surging Rice Production in the Mekong Delta

Kubota Vietnam
Co., Ltd.(KVC)

On the shop floor, an experienced
engineer from Japan provides
technical guidance to young
engineers from dealers.
General Manager Yutaka Iwasaki (left) andFactory Manager Nguyen Tho Thinh (right).
Kubota’s rigorous quality control has been
fully inherited by KVC.

Satoshi Suzuki,
General Director, KVC

Let us take a look at Kubota’s sales in 2009 and 2010.
Unit sales of new tractors and combine harvesters
together quintupled between 2009 and 2010. The
Vietnamese tractor market once topped the 10,000 unit
mark annually, but most of these are used tractors madeby Kubota or others imported from Japan, putting us ina rather distressing situation where we are forced tocompete against used tractors of our own making in themarket. Combine harvesters, on the other hand, areshowing remarkable growth. Several years ago, combine
harvesters made by Chinese manufacturers hit theVietnamese market, but were not necessarily
well-accepted by local farmers due to the high loss rate
(percentage of grains not harvested due to falling duringmowing, etc. to total grains) and frequent breakdowns.

In Vietnam, combine harvesters are evaluated in termsof loss rate and durability, because smaller loss equates
to higher income. It is estimated that the loss rate of
Kubota’s combine harvesters is less than half that of its
Chinese competitors. Also, durability is crucial in
Vietnam, where the annual operating time of combine
harvesters is said to be several times greater than thatof rice farmers in Japan, as double and triple cropping iscommon (Another major reason for this is that manyusers of combine harvesters are “harvesting services.”
We will return to this later). All in all, it was Kubota’s
high reputation for performance and quality relative tocompeting models of Chinese manufacturers that helped
to boost our sales volume.

In its 2001-2010 Strategy for Socio-Economic
Development *1, the Vietnamese Government set forth that
it would accelerate industrialization and modernization of
the country in order to become a full-fledged industrial
country by 2020. Since 2000, their GDP CAGR has beenover 7%, and GDP per capita topped US$1,000 in 2008.
This rapid economic growth has had no small impact onrice farming. Before going into the details of the present
situation, let us take some time to look back at themodern history of agriculture in Vietnam, which has
undergone considerable vicissitudes as it was tossed
about by the country’s political regime. When the country
was divided between the north and south, farmers inNorth Vietnam formed “cooperatives” for collective
farming, whereas their counterparts in South Vietnam
followed a landholding system. After the country was
unified, collectivization of agriculture was promoted rather
abruptly in an effort to establish a socialist country, but
agricultural output dropped significantly due to inefficient
production and a decline in motivation on the part ofproducers, with the result that it became necessary toimport rice. Faced with a serious food shortage, theVietnamese Government made an about-face in its
agricultural policy: rather than trying to collectivize
farmers into cooperatives, they encouraged family
operations and allowed them to trade surplus products
freely at market price. As a result, Vietnam’s agricultural
production increased tremendously to make it the world’s
third largest rice exporting country in 1989, but this was
not the end of their reforms. With the revision of the Land
Law in 1993, households or individuals were entitled to*1 2001-2010 Strategy for Socio-Economic Development
National development planning announced by the Vietnamese
Government. With the goal of leaving behind its status as a
low-income country (by 2010) to become an industrialized country (by2020), the government plans to accelerate industrialization andmodernization along the socialist line, while laying the foundations tobecome an advanced industrialized country by 2020.

GDP per capita in Vietnam

Region-specific rice acreage/production in Vietnam

The driving force behind all of these developments was
the Mekong Delta, which recorded during the same perioda large and rapid increase in rice production unparalleledin the history of Asia. According to the General Statistics
Office of Vietnam, rice production in the Mekong Delta
region stood at 12.83 million tons in 1995, which thengrew to become 16.70 million tons five years later in
2000. In 2009, of the 38.90 million tons of rice produced
in Vietnam (the fifth largest volume in the world), 20.48
million tons, or 52%, was produced in the Mekong Delta
region. Such a surge in production is partially attributable
to the Vietnamese Government’s policy for increased riceproduction. By casting the Mekong Delta as a strategic
export rice production center, they focused theirinvestments in the development of irrigation and drainage
systems in that region. The result was an increase in thearea of paddy fields and in crop acreage due to double
and triple cropping. Other factors contributing to thephenomenal increase in rice production included the
diffusion of new rice varieties with high yield, greater useof fertilizers and other production materials, and theintroduction of tractors and other agricultural machinery.

(US$)
1,200

Acreage(10,000 ha)

1,000
Whole country
800

Red River Delta

600
400
200
0

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

% to total
acreage744.0

Production(1,000 t)

38,895.5

115.5

16%

6,796.3

Northern Midlands andMountain Areas
North Central andCentral Coastal Areas

66.9

9%

3,047.1

122.2

16%

6,252.0

Central Highlands

21.4

3%

994.3

South East Area

30.7

4%

1,322.4

Mekong River Delta

387.3

52%

20,483.4

2009

Source: General Statistics Office of Vietnam, 2009

1011

exchange, transfer, lease, inherit, and mortgage land use
rights. This virtually authorized the privatization of land,
which was still supposed to be held by the State, if only in
name. The country went on in 1996 to become theworld’s second largest rice producer after Thailand, aposition it still holds to this day.

General Statistics Office of Vietnam, 2009

1011

Chapter 1 [Food]

The Bountiful Mekong Delta

cropping then spread extensively, driving up riceproduction. However, there was no way that the paddy
fields could be used during the “flood season,” which
typically lasts up to four months. As such, theVietnamese would divide the remaining eight months ofthe year into two periods, growing and harvesting crops
within those four month timeframes. Following Doi Moi,
however, triple cropping began to expand in the Mekong
Delta region. This was made possible by greater zeal for
production among the increasing number of
independent farmers, and the construction of “banks”
designed to prevent inundation during the flood season.
By surrounding the entire farmland of the region with
anti-flood dikes, it was made possible to cultivate riceeven during the flood season.

stage of rice farming – in one paddy field the rice ears
are all out, another field is covered with water like alake, and in yet another field seeds are being sown (Inthe Mekong Delta, direct sowing, rather than planting
cultivated seedlings, is preferred.). Another intriguing
factor is the presence of Chinese-style temples, shrines,
and graves in the middle of paddy fields. Our local guide
Mr. Nguyen Hong Hap explains that they are there for“farming rice under the protection of the ancestors.”
Given the fact that bodies are typically interred in thesoil in Vietnam, we cannot help but recall the continuing
circle of life and death – once the soul is lost, the body
returns to the earth, where a crop of rice then grows. For
people living in the Mekong Delta, rice truly is “life”
itself.

The scenery of the Mekong Delta reminds us of a grain
belt in Japan, but one thing is markedly different
between the two. Because rice is grown through double
and triple cropping, each area represents a different

Outside of Ho Chi Minh City,
female students in ao dai areseen more frequently.

Canals such as this one form an extensive network stretching over the vast grain belt.

Dry and Rainy Seasons in the
Tropical Mekong Delta
Floodwaters Produce Bountiful Soil
Driving south from Ho Chi Minh City, our van heads to
Dong Thap Province, one of the 12 provinces in the
Mekong Delta region. As we enter the Mekong Delta,
urban landscapes such as those in Ho Chi Minh City
vanish and an immense grain belt spreads before oureyes. Located in the tropics, the Mekong Delta does nothave seasonal changes, and instead has only a rainyseason (May to October) and dry season (November toApril) due to the influence of tropical monsoons.
Temperatures remain high throughout the year (around30 degrees centigrade) and the amount of solar
radiation is very high. What makes the delta region so
unique is that its lowlands turn into a floodplain during1213

the rainy season, with water levels reaching a depth ofseveral meters. With the entire area of villages
submerged, all that can be seen when this flood occurs
are houses built on high ground scattered throughout
like so many small islands. But this is not a “flood” as
we think of it – no flash floods sweep the farmland away,
but rather the water level rises gradually to deeply
submerge the area for some time until the water begin
to recede with the arrival of the dry season. It is nature’s
providence – in this case, the Mekong River – that has
provided the vegetation with the nutrients required togrow, thus cultivating fertile soil that is suitable for rice
farming. It was not until relatively recently that thedevelopment of the Mekong Delta, a frontier thatpromises vast spreads of land, went into full swing
during the French colonial period between the 19th and20th centuries. After the end of the Vietnam War, double

Paddies that could be mistaken
for lakes stretch as far as the eye can see.

Temples/shrines and graves dottedamongst paddy fields form the typicallandscape of the Mekong Delta.

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Chapter 1 [Food]

The Bountiful Mekong Delta

A Top Dealer Leading the Way in
Expanding Sales“Cultivating/Harvesting” Services for Farmers
Dong Thap Province – bordering Cambodia in the north,this district was liberated during the Vietnam War.
Reclaimed by farmers escaping the war and the soldiersof liberation forces, this fertile grain belt spans overapproximately 450,000 ha with 70% of its farmers
engaged in double cropping and 30% in triple cropping.
Our destination is “Tan Hai,” a top achiever in KVC’s
extensive network of dealers. General Director Ngo Tan
Hai formerly dealt in Chinese combine harvesters.
Immediately after Kubota established a Vietnamese
subsidiary, he opted to be Kubota’s exclusive dealer
without hesitation. The reasons for his decision wereclear. He had become fed up with countless complaints
from users about China-made machines breaking down
and heard from people about the high quality of
Kubota’s combine harvesters. So, what marketingstrategy is he pursuing to boost his performance as a
dealer?
“Kubota is known for its quality machines, and theirproducts diffuse and spread on their own throughreferrals from users and word of mouth. Unit sales of
Kubota’s combine harvesters grew in 2009 and 2010,
and we expect to sell even more in 2011. Our biggest
sales event is demonstrations. We send out invitations toowners of Chinese combine harvesters and potential
users, and we have about 200 to 300 guests attend
each event. Providing demonstrations is definitely amajor opportunity to boost sales.”However, the price tag of a Kubota combine harvester
far exceeds that of any China-made machine. While it istrue that the country is undergoing rapid economic
growth, this begs the question of whether people inVietnam, where per capita GDP is estimated at
US$1,100, can actually afford to pay for high-end

Ngo Tan Hai, General Director,
Tan Hai

A combine harvester used fordemonstrations bears the“Tan Hai” logotype.

Tan Hai, the top dealer
in the Mekong Delta

Employees of Tan Hai and their customers(the General Director’s wife can be seen at center)

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Used farming machine dealer.
Showing signs of age,
the Kubota tractors arestill actively used in Vietnam.

combine harvesters from Kubota. Here are some facts
from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam: theaverage monthly income per capita in the Mekong Delta
region was 940,000 dong (approximately US$ 45*) within the figure for urban districts being 1.6 million dong(approximately US$ 77*; however, it should be notedthat the income of the Vietnamese continues to growevery year, and the current level of income in urban
districts may be expected to be higher than this.
Incidentally, the average monthly income of workers atgovernment enterprises was 2,917,000 dong, orapproximately US$ 141, in the first half of 2010.).
Following the introduction of Doi Moi, Ho Chi Minh andother large cities have been making spectacular
progress, while living standards in farming villages
remain low. In addition to low rice prices, a structuralissue also plays a role here: intensive rice farming(multiple cropping, etc.) in the Mekong Delta incurs highexpenditures, thereby resulting in a lower net income
ratio. Supply from the used market ensures access tovarious types of inexpensive yet high-quality agricultural
machines, but like other countries in Southeast Asia it isindeed a luxury undreamt of by ordinary farmers in
Vietnam to purchase brand new machines bythemselves, considering their income level. It is beyond
the bounds of possibility that they would have enoughfunds to purchase a new combine harvester.

often found not only in Vietnam, but in other parts ofAsia such as Thailand and China as well. As the nameimplies, these services cultivate land and harvest crops
for a fee. Such services are not a new creation, butrather an old form of agricultural management createdthrough cooperation within farming village collectives,
when such tasks were carried out manually. Many
customers of Tan Hai are cultivating/harvesting services,
and a large number of them engage in cultivating andharvesting services while growing rice for themselves.
According to Tan Hai, their typical profile is that of“affluent farmers engaged in large-scale rice farming.”
The area of farmland owned by such farmers usually
ranges between 20 ha and 100 ha, and 20% of themown over 100 ha of farmland. If it is taken into accountthat the average area of farmland owned by one farmer
is about 2 ha in the Mekong Delta region, we come torealize that the ongoing mechanization of the region isdriven by a handful of rich farmers who also engage incultivating/harvesting services. While strongly retaining
aspects of cooperation within farming village collectives
from the past, mechanized cultivating/harvesting
services are introducing a modern farming businessmodel to the region. It is this business model thatcreates a golden opportunity for cultivating/harvesting
services to further boost revenues and make quantum
leaps forward in their living standards.

Thus, attention should be turned to the contract
business of “cultivating/harvesting” services, which are* Calculated at an exchange rate of 1 dong to US$ 0.00005, current asof March 20111415

Chapter 1 [Food]

The Bountiful Mekong Delta

Over 200 farmers gather
at Tan Hai’s demonstration“Investing” in Combine Harvesters
High Hopes of Harvesting Service Providers
in the Mekong Delta
It was only a few years ago when the mechanization ofmanual harvesting services went into full swing following
the arrival of Chinese combine harvesters on the market.
(Cultivating services using tractors are also offered, but
this report focuses on harvesting services as combine
harvesters are the most sought-after agricultural
machines in the Mekong Delta.) Driving the wave offarm mechanization in the area, the business of
harvesting services is at the center of what could be
described as kind of “fever.” We interviewed Mr. Ngo
Phuoc Dong (40), a harvesting service provider, whoowns 20 ha of farmland.
“I used China-made combine harvesters for harvesting
services in the past, but switched to Kubota machines
because of their high performance. They generate little
loss and do not break down easily. Aside from the hefty
price tag they are perfect machines. I own several
Kubota combine harvesters, but I would like somemore.”
Mr. Dong receives payment to harvest about 1,000 haof farmland each year, which requires him to run his
combine harvesters for several hundred hours annually(making it little wonder that they seek greater durability
from combine harvesters than farmers in Japan). Afterthe payment of expenses, which include wages for
miscellaneous work during harvesting, he makes a net
profit of several hundred million dong per year. He also
sells rice grown on his own farmland. Although he runs
his business with the help of his family (six people,
including himself), his income level is much higher thanthat of ordinary farmers in the Mekong Delta. And yet,combine harvesters are not necessarily a “horn ofplenty.” The principle of competition also comes intoplay among harvesting services. Mr. Dong says that hehas been able to see order growth by catering to thespecific demands of his customer farmers, e.g., lowering
the loss rate and finishing the job more quickly.
Mr. Nguyen Van Toi (38) is another harvesting service
provider who personally owns 70 ha of farmland. Every
day of the year, he works from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. He hasenough jobs to fill up his calendar throughout the year
because he works through triple cropping and travels
around the Mekong Delta region with his harvesting
service. To reach his customers, he transports his
combine harvesters on a boat via the crisscrossing
network of waterways and canals that covers the deltaarea. While appreciating the merits of Kubota machines,
he has no small number of demands.
“I want machines with greater horsepower and lighter
weight. I also want my dealer to respond to my inquiries
more quickly, since I would like to work more andimprove the quality of my work. I don’t care if I work

Transporting a combine harvester
on a boat to a cultivated field –A common sight in the Mekong Delta

Mr. Ngo Phuoc Dong (left) and
Mr. Nguyen Van Toi (right)

Mr. Nguyen Van Tan
engaged in farming in
Dong Thap Province

Farmers line up beyond the field,
waiting to see the combine
harvesters and tractors in action

365 days a year. I want to increase my farmland to evendouble its size in the near future.”
These men certainly belong to the high income bracket
in the Dong Thap Province, but it is not likely that theyfind Kubota-branded combine harvesters inexpensive.
Nevertheless, they can afford several units because they
consider the harvesting service business a good“investment.” Taking note of the steady cash flow
generated by combine harvesters, financial institutions
are willing to extend loans. Farmers then use such funds
to begin harvesting services and recoup theirinvestments over a short period to purchase a second
machine. It is in this investment cycle that Kubota’s
combine harvesters, despite their high price tags, arebecoming widely used, and the market is expanding. In
other words, one of the tools of a market economy, i.e.,
investment, serves as an engine to propel agricultural
mechanization forward in the Mekong Delta region.
Our next stop brings us to the site of a demonstration,
which, according to Mr. Tan Hai, is a “major opportunity
to boost sales.” Despite the intense sunlight, more than
200 people gather to attentively watch combine
harvesters and tractors in action. After many interviews,

we find that they all share a sincere desire to leavebehind the “hardships of rice farming” and achieve theaffluent lifestyle that harvesting services might bringabout. This “ardent expectation for the harvesting
business” on the part of farmers is certainly one of thereasons why Kubota concluded that the Mekong Delta
was on the “eve of mechanization.” The hard fact is,however, that the majority of farmhouses have nothing to
do with this fever for mechanization. On the other hand,
there are not a few cases of minorities being hired as
time-limited wage labor (Vietnam is a multiethnic
country). Looking at things from a different angle, one
begins to see a complicated structure of farming
business in the region, which defies the simple
stereotype of income disparities between the haves andhave-nots. Between the shortage of labor that isworsening as the country becomes increasingly urban
and industrialized and the government’s request to ramp
up rice production, mechanization in the Mekong Delta
will only be accelerated. But what will be the outcome?
The socialist-oriented market economy that this country
has so eagerly pushed forward since the inception of Doi
Moi is beginning to dramatically alter the internallandscape of farming villages in the Mekong Delta.

“Thanks to the low loss rate of Kubota’s combine harvesters, I have had a greaternumber of orders for my harvesting service, which greatly improved my livelihood.
I hope to do more harvesting service jobs in the future.”

1617

1617

Chapter 1 [Food]

The Bountiful Mekong Delta

Some scholars even indicate that they have alreadyreached the limit of their land productivity improvement.
Will the Mekong Delta continue to bring forth asustainable bounty? Also, higher rice prices do notnecessarily increase the level of farmers’ income, withthe exception of a few wealthy farmers. To make up forsuch low income, an increasing number of farmers aretaking up wage labor as a side business. Furthermore,as the country becomes increasingly industrial andurbanized and access to information is facilitated,people, especially young people, are pouring into urban
districts in the pursuit of affluence. The declining
farming population can impoverish farming villages, andMission: Revive the Mekong Delta
Working to Sustain Bumper Crops
In contrast to Japan’s aging population and declining
birthrate, Vietnam’s population is exploding by morethan one million people each year, and is expected to
top 100 million by 2020 (86.02 million in 2009). As
such, the necessity of raising rice output stands as amajor policy issue for meeting domestic demands. It
was this emphasis on maintaining the supply of rice –the country’s staple food – that led the Vietnamese
government in 2007 to establish quotas on its rice
exports (These quotas were later abolished in 2009 due
to strong opposition from exporters.). The export
restrictions by Vietnam, the world’s second largest rice
exporting country after Thailand, resulted in a tighter
supply in the global rice market and higher international

1819

even now the disparities between urban and rural areas
are continuing to widen. For the Mekong Delta to remain
truly bountiful, it would be necessary to search for a
new approach. Revival of the Mekong Delta – this istruly an urgent issue that must be addressed.
Crossing a large suspension bridge in My Tho, one of the
major cities in the Mekong Delta region, we are afforded
a sweeping view of the boundless expanses of cloudy
brown waters making up the Mekong River. Clouds float
in the blue sky and, as if stretching on into the very sky
itself, the Mekong River flows wordlessly and quietly
ever onward.

prices, and were considered to be one of the causes of
the global food crisis at that time. In other words,
Vietnam’s rice policy wields significant influence over
the world’s food situation. After the global food crisis,
Vietnam successfully increased its rice production andexports, but there is no guarantee that this will continue
forever. The true concern, however, is whether or not thepresent rice farming cycle is truly sustainable. In areas
where triple cropping is widespread, there is not muchtime for paddy fields and waterways to dry up evenduring the dry season. Aside from some drainage, thewater within the banks remains largely unchanged andstays in the reservoir indefinitely. Furthermore fertilizers
are applied intensively and a large quantity ofagricultural chemicals are used. In addition to thedeteriorating water quality, the ground has grown sterileand soil quality has become vastly degraded as a resultof thorough exploitation of the land via triple cropping.

1819

Chapter 1 [Food]

ColumnUnique Food Culture Nurtured by the Mekong River
Food culture is an integral part of ethnicity. Closely involved in every aspect ofan ethnic group’s lifestyle, including social and economic aspects, beliefs, aswell as daily life, food culture determines what makes up a particular ethnicity. In
this section, we will examine the food culture of Vietnam with a focus on the
Mekong Delta region in order to draw closer to the people’s spiritual foundation(Since Vietnam is a multiethnic country, a “Vietnamese race” as such does notexist.). Because of the nation’s historical background, in which Chinese influence
existed from ancient times, Vietnamese cuisine is strongly influenced by Chinese
food. There is also the presence of France’s culinary culture, as the country wasonce under French colonial rule. This artful mixture of two of the world’s best
cuisines has given birth to an original food culture unique to Vietnam.

Food

Indica rice formaking noodles

Fresh vegetables of various colors displayedfor sale at a market in My Tho

Hu tieu, a local specialty of
My Tho in the Mekong Delta

Legacies of the French Colonial Period – Food
Culture and Perfecting the “Balance” of Flavor
One cannot discuss Vietnam’s food culture without mentioning
the culinary influence of France, its former suzerain state.
However, this does not mean that French cuisine had a direct
impact on Vietnamese cuisine. Rather, like a parting gift the
French left behind their customs of eating French baguettes anddrinking coffee. Often sold at street stalls are “banh mi,” or atype of sandwich made with a baguette. Fillings include sausage,ham, herbs, and vegetables pickled with sweetened vinegar. The
savory coffee of Vietnam – proudly the world’s second largest
coffee bean producer after Brazil – is never perfect without
condensed milk. Their coffee is served in cups that contain agenerous portion of condensed milk at the bottom, onto which
the coffee is then poured. Mixing the condensed milk and thecoffee naturally makes a very sweet drink. On the subject ofbeverages, liquor is also an indispensable and essential part ofany culinary culture. As might be expected, the alcoholic
beverage enjoyed by farmers of the Mekong Delta region after ahard day’s work is closely linked to “rice.” Known as “rice sprit”
or “rice vodka,” it is a strong liquor with around 40% alcohol
created by fermenting and distilling rice.
Let us now take a look at Vietnamese restaurants. Upon being

seated, one may be surprised by the many small plates ofseasoning that are brought to the table even before the first dishis served: Vietnamese soy sauce, nuoc mam, chili sauce, tuong(bean sauce), salt and pepper, lime, yang (dressing made bymixing vinegar and oil), and sliced red peppers. The table is
crowded with small plates containing all of these ingredients.
Vietnamese dishes are basically mild in flavor, but what makes
the cuisine unique is the way that those dining add seasonings totheir own preferred taste. And the way that the Vietnamese eat is
no less unique. Plates are not used for individual servings, andinstead pieces from particular dishes flavored with a favorite
seasoning are placed like toppings in a bowl full of rice and eaten
from there. After the toppings are gone, the rice that has
absorbed flavor from the various foods is enjoyed. When only asmall amount of rice is left, the diner finishes the meal by pouring
soup into the bowl and washing the rice down with it. As the rice,
toppings, and soup are blended together to create a harmonious
combination, an exquisite balance of flavor is achieved. People indifferent regions prefer different balances. People in the south –home of the Mekong Delta – prefer extremely sweet flavors. It is
no surprise then that dishes from the Mekong Delta region are
sweet and heavily seasoned. The author noticed their strong
preference for sweet flavors when ordering a coke at a general
shop in a Mekong Delta farming village. The glass served with thebottle was filled with ice that had been dusted with plenty ofsugar.

Vietnam

Culinary Variations of Rice and “Nuoc Mam”
Born of the Combination of “Rice and Fish”
Like Japan, people in Vietnam live primarily on a diet of rice.
However, what rice means to them is very different from what
the Japanese think about this staple food. It is not merely theirprincipal diet; figuratively speaking, it might be more
appropriate to say that the “flesh and blood of Vietnamese
people is made from rice.” For the Vietnamese, rice is deeply
ingrained into their culinary lifestyle. For instance, according
to statistics compiled by the United Nations Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO), some 60% of the calories theyburn come from rice, which is 2.7 times higher than that of
the Japanese. Both nations are supposed to live on rice, but
rice intake is remarkably different between the two. As in
Japan, people in Vietnam consume boiled rice, but they also
cook in many different ways. One such rice dish also popularin Japan is pho rice noodle soup. Originating in the northern
capital of Hanoi, pho noodles are usually eaten fresh. Its
southern equivalent is hu tieu, which is one of the mostpopular rice noodles in the Mekong Delta region. The key pointof difference from pho is that it is semi-dried, not fresh, which
gives it a unique body that pho lacks. Its soup is lightly
seasoned, but much sweeter than pho regardless of therestaurant it is found in. Hu tieu is often served in a bowl with2021

chicken, pork, and shrimp, and topped with herbs. Before
eating, chili pepper and lime are used to season the flavor of
the soup. Rice paper is another rice-based foodstuff that is ahallmark of Vietnam. The spring roll is one of the popular
Vietnamese dishes to use rice paper in Japan, but in reality it
is not consumed so often in Vietnam. The most popular way ofenjoying rice paper is by using it to roll meat or fish together
with herbs.
Also representing Vietnam’s food culture along with rice is nuoc
mam, a salty fish sauce with a distinctive scent. “Mam” refers
to fermented fish or shrimp preserved with salt, and thesupernatant fluid skimmed from the well-fermented ingredientsis nuoc mam, which is used as a seasoning. The birth of nuoc
mam is related to rice farming. Since paddies’ water is takenfrom a river, they contain many fish. When the harvestingseason arrives, the water is drained, which makes it possible tocatch a great number of fish, so the technique of pickling themwith salt for preservation (fermentation) has been developed. A
variety of fish make their way into the paddy fields when they
are covered with water during the rainy season, thus bringing
about a great variety of fermented foods, and it is believed thatthese led to the invention of nuoc mam (nuoc mam as it is
known today is the supernatant fluid derived from small fish [atype of sardine] salted for fermentation). It seems that “rice andfish” is truly an inseparable culinary combination.

Made from glutinous rice,
Vietnamese distilled liquor is a
spirit with 30-45% alcohol.

Hu tieu noodle-making factory.
Semi-dried rice paper ismachine-cut into noodles.

Abundant catches from the
Mekong River are also dried for sale.

Strong coffee is poured into a cup
containing plenty of condensed milk.

2021

Chapter 1 [Food]

Chapter 2 [Water]

ColumnUnique Food Culture Nurtured by the Mekong River

The Chain of People, Rice, Pork, and Water Spinach
Reverence toward the Mekong River’s Bounties
Vietnam has been bestowed with an abundance of livestock,seafood, and vegetables, which are prepared using manydifferent culinary methods. It is not necessary to visit a
restaurant to discover a rich variety of tasty dishes; simply takea stroll around the local market and street stalls. Without going
into too much detail – after all, this is not a guide toVietnamese cuisine – the cooking of ordinary families in the
country will be briefly mentioned. Perhaps pho and spring rolls
are the two Vietnamese dishes most popular outside of thecountry, but neither of them is served in the home. Pho isusually eaten at a food stall for breakfast before going to work,
while spring rolls are eaten rather infrequently. One might thenask, “So what is the typical home cooking in Vietnam?” Well,
according to one of the author’s Vietnamese acquaintances,
stewed pork cubes, water spinach, and porridges are mostcommon. The recipe for stewed pork is very similar to that ofits counterparts in China and Japan, and is characterized by the
thick, sweetened flavor typical of southern Vietnam. Native toSoutheast Asia, water spinach is one of the most commonlyused vegetables in Vietnam. Often eaten stir-fried with garlic, it
is quite a delicious ingredient. In every Vietnamese household,rice, pork, and water spinach have long been key ingredients intheir meals. That same Vietnamese acquaintance, who spent
his childhood in a farming house in the Mekong Delta, said thatraising pigs at home was a matter of course. Now people givepigs special feed, but in those days leftover rice and noodles
were given to the animals for food. Water spinach, which grows
everywhere and is thus easily available, was the pigs’ favorite
food. To put it simply, people and pigs live together on thesame food, and people consume the meat from the pigs. As
one might expect, this chain-like cycle of people, pigs, rice, andwater spinach has had no small influence on the spiritual
foundation of Vietnam’s people, as well as its food culture.
Another common example of home cooking, porridge is alsoheavily involved with pork. One particular variety of porridge
called chao long is made by boiling pig internal organs withrice. It is not only delicious, but also a dish that expresses
gratitude toward life by “consuming every last part of the pig.”
Whether consciously or otherwise, the Vietnamese havepartaken of the bounties of the Mekong River, such as rice, witha sense of genuine gratitude from bottom of their hearts.
Perhaps it was in this setting that their often-noted diligent andhonest character was nurtured, along with the unyielding
mindset that has helped them to overcome a history ofhardships.

Food
Vietnam

Water spinach at a market in My Tho.
As the meaning of its Chinese name(empty core greens) suggests, its stem is hollow.

Reviving Chaohu Lake,a Wellspring of Life

Environmentally friendly water circulation projectin the vicinity of Hefei in China’s Anhui Province

The 21st century has been referred to as the century of water – thisappellation refers to the increasingly limited supply of water on a
global scale, which is arising from the population explosion, rapid
economic growth and urbanization, water pollution, and global
warming. As issues revolving around water resources draw
international attention, water-related issues are also emerging in
China. As China’s population steadily increases, its water resources
Beijingare becoming scarce while water pollution worsens throughout thenation. The serious water shortage in China stems primarily from
Hefei, Anhui Province
declining water quality due to contamination, in addition to the
Shanghaiabsolute shortage and geographical/seasonal misdistribution ofwater. To address these matters, the Chinese Government provided
the necessary legislation and in 2002 opened its water supply andsewerage works operations to private businesses in the country and also to overseas businesses, which prompted one
Western “water major” after another to come to China, thus creating a large and vibrant market fuelled by the remarkable
growth of the country’s economy. Some statistics show that as many as 2,000 sewage treatment plants were built (orstarted construction) within a span of only seven years. Nevertheless, the quality of water along the country’s major basin
areas is slow to improve. It was against this backdrop that Kubota participated in an environmentally friendly water
circulation project in the rural vicinity of Hefei in Anhui Province. Reported here are the present situation and challenges ofthis ongoing project, which we hope will provide inspiration for the “future of water” in China.

At a farmhouse in the vicinity of Ho Chi Minh City, water spinach flowers bloom
in profusion and pigs are kept at the corner of the house.

2223

2223

Chapter 2 [Water]

Reviving Chaohu Lake, a Wellspring of Life

However, water from many of the country’s seven water
systems including the Yangtze and Huang He Rivers –major sources of water for drinking, agriculture, andindustrial use – are still unfit for human consumption,although some improvements have been made in recent
years. Among China’s rivers and lakes, the three mostpolluted rivers are the Huaihe, Haihe, and Liaohe Rivers,
and the three most polluted lakes are Chaohu, Taihu, andDianchi Lakes. They have all come to symbolize China’s
water pollution, but what is it that prevents the water
quality in the three rivers and three lakes from improving?

“Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution” –the Main Source of Water Contaminationin Rivers, Lakes, and Marshes
The world faces an imminent and serious water shortage
on a global scale, but the situation is becoming especiallysevere in China. According to data compiled by the Water
Resources Department of the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (Water
Resources in Japan, 2009), the total volume of annualinternal renewable water resources in China is 2,830
billion m3 (the 6th greatest in the world), but China’s
average per capita volume is 2,130 m3, only a quarter ofthe global average of 8,372 m3, thus making China one of
the countries with the least water availability in the world.
In China, distribution of water resources is extremely
uneven: the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai
Province boast an overwhelmingly large volume of water
resources, whereas elsewhere the volume of average percapita internal renewable water resources is far below the
global average. On top of the absolute shortage andmisdistribution of water resources, water pollution andother human factors can often be found at the root ofChina’s water problems. The single biggest factor
contributing to the aggravation of water pollution in the
country is the increasing emissions of industrial effluent
and household sewage as the country undergoes
economic development. Of course, the Chinese
Government has not just been sitting idly by, but has
undertaken a series of programs designed to improvewater quality, which proved to be reasonably successful
in combating the effects of industrial effluent. Sewage
treatment has advanced in urban districts, with the
diffusion rate of sewage treatment plants topping 70%.

Actually, it has become nearly certain that agricultural
nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is a major cause of thesituation. As one might guess from the term itself, itentails a situation in which sources of environmental
pollution in farming areas spread over a wide area. One
need only glance at the percentages of the total volumesof contaminants in the country represented bycontaminants of agricultural origin to realize how serious
NPS pollution is. Agricultural sources are responsible for43.7% of the total COD (chemical oxygen demand)
discharge, which is one of the most frequently usedindicators of water pollution, 57.2% of the total nitrogen
discharge, and 67.4% of the total phosphorous discharge(China’s Bulletin on the First National Census on Pollution
Sources, February 2010). The nitrogen and phosphorous
discharges, in particular, are the largest causes of
eutrophic lakes and marshes. Located in areas
surrounding cities, farming villages are home to all kindsof water pollution sources, such as domestic wastewater(raw sewage and miscellaneous drainage), livestock
wastewater (animal excrement), and food processing
wastewater (waste from slaughterhouses), in addition to

Hefei also boasts the site of a famous ancient
battle during the Three Kingdoms Period.
– At Three Kingdoms New City ParkAn ancient city withover 2,000 years of history,
Hefei has transformed itself
into a modern city.

huge quantities of domestic waste, which are either left
as they are or sent to landfill. Nevertheless, the level ofwaste treatment is quite low. In rural areas, thepercentage of sewage treatment is less than 20%, foodwaste is left untreated, and the majority of domestic
wastewater and livestock excrement is either subjected tosimple treatment or discharged into rivers, etc. without
being treated. Such being the case, China cannot hope topurify its water without eliminating the causes ofpollution, and so fundamental and drastic solutions arebeing sought. There are no few districts, mainly in theareas near the “three rivers and lakes,” that share such
water problems, and among them we visited Hefei in
Anhui Province, which neighbors one of the “three lakes,”
Chaohu Lake, and plays host to a project that Kubota has
participated in.

Sino-Japan Bilateral Collaboration Takes Off
Toward a Win-Win RelationshipAt the Wang Xiao Ying Wastewater Treatment Plant(the largest in Hefei), 300,000 tons of wastewater is treated every day.

Industrial/domestic wastewater effluence in China(100 million tons)
600
500

Domestic wastewaterIndustrial wastewater

400
300
200
100
0

’99

’00

’01

’02

’03

’04

’05

’06

’07

Source: Data compiled from the Bulletin on National Environmental Statistics,
Sino-Japan Friendship Centre for Environmental Protection

2425

’08

About a 90-minute flight south from Beijing, Anhui
Province is located around the central portion of the
Yangtze River in East China. Located almost at the exact
center of the province is Hefei, its capital city with apopulation of nearly 5 million (China’s administrative
divisions are on the provincial, municipal, prefectural,county, township, and village levels. Those at the level ofprefecture or lower around urban districts are defined asrural areas.). Hefei is the regional center of politics,
economy, and culture. Although it is just another local
city, this provincial capital is able to provide a firsthandglimpse of present-day China, which is undergoing rapid
economic development. Perhaps most symbolic of thisHefei

economic development is the feverish boom in
construction of housing complexes and other high-rises.
One can easily find skyscrapers under construction nearly
everywhere in the city. We visited the city in late January,
and with the Chinese (Lunar) New Year’s Day close athand, the streets were bustling with people getting readyto ring in the New Year.
Before going into the details of the project, we will
provide a quick overview of its background. The project
originated when the Japan-China Economic Association*1
was commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade andIndustry of Japan to undertake a fiscal 2008 project for
reinforcement of industrial infrastructures in Asia (asurvey on cooperation that contributes to thedevelopment of China’s water investment environment).
This project had been induced by a question raised by
the Anhui Provincial People’s Government Development
Research Center, a policy recommendation think tankunder the direct management of the provincial
government. One of the nation’s three most polluted
lakes, Chaohu Lake in Anhui province, was designated by
the national government as a priority improvement
district, and anti-pollution programs were implemented
accordingly. However, they had yet to produce any
sustainable and effective results, even though its water
quality was temporarily purified. This was due to thefailure to take drastic actions against water contamination
derived from NPS pollution, which originated in areas
scattered along the Chaohu Lake basin and around Hefei.
The Anhui Provincial People’s Government Development
Research Center then came up with a solution: by
purifying the waters (NPS polluted areas) pouring into
Chaohu Lake, they believed that they could improve its

2425

Chapter 2 [Water]

Reviving Chaohu Lake, a Wellspring of Life

October 2010. According to the Plan, the country will
begin intensive construction of small-scale effluent
treatment facilities in rural areas throughout China during
the five-year period. It is thus expected that the outcomeof this project will serve as a model for China to develop
future standards and guidelines concerning thedevelopment of sewage treatment plants in rural areas,among others.

water. This idea then gave birth to a scheme whereby
pollution is reduced while generating energy byintroducing and spreading a system that uses
contaminants to generate and utilize methane. Based on
this plan, the Japan-China Economic Association soughtcooperation from Kubota and other Japanese companies
to further solidify such discussions. When the project was
adopted as an invitation project by the New Energy andIndustrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO),
the project took off. One of the people responsible for thescheme, Deputy Director Dai Peikun of the Anhui
Provincial People’s Government Development ResearchCenter defined the significance of the project as follows.

*1 Japan-China Economic Association
A special incorporated foundation established in 1972 under thejurisdiction of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. With
support from the Japanese government and economic and industrial
sectors of the country, the association has been involved in projects
designed to promote economic and technical exchanges between
Japan and China for many years.

“First of all, what we are doing is implementing
environmental protection through collaboration andcooperation between Japan, a fully-fledged economic
power, and China, a country in the middle of its economic
development. This is one kind of international exchange
between our two countries. Secondly, this project allows
Japanese companies to expand their market, and at thesame time China can also introduce technology, thereby
creating an international win-win situation. Thirdly, theproject is perfectly aligned with China’s reform anddoor-opening policies. We hope to make this project a
success as one of China’s pioneering efforts.”

Eutrophication due to water pollution and breakouts of blue-green algae –The safety of drinking water from lakes is questioned throughout China.

Improving the Rural Environment“MBR” and “Methane Fermentation”
The entire purpose of this project is to comprehensively
and efficiently treat the water pollution resources that arecharacteristic of rural areas, which were usually treatedindividually, and to create an environmental management
system that may be sustained long-term by providing the

The project is also conducted in accordance with thedirections laid out in the 12th Five-Year Plan (the major
goals for economic and social
development for the upcoming five
years presented as a national strategy),which was adopted at the plenary
Guanting Town Area +a New Farming Village
session of the Central Committee of theCommunist Party of China held in

Neighboring
industrial park
Industrial use
Landscaping irrigation
Aerobic treatment
AO + MBR
Domestic
wastewater

Treated water
Greywater

Dai Peikun, Deputy Director,
Anhui Provincial People’s Government
Development Research Center

Low-concentration
wastewater
Septic tanksludgeLivestock + food processing(slaughterhouse, etc.)

ExcesssludgeIrrigation
Filtrate

Nitrogen,phosphorous
Collection

High-concentration
organic effluent

Returned to farmlands

Digested
LiquidCNG vehicle
sludge ⇒ fertilizer
MethaneBiogasfermentation system(employing a submerged
Refining
membrane unit)
compressed
Food waste from business activities in Guanting Town
natural gas+ Food waste from households in a New Farming Village(CNG)
Motor fuelConcept image of the model project in Hefei, Anhui Province

2627

The water quality of Chaohu Lake is continuously measured
at the Water Quality Monitoring Center, which is connected
online with the China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.

local community with greywater, biogas, fluid fertilizers,
and other byproducts that may be created, for a fee. Let
us take a look at the process. Domestic wastewater(low-concentration wastewater) is first treated by amembrane bioreactor (MBR). Kubota’s submerged
membranes are often used in MBRs at water treatment
facilities in Japan, Western countries, and other parts of
the world, and are highly reputed for the stable quality of
their treated water. A major advantage of the MBR is its
compact size compared to conventional water treatment
facilities, and its ability to produce processed water thatcan be recycled for use as industrial greywater. To treat
sludge discharged by MBRs and livestock excrement, amethane fermentation technique is introduced. The project
also aims to collect food waste from restaurants and otherlocations in rural areas that serve as a source of major
environmental issues. Collected food waste is treated by amethan fermentation system employing a submerged
membrane unit (KUBOTA Anaerobic MBR), and biogas
from the fermentation process is efficiently collected in astable manner. Byproducts generated from the treatment
process are put to efficient use: treated water discharged
by the MBR (greywater) is recycled for use as industrial
water, irrigation water, and water for landscaping. Biogas
generated during methane fermentation is used for motor
fuel, and digested liquid discharged after the membrane
methane fermentation process is returned to farmlands as
fluid fertilizer, since it contains an abundance of fertilizing
components such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
By establishing this “water-saving, environmentallyfriendly water circulation system” at different locations

Zhao Shunsuo, Chief Engineer, Hefei Municipal
Environmental Protection Bureau

along the priority basin areas in a geographically optimal
manner, China eventually hopes to control the dischargeof agricultural nitrogen, phosphorus, and other chemicals
into water systems in the areas surrounding metropolitan
cities, thereby improving the water quality of rivers andlakes along the basins and ensuring sources of safe waterin each community. The de facto leader of the project on
the Chinese side and Chief Engineer of the Hefei
Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, Zhao
Shunsuo is originally from Hefei.
“As a child, I grew up drinking water from Chaohu Lakeand swimming in its waters. For me, the beautiful sight of
Chaohu Lake is an archetypal image of my hometown,
and it is also a wellspring of life. So for me, improving thequality of its water is like a personal mission. This project
entails various issues, but I am sure that it will be a great
success if we share a common awareness of the
problems to discover solutions to them through closer
communication with Kubota.”
While Mr. Zhao is very enthusiastic, unfortunately it will
not be so easy to uncover solutions to the various issues
that he pointed out regarding this project. One such issue
is how to collect domestic waste and livestock excrement,
which are currently used for land reclamation, left as they
are, or dumped. Who will collect them, and how? Who will
be responsible for the collection costs? In other words, itwill be necessary to develop from scratch a social systemfor collection, implement a fee-based system, and solicit
the understanding and agreement of farmers and others
concerned. Another major obstacle is the disposal of fluid

2627

Chapter 2 [Water]

Reviving Chaohu Lake, a Wellspring of Life
Plant site in the Guanting Industrial Park, Feixi County,
Hefei City. Here, black water from the central Guanting area
populated by 20,000 people will be treated.
Domestic wastewater from the neighboring New Farming Village(population: 6,000) will be also sent here.
An old street in Sanhe (Three Rivers)Ancient Town, so called because three rivers
that pour into Chaohu Lake(the Fengle, Hangbu, and Xiaonan Rivers)
run near the town

■Hefei City and Chaohu Lake

Yasushi Terao, General Manager,
Overseas Project Management
Department, Water & Envionmental
Systems Consolidated Division

20km

0
0

20mi

Hefei City
Treated water is recycled as greywater at
an industrial complex for migrant farmers
that neighbors the plant to the south

Guanting

Chaohu City
Laoshan Island

Sanhe Town

Chaohu Lake

Atsushi Tanigawa, Anaerobic MBR Team,
Overseas Project Management
Department, Water & Environmental
Systems Consolidated Division

fertilizer, a byproduct of the treatment process. To begin
with, farmers are not inclined to use fertilizers generated
from polluted water, and so it is highly doubtful that theywould be willing to purchase such fertilizers for a price.
As a solution, the project team is considering such
options as temporarily distributing the fertilizers for freein order to promote understanding among farmers.
Nevertheless, there are no few matters that need to beaddressed, including pricing and transportation costs.
“We are currently working on this project, charged withthe mission of assisting China in its efforts to conserve
the environment and at the same time expanding ourenvironmental business there. We have a system that is
highly recognized, but when it comes to how we can get
the system going (namely, collecting wastes, charging
fees, and conducting sales), it will be necessary tocoordinate various issues among the parties concerned,
including farmers and businesses. This will require us toshare a common understanding with a broad range of
people there that we will make good business sense outof this project, and we hope to create a new businessmodel along the way. This project is a critical test for
Kubota’s environmental business in China. We aredetermined to make it a success so that we can makedynamic inroads into the gigantic market in China.”(Yasushi Terao, General Manager, Overseas ProjectManagement Department, Water & Environmental
Systems Consolidated Division)

2829“Lateral Expansion” of the Project
Kicked Off as Demonstration Facility
Goes Into Operation
Because the project is funded by NEDO, it is subject to“Stage Gate” reviews by that organization for eachphase. The requirements of each review must be
fulfilled for the project to continue. After its official
adoption, the project was launched in June 2009. In
Phase I, detailed studies were made of the local needs
and systems based on field surveys in order to select asite for the project, and simplified design was conducted
for a water-saving, environmentally friendly water
circulation system. At the same time, counter partners
at local governments were chosen and the feasibility ofthe project was studied. Upon NEDO’s approval of these
programs in Phase I, the project moved on to Phase II in
April 2010 to create a detailed design of the system to
be built on the site that was selected during Phase I. If
Phase II is successfully completed (review scheduled forlate March 2011), construction and then operation of
the project’s demonstration facility will commence.
“It must be noted that this plant, which will be
constructed and operated following approval at NEDO’s
review, is for demonstration purposes. As we manage
the plant, we are planning to spend about two years in
the verification process, which will include collection ofnecessary data, performance verification, and quality

assurance. It is, so to speak, a pilot program. After thecompletion of that process, we will then be able toproceed to contractual negotiations, installation of theactual system, and commercial operation. However, we
do not intend to spend these two years only on
demonstrations. During the demonstration phase, it will
be necessary to impress the Hefei municipal
government for conclusion of the contract, but at thesame time we will give demonstrations for other districts
as well.” (Atsushi Tanigawa, Anaerobic MBR Team,
Overseas Project Management Department, Water &Environmental Systems Consolidated Division)More specifically, Kubota hopes to leverage this projectfor “lateral expansion” of its environmentally friendly
water circulation system beyond the vicinity of the
project site to reach the entire land of China bycustomizing the system according to the specific needsof host communities. Herein lies a huge amount ofbusiness opportunities, both potential and apparent, but
the existence of Japanese competitors as well as “water
majors” from the West makes the competition extremely
intense. For Kubota to successfully compete, we are
required to build a highly competitive plant with superior
functionality and quality, and to “demonstrate andpromote its expansive sustainability as a business”(Yasushi Terao).

Guanting Town – Demonstration Facility and Plant Site
Government-led Construction of a “New Farming Village”
The site for the demonstration facility and plant is
Guanting Town in Feixi County, which is about one
hour’s drive from the center of Hefei City. The location
was deliberately chosen because domestic wastewater,
livestock excreta, food waste, and waste fromrestaurants can all be collected from within a radius of
10 km. The Guanting Town center is populated by about
20,000 people, with roughly 6,000 residents living in
nearby Fengzhuang/Mahewan New Village, and there aresome 100 restaurants in the vicinity. A dairy cow
pasture, pig farm, and slaughterhouse also exist within aradius of 10 km. We visited the cow pasture andslaughterhouse, but were unable to observe how
livestock waste and blood from slaughtering are treated.
It was explained that part of the cow excrement is used
for methane fermentation, but much of it is left on the
ground without any treatment and only some is diverted
into fertilizing manure.
Officials of the Guanting Town People’s Government
then took us to a “New Farming Village.” However, it
should not be thought of it as a farming village full of
pastoral scenery. It is one of the “New Farming Villages”
whose development the Chinese Government is driving
as a key policy. With the goal of correcting differentials

2829

Chapter 2 [Water]

Reviving Chaohu Lake, a Wellspring of Lifebetween urban and rural areas, this policy initiative
involves an attempt to create “new” farming villages bypouring more resources into the development of
infrastructures there, so as to ease the burden of
farmers, diffuse compulsory education, and improve theenvironment in such villages. Behind all of this are the“Three Rural Issues,” which stand as major challenges
for the Chinese Government. Specifically, they address
farming modernization, social infrastructuredevelopment in rural areas, and eradication of poverty
among the farming population. “New Farming Villages”
are the government’s trump card against these looming
concerns in modern China, and they are rushing toconstruct such settlements throughout the country. Herein Guanting, a residential zone has been developed
complete with modern housing and infrastructures,
which are made available to 6,000 people comprising1,600 households from two villages, who had previously
lived spread out across 1,300 ha of land. Now the
populace lives together in this “New Farming Village.” Ata glance, it looks very much like one of Japan’s “newtown” housing complexes, although the sight ofspacious fields behind the row of apartment buildings

indicates that this is a farming village. We did not have achance to see the interior of those units, but we wereagain informed that a comfortable living environment isoffered, fully equipped with electronics andinfrastructures including water supply and sewerage.

Scenic Laoshan Island on the lakeRows of high-rise condominiums in the new area

On the lakeshore, fish are dried and beside it fresh catches fromthe lake are sold on the street. With whitebait, shrimp, andcrabs from Chaohu Lake referred to as the “Three Treasures,”the bounties of the lake have enhanced the lifestyle of people
living nearby.

The success or failure of this policy measure toconstruct New Farming Villages is said to be one of thekeys to predicting the future of China’s political system.
There are no few people who say that many of the issues
that the country is now faced with would be resolved if
its farming population of 800 million people could
benefit from this construction project and be (evenslightly) better off. Nevertheless, there are still many
more hurdles to cross before one of the basic policies of
the Chinese Communist Party’s New Farming Village
Construction Plan becomes reality as a goal for these
New Farming Villages, i.e., “by advancing
democratization of the farming population, protecting
villagers’ rights, and expanding autonomy, farmers willplay the lead role in rural areas.”

Sorrowful Chaohu Lake, the Neo-Futuristic
Landscape of a “New Area”
Housing complexes in Fengzhuang/Mahewan New Farming Village.
They would be difficult to recognize as farmers’ residences without
the sight of agricultural machines on the street.

It was explained that a portion ofDrainage from slaughterhouses currently
livestock excrement from a dairy cow
discharged into streams will be treated at
pasture is used as fertilizer on farmlands. the new plant.

Women doing laundry in a pond.
Washing clothes while beating themmight be the best thing for clothing
dirtied during farm labor...

3031

Against a biting cold wind we made our way toward
Chaohu Lake, which has come to be a kind of symbol ofwater pollution in Hefei City. Located along the Yangtze
and extending across the three cities of Hefei, Chaohu,
and Lu’an in the central part of Anhui Province, Chaohu
Lake is the fifth largest freshwater lake in China, with asurface area of 778 km2 (approximately 1.2 times larger
than Lake Biwa, Japan’s biggest). Approximately fivemillion people live near the lake, and its water is used
for irrigation, drinking, fishing, and transportation.
Blessed with abundant sources of water, the populatedarea around Chaohu Lake has long been known as a“town of fish and rice.” The lakeside area is a popular
tourist destination during the summer. Stores sellinglake products and private home lodgings were lined upby the lake, which is reminiscent of a rustic fishing town
in Japan, and we also saw a small market sellingcatches from the lake. Under the cloudy winter sky,
Chaohu Lake may at a glance appear to be simply a vast
expanse of water, but according to explanations its
surface turns an unpleasant green hue between April
and September every year, as a massive proliferation of
blue-green algae peaks in June (In recent years,
however, the occurrence of blue-green algae is on the

decline as the national government has implemented
measures to purify lake waters and built sewage
treatment plants in metropolitan areas.). The primaryreason for the occurrence of blue-green algae iseutrophication caused by pollution sources from rural
areas. Effluence from all types of pollution sources,
including domestic wastewater, waste from stock farms
and food processors, and a large quantity of domestic
garbage, agricultural chemicals, and chemical fertilizers,
are pouring into Chaohu Lake via nearby rivers. AlthoughHefei City no longer draws drinking water from the lake,
Chaohu City at the east end of the body of water stilluses it for consumption. Further aggravation of water
quality can make it literally undrinkable, and it has also
been reported that fish catches are decreasing due tothe declining quality of water. We rent a motorboat tosail to Laoshan Island, famous as a picturesque location
situated in the middle of the lake. From the top of theisland, we took in the view of the lake as it ripples in thechill wind. Perhaps it was an effect of the cloudy sky,
but the lake seemed to have taken on a somehow
sorrowful appearance.
Around Chaohu Lake one can see various scenery
scattered about that would remind most Japanesepeople of old-fashioned farming villages. Hidden
beneath this tranquil landscape, however, are thecauses of agricultural NPS pollution, a thought which is3031

Chapter 2 [Water]

Chapter 3 [Environment]

Reviving Chaohu Lake, a Wellspring of Life

somewhat frustrating but also forces one to realize thecomplexity of the problem. However, such sentimentality
is soon banished. Located in Hefei City, the Binhu New
Area faces the northwestern shore of Chaohu Lake. As
the term would suggest, “New Areas” are newly createdneighborhoods that are being developed one after
another in local cities in China. In a sense, the Binhu
New Area could be described briefly as a neo-futuristic
residential area, and along the grid-like network of wide
arterial roads is a seemingly endless row of elegant
high-rise condominiums. Construction of thoseskyscrapers began several years ago, and as of now
housing for 7,000 households has been built. One could
even say that this is the epitome of the ever-soaring
Chinese economy, but it is a somewhat a strange sightas there are hardly any passers-by. We are told thatmany of the condo units are purchased for investment,
but this certainly mirrors one aspect of China’s “housing
bubble.” New Farming Villages, Chaohu Lake, oldfarming villages, New Areas ... present-day China isvividly depicted in the dizzying gap between them.

Toward Creation of a Recycling Society
Greater Environmental Awareness
Necessary among Farmers
One of China’s biggest policy agendas concerns how tomaintain social stability. This is because China is amultiethnic country, but also results from the fact that,
historically, popular upheavals have broken out toward theend of the dynasties of each period, triggered byeconomic differentials between urban and rural areas. In
other words, no matter how prosperous urban areas may
become, no country can remain unaffected if stability inrural areas is threatened. Amid the rapid economic

Many farmers engage in their daily workin the old villages.

3233

growth in recent years, there have been a great numberof media reports about the widening gap between urban
and rural areas in China. One of the priority policies
designed to narrow this gap involves finding a solution to
the Three Rural Issues I mentioned earlier. Environmental
conservation in rural areas plays a major role inaddressing these issues, and improvement in theenvironment is considered to lead to a higher standard ofliving. In the past, there has been a tendency to apply
environmental regulations in rural areas that are lessstrict than those in urban areas because of the relatively
low economic levels in the countryside. Now that it has
become clear that the sources of pollution of major water
systems lie in rural areas, however, it is expected thatenvironmental regulations in such areas will be tightened.
In order to create a sustainable society or recycling
society, it is clear that each individual farmer needs tohave greater environmental awareness. One must pause
to think here, however. The new area’s neo-futuristic
landscape hovers like a mirage over what was once
farmland. How much awareness of water quality issues
and the environment exists among people living in thoseneighboring villages? At the zenith of its growth, theever-heating Chinese economy seems to be driving its
people to desire affluence, but it is never easy to improvethe environment of rural areas in such a situation.
Nonetheless, enhancement of environmental awarenessamong the people, including farmers, will surely hold the
key if China wishes to work toward achieving a recycling
society from now on. After all, the “future of water” inChina rests on the shoulders of each individual Chinese.
On the way back from Chaohu Lake, I look once more at
the misty lake surface. I could be wrong, but it seemed
to me that two faces were present in the lake’s
expression – representing both sorrow and hope.

Milestone in the Fight against Global Warming
Chubu Sewage Treatment Center, Hamamatsu City
Reducing CO2 emissions by converting the fuel of a sewage sludge incinerator
The 16th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP16) was
held in Cancun, Mexico, from November 29 to December 10,
2010. Like other recent rounds of this annual conference, one of
the key agendas at COP16 was to create a framework that would
replace the Kyoto Protocol, which was agreed upon at COP3 heldin Kyoto in 1997 (effective from 2005) and will see the end of its
commitment period in 2012. The Kyoto Protocol set clear
greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for developed
countries*1 over the five years from 2008 to 2012: 6% for Japan,
7% for the United States (non-signatory), and 8% jointly for theEuropean Union, as compared to 1990 emission levels. Total
emissions in Japan had remained high even after the Kyoto
Protocol went into effect, but began to decrease after peaking at
1,371 million tons in fiscal 2007. In fiscal 2009, total emissions
decreased by 5.7% compared to the previous year to 1,209
million tons (preliminary figure), representing a 4.1% decrease
compared to those of the base year of 1999 and coming within
range of the 6% reduction target.
At the recent COP16, the proposal for a simple extension of the
Kyoto Protocol commitment period to 2013 and beyond gathered
momentum. Japan voiced a strong objection, which can certainly
be considered fair. One is naturally forced to question the viabilityof the current system, wherein the world’s two largest greenhousegas-emitting countries – China and the United States – are notobliged to reduce such emissions. Furthermore, it is not only
developed countries who are the primary sources of greenhousegas emissions, as emerging and developing counties are now
experiencing economic growth. Sure enough, the task of creatinga framework to combat global warming in 2013 or thereafter has
been deferred until COP17, which is scheduled to take place inSouth Africa toward the end of 2011. This begs the question as towhether the world is truly facing up to this urgent problem thatinvolves factors that threaten not only the natural environment,
but the very future of humanity itself. International society has set
for itself the goal of cutting the world’s greenhouse gases in halfby 2050. If Japan is to be an “environmentally advanced country”
in terms of both engineering and awareness, it will be required topersistently pursue negotiations with China, the United States,and emerging and developing countries toward the creation of afair and viable international framework.

Russia5%

Saudi Arabia 1%
South Africa
1%

Others
19%

Japan
4%
Germany
3%
Canada 2%
Britain 2%
Italy 2%Australia 1%

28%

France 1%

Mexico 2%ther countries
with reduction
targets
6%

Iran 2%72%

Korea 2%
India 5%

U.S.
20%
China
21%

CO2 Emissions from Energy Sources (2007)[Shares of Countries with Reduction Targets
under the Kyoto Protocol]
Annual Report on the Environment, the Sound Material-Cycle Society
and the Biodiversity in Japan 2010, Ministry of the Environment

Emissions(100 million tons CO2 eq.)

13

1,282 Mt

1,261 Mt

1,209 Mt
-4.1% to the base year
-5.7% to the previous year

12

11

10

Base Year 2004
(1990 in principle)

2005

2006

2007

2008
2009
(Preliminary figures)Japan’s National Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Japan’s National Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Fiscal Year 2009
(The Preliminary Figures), Ministry of the Environment*1 The Kyoto Protocol’s emission reduction targets cover carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),
perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).

3233

Chapter 3 [Environment]

Milestone in the Fight against Global Warming

a population of more than 800,000 people. Of the manyenvironmental conservation projects that this city has
undertaken so far, one that is drawing considerable
attention is “Operation CO2・CO2 (pronounced kotsu-kotsu
in Japanese, meaning ‘little by little’) Diet,” an action
plan for combating global warming that was launched in2008. The municipal government has a wide range ofbusiness activities, which include not only clerical andreception work but also waste disposal management,water supply and sewage work, and management ofschools, fire stations, hospitals, and the like. This makes
it one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions generated
by a single business operator in the city. The project wasstarted to reduce the CO2 emissions produced by the
local government.

Reducing CO2 by Introducing
High-efficiency, Energy-saving Circulating
Fluidized Bed Incinerators
While countries across the globe are discussing measures
to prevent global warming through international
diplomatic measures such as those represented by the
COPs, a variety of grass-roots initiatives are taking placethroughout the world in pursuit of this common cause.
Japan is no exception, as the bitter experiences of social
problems caused by pollution during its rapid economic
growth period have prompted both the public and private
sectors of the country to take positive approaches toward
solving environmental issues. Addressing the problem ofglobal warming, not only governments and enterprises,
but other groups and organizations as well are making
steady efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. The country’s
local governments, too, are proactively tackling this issue,and Shizuoka Prefecture’s Hamamatsu City is one such
“environmentally advanced” city in Japan.

Administrative facilities

Sand basin/

Aeration tankFirst
sedimentation
basin

Air

Sewage waterFinalsedimentation
basin

Main entrance of the Hamamatsu City
Chubu Sewage Treatment Center

Raw sludge
Gravity type

Excess sludge

Floating type

Treatment flow at the Chubu Sewage Treatment Center

3435

Sludge dewatering
facility

Centrifugal
dehydrator

4,532
5,867
4,783

Medical/healthcare facilities

10,071

Commercial/industrial facilities

3,133

Other facilities

6,558
0

5,000

10,00015,00020,00025,000(1,000 kg)

Annual CO2 Emissions from Energy Consumption in Buildings, etc.
in Hamamatsu City (By facility type, FY2005)
Action Plan of the Hamamatsu Municipal Government to Prevent Global Warming(Phase II)

Chemical tankWith that objective in mind, city officials took note of the
sewage sludge incinerator at its Chubu Sewage Treatment
Center, which was responsible for the largest amount of
CO2 emissions among the facilities managed by the city
(9,356 t/year in FY2005, or 9.2% of the total of all city
facilities). At sewage treatment plants, sewage isseparated into water and sludge, the latter of which isburned up by a sewage sludge incinerator after thecondensation and dewatering processes. The sewage
treatment process at the facility in Hamamatsu – andevery facility of its kind, for that matter – emits a large
amount of CO2 throughout the treatment process. With
the spread of sewage systems, this discharge increased
by some 54% between 1990 and 2006, making
reduction of CO2 discharged from sewage treatment a
policy agenda on the national level. As such, theJapanese government took up reduction of CO2 and othergreenhouse gases through promotion of energy
conservation and introduction of new energy sources for
sewage systems, and included it in the Kyoto Protocol
Target Achievement Plan.

Discharge

Incinerator

Dewateredsludge2,295Social welfare facilities

Return sludge

Sludge thickener
tank

Sludge treatment

10,712

Farming/fishing facilities

MagomeRiver
Excess sludge

10,817

Life-long learning facilities
Gymnasiums

Disinfection
equipment

Sterilizing basin

1,481

School facilities
Community halls

Air

Raw
sludge16,186

Firefighting facilities

Motoi Nasu, Director,
Sewerage Construction Division,
Water Services Department,
Hamamatsu City

Sewage treatment Pump room

21,0009,356

Public cleansing facilities“This project aims to help reduce CO2 emissions
throughout the city by implementing measures to reducegreenhouse gases. In addition, we are encouraging
residents and businesses to take every opportunity to
reduce their CO2 emissions by setting a model for them
to follow.” (Motoi Nasu, Director, Sewerage Construction
Division, Water Services Department, Hamamatsu City)

Overlooking the Sea of Enshu and known for its mild
climate, Hamamatsu is an ordinance-designated city with

Chubu Sewage Treatment Center

4,532

Water supply and sewage facilities

Circulating
fluidized bed
incinerator
Incinerated ash
Recycled
as cementmaterials

The origins of this ambitious project to reduce CO2
emissions at Hamamatsu City’s sewage sludge incinerator
can be traced back to 2005, when Kubota’s circulating
fluidized bed incinerator was introduced. In the early
2000s, a new trend was developing in the sewage sludge
incinerator market − the development and introduction of
circulating fluidized bed incinerators, which feature
improvements over conventional incinerators.
The impetus behind this trend was a change in thenature of raw sludge. Primarily owing to the split-flow

Circulating fluidized bed incinerator (Incinerator No. 2)

treatment of rainwater drainage and domestic wastewaterin recent years, the ratio of organic substances comingfrom inflow sources has increased, thus creating“calorie-rich” wastewater. In addition, the shift from lime
to polymer coagulant as a dewatering aid has tended to
add more calories to dewatered sludge. In response,
demand was high for an incinerator capable of burning
up such sludge with greater speed, using less energy,
and generating less CO2.
The circulating fluidized bed incinerator uses
high-temperature circulating sand as a heat medium forthe instant dispersal and drying of sludge for incineration.
This incinerator is characterized by improved efficiency,
energy conservation, and compact size. Because its
combustion efficiency is higher than that of conventional
incinerators and a higher combustion load (calorific value
within the combustion chamber) may be tolerated, theincinerator can be made more compact. Also, thanks to
the low air power requirements necessary for sandcirculation, flow power requirements have been
substantially reduced. High fuel efficiency has also beenachieved by collecting high-temperature combustion air
from the incinerator exhaust gas.
At the time, sewage sludge incinerators in Hamamatsu
City were undergoing a replacement period. Due to theneed to respond to higher-calorie sludge, the introductionof circulating fluidized bed incinerators was considered.
In fact, however, there were some who questioned theadoption of such incinerators. There were still only a few
local governments across the country that had introduced
them, thus giving rise to serious concerns over the risk of3435

Chapter 3 [Environment]

Milestone in the Fight against Global Warming

unstable operations.
“Around 2001, we made technical presentations of ourcirculating fluidized bed incinerators, and we did not missthe opportunity to stress their environmental capabilities.
They control dioxin production, help to reduce CO2
emissions as an overall result of their highly efficientenergy-saving capabilities, and – this is an important
point – offer solutions for the N2O (nitrous oxide) that isdischarged from sewage sludge incinerators. N2O hasgreenhouse effect about 300 times greater than that of
CO2, and the circulating fluidized bed incinerator
drastically reduces emissions of that gas by incinerating
sludge at a higher temperature. Stable incineration is,
first and foremost, required as the fundamental premise,
but we also emphasized the superior environmental
functions of our incinerators.” (Osamu Yokota, AssistantManager, Sludge Melting Furnaces & Incinerators
Engineering Team, Overseas Project Management
Department, Water & Environmental Systems
Consolidated Division)

Fuel Switchover from Kerosene to Natural Gas –Meeting Needs Promptly and with Precision
In 2008, Hamamatsu City set a clear target: reducing
FY2010 CO2 emissions at its Chubu Sewage Treatment
Center by 19.2% compared to the levels in FY2005.
The trigger for this decision was a price hike of crudeoil, the primary fuel source of the incinerator. At thattime, oil prices soared to US$140 per barrel, which inturn pushed up the price of the kerosene that was used
for their sewage sludge incinerator. Something had to bedone to trim fuel costs. It was then that Hamamatsu
City came up with the idea of switching the incinerator’sfuel from kerosene to natural gas, which sounded like abrilliant idea as it would not only stabilize costs, but also
reduce CO2 emissions. However, there had been noprecedent for a fuel conversion from kerosene tonatural gas. And so, they turned to Kubota for technicalconsultation.

Incineration
exhaust gas(including
incineration ash)

Hot cyclone

Riser

Downcomer

SludgeLoop seal
Cake feeder
Main burner

Gun burner

3637

Circulating fluidized bed incinerator (base)Three gun burner (gas gun) units are
installed in the incinerator.

1 Circulating fluidized bed

Combustion air

Akikata Yamada, Associate Manager,
Water & Sewage Engineering
Sales Department

Interior of the incinerator as seen fromthe viewing window. By switching fromordinary incineration (800°C) tohigh-temperature incineration(850°C), the circulating fluidized bed
incinerator can reduce N2O emissions
by approximately 60%.

Incinerator monitoring console screen

Pressure gauge for city gas
supplied to the gun burner

Subsequently Kubota began construction of theincinerator in 2002. The incinerator was put into
operation in 2005, making it possible to incinerate 60
tons of sludge daily. From the perspective of the fightagainst global warming, it should be noted that the
introduction of circulating fluidized bed incinerators isremarkable in that it not only drastically reduced N2O
generation, but as an energy-conserving facility it also
helps to reduce CO2 emissions. Compared to 2005 levels,
CO2 was successively reduced by 4.48%, 7.78%, and9.19% in the following three years.
Osamu Yokota, Assistant Manager,
Sludge Melting Furnaces &Incinerators Engineering Team,
Overseas Project Management
Department, Water & Environmental
Systems Consolidated Division

Dewatered sludge (in the form of
dewatered cakes) is fed here. 2.5 tonsof dewatered sludge per hour isinserted into the continuous typeincinerator

Distribution pipe

“The first thing that they asked was if we could evenswitch the fuel to natural gas in the first place. They
also requested that reduction of CO2 emissions andcosts be taken into consideration. So, I soughtcooperation from the departments concerned to preparematerials for our proposal and lost no time in visiting
them. According to our provisional calculations, wefound that we could reduce a large amount of CO2
emissions. Of course, a prerequisite for this was stable
operations free from any technical or maintenanceproblems after the conversion to natural gas.” (Akikata
Yamada, Associate Manager, Water & Sewage
Engineering Sales Department)
In simple terms, fuel conversion from kerosene to natural
gas involves an attempt to replace the burner running on
kerosene with one that runs on natural gas. To make thisproject a success, it was necessary to reduce costs andshorten the construction period. Members of across-sectional team put their heads together to work out
the design, etc., but what proved most effective wereclever improvements to the burners themselves. The
incinerator uses two burners: a main burner used atstartup only and a gun burner employed for constant use(Fig. 1). Originally, conversion to natural gas was intended
for both types of burners; however, since the Chubu
Sewage Treatment Center runs almost constantly, it wassuggested that kerosene be used for the main burner,
which is used during startup only. In other words, theincinerator would feature “hybrid burners” using bothkerosene and natural gas. This helped to compress thevolume of construction work, and thus made it possible tomeet the Hamamatsu municipal government’s requests
for cost reduction and a shorter construction period. Thisidea also involved technical issues, such as fulfilling gas
supply conditions, checking whether legal regulations on
the burners to be used would be applied to the circulating
fluidized bed incinerator, selecting burners in accordancewith gas pressure, and checking the usage characteristicsof the burners and incinerator. As they managed toresolve these issues one by one, they hit upon the idea of
installing a natural gas supply facility while still keeping
the kerosene-powered burner. However, those who wereinvolved in the operation of the facility did not
unanimously welcome each and every one of Kubota’s
proposals and ideas. Apparently, some had concerns
stemming from the fact that such an attempt had neverbeen made before. It goes without saying that it isessential for sewage sludge incinerators to operate stably.
“The worst nightmare of anyone involved in theoperation of such a facility is incinerator shutdown. We
could not deny the possibility of suspension ofoperations due to fuel conversion work being extended,3637

Chapter 3 [Environment]

Milestone in the Fight against Global Warming
Masaki Saito, Director,
Sewerage Facilities Division,
Water Services Department, Hamamatsu City

Hamamatsu City Seibu Waste
Incineration Plant – a portion of thedewatered sludge is co-combusted withgarbage in the waste incineration plant’s
combustion/melting furnace to create
sand-like slag (bottom photo) that can beused as a material for asphalt.

A distant view of the Sea of Enshu as seen from the central Hamamatsu City

Hideyuki Tsuboi, Assistant Director,
Electric vehicle (EV) used by government officials
Sewerage Construction Division,(at Hamamatsu City Hall)
Water Services Department, Hamamatsu City

which would result in irreparable consequences. Even if
the construction work was to be completed as scheduled
and operations began, I must admit that those involvedin the facility had no small amount of anxiety as towhether the incinerator would really run without ahitch.” (Masaki Saito, Director, Sewerage Facilities
Division, Water Service Department, Hamamatsu City)
Cutting costs, shortening the construction period, andoffering solutions to technical issues were certainly allimportant, but what was equally or even more essential
to making the fuel changeover a reality was gaining theunderstanding and consent of people working at thefacility. Such being the case, the closest attention was
paid to ensuring a complete understanding among thoseconcerned by providing the most detailed explanationsof the facility renewal plan and Kubota’s approach, whileat the same time presenting them with the overall
process, which was meant to eliminate any unnecessaryrisks by securing an extended trial run period before thefacility would become fully operational. The proposed
process was also designed to minimize the incinerator’s
shutdown period. During the some six months of
construction, the incinerator was suspended for only
twenty days. This was made possible by simulating theconstruction work in order to eliminate any loss andproceed with the work in the most efficient way
possible.
“I was most impressed by the enthusiasm displayed by
Kubota’s engineers. We were admittedly a bit nervous
about the order, as it was the very first project of its

3839

kind. They listened earnestly to any concerns that wehad. Thanks to their accurate understanding of ourneeds and quick responses, we were able to achieve thisfuel conversion. We believe that being able to use bothkerosene and natural gas is not only cost efficient, butalso highly effective in hedging potential risks involvedin natural disasters and other catastrophes.” (Hideyuki
Tsuboi, Assistant Director, Sewerage Construction
Division, Water Services Department, Hamamatsu City)
In August 2009, the renovated sewage sludge
incinerator resumed operations, and the fuel conversion
certainly did achieve a significant reduction in CO2emissions. In FY2009, CO2 emissions from theincinerator were reduced by 39.38% compared to
FY2005 levels. As a result, emissions from the Chubu
Sewage Treatment Water Purification Center also
declined overall by 21.17%, thus contributing
significantly to “Operation CO2・CO2 Diet.”

Renewable Energy Supplied from
Sewage Treatment Plants
Hamamatsu City’s project to combat global warming has
by now expanded to include all sorts of programs, suchas the introduction of new energy equipment to its
public facilities, use of low-emission vehicles (hybridcars, natural gas cars, etc.) as official city vehicles,
subsidies for home-use photovoltaic power generation
systems, etc., opening of the Hamamatsu City eco
model house, and widespread utilization of biomass(organic resources made from forest resources, raw
garbage, scrap wood from construction sites, etc., which
are in plentiful supply). Meanwhile, its sewage sludge
incinerator has no small amount of inherent issues, andthese are not unique to Hamamatsu City, but are sharedby every sewage sludge treatment plant in Japan. One ofthese issues involves recycling. Incinerated ash
generated by burning sewage sludge is recycled into
cement and other construction materials, and its
recycling ratio has reached approximately 77% (FY2007
national average). However, the sustainability ofrecycling such incinerated ash into raw materials for
cement – currently the most prevalent use of such
recycled materials – is not without its concerns, since
cement companies do not always take them, as cement
demands fluctuate with the economy. Making aggregate
concrete or bricks, on the other hand, can incur a large
amount of costs, and so demand has yet to becomestabilized. Going forward, it will be necessary to
diversify and expand recycling applications, including,for example, using such materials as compost for green
farms.
Another pioneering initiative is also under way, albeit
slowly, through sewage treatment plants including
sewage sludge incinerators that are used as a base forcollecting energy generated from urban activities, which
are then recycled into resources and energy anddistributed from those facilities. They use methane
fermentation of sewage sludge to generate biogases(biological energy resources), which are then used asfuel for gas electric power generation. Much is expectedfrom this sewage gas generation, which is currently
carried out at more than 20 treatment plants across thecountry including Tokyo and Yokohama City. Also, plans
are underway to use dewatered sludge that is dried andcarbonized into solids as a coal alternative at thermal
power plants. Other ongoing initiatives include the useof heat generated by sewage itself, small-scalehydroelectric generation utilizing sewer systems,
photovoltaic power generation and wind power
generation in the vast space available on the premisesof sewage treatment plants. Viewed in a new light as asupply center of renewable energy, sewage treatment
plants have the potential to contribute significantly tothe prevention of global warming and realization of arecycling, low-carbon society.
At Hamamatsu City, “preparations are being made sothat action can be taken at any time.” (Motoi Nasu)
Originally created for the purification of wastewater,
sewage treatment plants are now required to reduce
their CO2 emissions as the cry for such reductions
becomes increasingly heard. Hamamatsu City’s CO2
emissions reduction through use of a “circulating
fluidized bed incinerators” and “fuel conversion”
represent a successful example in this regard. This is
not the end of their journey, however. Hamamatsu andother local governments will accelerate their drive toprevent global warming through new approaches byshedding new light on sewage system facilities in their
entirety, as they continue to broaden their perspective
even further.

3839

Chapter 3 [Environment]

Column“100-Year” Durability – Our Benchmark

Goro Funahashi, Manager, Group 1,
Ductile Iron Pipe R&D Department−“GENEX” Next-generation Earthquake-resistant Ductile Iron Pipe
As of late, the coverage of water services in Japan has exceeded 97%. Waterworks are definitely essential
infrastructures that one cannot do without. However, many of the water pipelines laid during the period of higheconomic growth have by now become obsolete and need to be replaced. On this occasion, earthquake resistance,
reduced replacement costs, and longer service life are required of such new water pipelines. In autumn of 2010,
Kubota's next-generation earthquake-resistant pipe for water pipelines, GENEX, was released into the market. This is
a product brought into reality from the time-honored “DNA” carried on by Kubota’s iron pipe engineers.
Asbestos pipes
2%Synthetic resin coating layer

Image ofanti-corrosion pipe

Corrosion-resistant layer
Ductile ironShozo Kishi, Manager, Group 2,
Ductile Iron Pipe R&D Department

Others Cast iron pipes
4%4%Pipe corrosion resistance has been enhanced by the adjustment of components
used in the corrosion-resistant layer

PVC
pipes
32%

Total length
Approx.
600,000 km

Buried water pipes in Japan(FY2007)

Lower Costs and Easier Installation
Toward a Longer Life Exceeding 100 Years

Ductile iron pipes
55%“Ductile Iron Pipes” Support Water
Pipelines in Earthquake-prone JapanThe total length of water pipelines installed underground acrossJapanese territory is approximately 600,000 km, andapproximately 330,000 km, or 55%, is made up of ductile ironpipes. Highly strong yet elastic ductile iron pipes have highearthquake-resistant performance thanks to their flexible joints
in responding to ground deformation, as well as superior
corrosion resistance. Having acquired the basic patent for
ductile cast iron, which was invented in the United States,
Kubota became the first company in Japan to supply ductile
iron pipes in 1954. As the demands for development ofearthquake-resistant water pipelines surged in the wake of the1964 Niigata Earthquake and 1968 Tokachi-Oki Earthquake,
Kubota developed earthquake-resistant joints. In the Great
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, there were no leakages or
breakages over the roughly 270 km of Kubota’s ductile ironpipes with earthquake-resistant joints buried within Kobe City.
With their outstanding earthquake resistance proved in that
unprecedented great earthquake, the pipes are now widely usedthroughout the country as one of the most effective
countermeasure against earthquakes. Meanwhile, to enhancewater quality levels, Kubota developed internally fusion-bonded
epoxy coated pipes that have superior water quality. It has been
demonstrated that the coating condition can remain sound forover 20 years. GENEX is an advanced ductile iron pipe thatcombines superior performance for the next-generation.

“The biggest point in the development of joint
structure for pipes was to achieve reduced
insertion force while securing water-tightness.
The ‘twin bulb’ structure for rubber gaskets
made it possible to reduce the insertion force to
one third of that for the conventional one.”

Joint structure of GENEX pipe
Heel
1st bulb

Lock ring and lock ring holder
2 bulbnd

SocketSpigotTo achieve “longer service life,” Kubota set for itself the goal of
making earthquake-resistant pipes that can endure for 100 years.
The most common corrosion prevention method now involves
laying a 0.2 mm-thick polyethylene tube over the entire length ofductile iron pipe at the construction site. Due to concerns about
deterioration when the tube is damaged, however, it was desiredthat anti-corrosive performance should be enhanced by theductile iron pipes themselves. As such, Kubota decided to pursue
an original approach to form an anti-corrosion coating on theexternal surface of the ductile iron. It is common practice to form
this type of coating by spraying zinc. However, Kubota added its
own original blend of tin and magnesium to zinc to generate thecoating that provides superior corrosion resistance. Furthermore,by using inorganic particles to seal tiny pores in a coating thatcause corrosion, it became possible to extend the duration of
corrosion prevention by a large margin. As a result, in ordinary

70
60
50
40

Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake

30
20
10
'92

The development concepts of Kubota’s next-generation ductile
iron pipe GENEX was crystal clear from the very outset: reduced
costs for laying pipelines, significantly improved installability, andlonger service life.
To promote the replacement of water pipes across the country
with earthquake-resistant joints, reducing pipeline laying costs isthe first thing that must be considered. Civil costs, which accountfor roughly 40% of total pipe installation costs, can be reduced
greatly if the width of excavation trenches can be narrowed down.
To achieve this, Kubota developed joint structure for GENEX,
making it possible for the pipes to be jointed with low insertion
force. As a result, it is possible for pipes to be jointed in a narrow
trench by manipulating one lever hoist on the pipe. At the sametime, reduced insertion force also helped to significantly enhance
installability and shorten the construction period. Whilemaintaining superior earthquake-resistance and water-tightness,
total costs were lowered to the level of what would be incurred
when laying ordinary joint pipes.

Projection on spigot

Supply of ductile iron pipes with earthquake-resistant joints(for water pipelines)

0

4041

Pipes can be jointed with one lever hoist,
even in a trench as narrow as 50 cm wide.
This compresses costs and reduces
operators’ workload.

Twin bulb rubber gasket

Earthquake-resistant pipes (%)*

Steel pipes
3%

'94

'96

'98

'00

'02

'04

*Percentage of the weight of earthquake-resistant pipes to that of all pipes(Japan Ductile Iron Pipe Association <JDPA >)

'06

'08

“It was indeed extremely challenging to pursue
an optimal alloy composition for anti-corrosion
performance and to process such an alloy into awire rod for spraying. We did not have any
know-how but worked up the courage to take on
the challenge, and we eventually made it. After
that, development took great strides forward.”

Touring a test installation site in Tokyo.
GENEX’s high installability was met with an
enthusiastic response from industry
visitors.

soil conditions (95% of Japan’s land, excluding mountainous
areas), GENEX’s anti-corrosion coatings may last for more than
70 years, and iron portions for more than 30 years, making the
expected life of a GENEX pipe more than 100 years.

GENEX, the Best Choice for Japan’s Water
Pipelines, Underpins a Safe and Care-free
Living Environment in JapanAs described thus far, Kubota’s next-generation
earthquake-resistant ductile iron pipe GENEX achieves lower
costs, higher installability, and longer life, while at the same timeoffering superior earthquake-resistance. It is no exaggeration to
say that its debut had been long hoped for now that the majorityof water pipelines in Japan have entered their replacement
periods. Another noteworthy point concerning thesecharacteristics is the fact that GENEX greatly contributes to the
reduction of environmental impact by conserving resources andreducing carbon emissions. In October 2010, in recognition of its
superb performance and quality, the JDPA made GENEX a
standard product for the industry (new earthquake-resistant pipe
[GX type]). For Kubota, GENEX has turned over a new page in its
history of ductile iron pipe development. It is certain that thisoffering from Kubota will strongly support a safe, care-free living
environment into the future, and Kubota will remain committed totaking on new challenges, such as expansion of its product lineup
to include large-diameter pipes, enhancement of pipeline renewal
technology, and development of new materials.
The 21st century has been referred to as “the century of water,”and it is estimated that about two thirds of the global population
will experience water shortages by 2025. The water pipeline
technology that Kubota has been developing since its foundation,
including that of GENEX, will continue to offer significant
contributions to the upgrading and improvement of waterworks
around the world.

4041

Special Interview

Ryoichi Yamamoto
Chairman, International Green Purchasing Network (IGPN)
Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo

Humans Now Have an Urgent Decision
and Resolution to Make

ProfileCurrently holding the position of Chair of the International Green Purchasing Network (IGPN), Dr.
Ryoichi Yamamoto has a Ph.D. in Engineering and serves as Professor Emeritus at the Universityof Tokyo. A graduate of the University of Tokyo Faculty of Engineering’s Department ofMetallurgy, he was formerly Professor at the University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science.
His areas of expertise include materials engineering, theory on the development of sustainableproducts, and eco design. He concurrently holds (and has held) many important posts, including
Science Advisor at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(2004-2007), Honorary Chairman of the Research Group of Ecological Materials, President of
the Life Cycle Assessment Society of Japan (JLCA), President of the Sustainable Management
Forum of Japan, President of the Eco-Efficient Forum of Japan, and Chairman of the
Eco-Products Exhibition Executive Committee. His selected literary works include Eco-material
Revolution to Save the Planet Earth, Strategic Design of Sustainable Management, Sustainable
Companies, Global Warming Hell, and The Time We Have Left. He is also the responsible editor of
One-second World, How to Spend Money to Change the World, and Climate Change +2°C.

With a Clear Recognition of the Situation, We Must Make a Paradigm Shift ofValues to Protect this Planet from the Catastrophes Resulting from “Global Warming!”

global warming in such a short span of 100 to 200
years. To this end, the first thing that we must do is tohave the firm willpower to protect this planet and its
lives. Secondly, we must have a strong recognition that
this planet is now faced with a formidable crisis.

From Industrialized Civilization to Eco Civilization
Pursuing a Sweeping Environmental Energy
Revolution!
Growing concerns over global warming led the world tohold the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
where the Global Warming Convention was adopted.
Twenty years later, despite continued efforts to create asustainable society, the world is now required to raise thebar much higher. To move from industrial civilization to
eco civilization, we must be determined to make radical
shifts in our values and to change our perceptions.

4243

The universe came into existence some 13.7 billion
years ago, Planet Earth appeared roughly 4.6 billion
years ago, and the first life was born on this planet
about 3.8 billion years ago. Planet Earth has since given
birth to over 30 million species of organisms – and eachone of them is a precious treasure. Throughout the 3.8
billion year history of terrestrial life, this planet has
experienced the formation of supercontinents fourtimes, mass extinction five times, and Snowball Earth(where the Earth was completely frozen) twice. The
planet’s life forms survived this harsh and lengthy extent
of time. We must never let them become extinct due to

In 2009, the global community agreed to limit the risein global surface temperature to two degrees Celsius
compared to what it was before the Industrial Revolution(2°C Climate Target*1). Toward this end, climate
scientists estimate that no more than 750 billion tons ofgreenhouse gases (CO2 equivalent) may be emitted
collectively by the world’s countries if there is to be a
67% chance of the 2-degree goal being met. If thisamount is divided by 6.9 billion – the current global
population – the per capita amount is 108 tons.
Assuming that the volume of annual emissions per
capita in Japan is approximately 10 tons, our emissions
will exceed this amount within about 11 years, whichmeans that we may have to completely do without fossil
fuels after that. As this estimate shows, any eco energy
revolution that aims to observe the 2°C Climate Target
will have to be thorough and drastic. We do not havemuch time left. Signs of the catastrophes due to “global
warming” have already surfaced: there have beenreports on all sorts of extraordinary events, including thecollapse of gigantic ice shelves in Greenland, thedecrease of ice in the Arctic Ocean, great floods inAustralia, heat waves in Russia, and intense heat andtremendous snowfall in Japan, to name but a few. Andeach and every one of these problems is directly

connected to food and water issues. Combined with thegrowing global population, shortages of food caused bypoor crops due to unusual weather can trigger
food-related conflicts. An international conference has
already been convened – although this is not well-known
in Japan – to discuss what should be done about
farming when the average temperature of this planet has
increased by 4°C. Furthermore, repeated droughts andfloods around the world can cause the supply anddemand of water resources to become significantly
unbalanced. There is also a concern of conflicts overwater resources, whose access is limited in the same
way as food. The prerequisite for a solution to these
problems is the fight against global warming, and urgent
and thoroughgoing efforts are needed now more thanever.

*1 2°C Climate Target
At the July 2009 G8 L’Aquila Summit in Italy, it was agreed to limit
the rise of the world’s average temperature by 2°C compared to what
it was before the Industrial Revolution. Atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO2) concentration had in the past tended to shift periodicallybetween 180 ppm and 300 ppm (ppm is the most common
expression of concentration. 1 ppm equals 0.0001% and 10,000
ppm equals 1%.) during the Earth’s glacial and interglacial cycles, but
has now reached 380 ppm due to human activities. Scientists saythat the climate system of this planet is sensitive to CO2concentration, and recent research has predicted that critical climatechanges can occur when it reaches 450 ppm, or when the global
average temperature has risen by 2°C compared to pre-industrial
levels.

4243

Special Interview

Humans Now Have an Urgent Decision and Resolution to Make

From Carbon Neutral to Carbon Negative
What We Need is an Essential Change of Values
It goes without saying that the path to avert
catastrophes on Planet Earth resulting from global
warming involves curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
The global community has set forth a clear roadmap toachieve such a goal: reduce greenhouse gas emissions
sharply after the predicted peak in 2015, and then to
50% compared to 1990 levels by 2050, further down to
80% by the end of the 21st century, and eventually tozero in the 22nd century. If we take a closer look atgreenhouse gases, however, CO2 is the mostproblematic. Some scientists have reported that around
25% of CO2 discharge into the atmosphere will remainin the atmosphere for thousands or even several tens of
thousands of years. That is to say that, even if we
successfully reduce CO2 emissions to zero, global
warming will continue to advance due to the residual
CO2 in the atmosphere. Because of this, it is urgently
required that programs be designed that not only aim tobe “carbon neutral,” i.e., reducing CO2 emissions tozero, but to be “carbon negative,” i.e., reducing existingCO2 in the atmosphere by collecting it. And the world
has both the technology and the funds needed to realize
this goal. However, a stumbling block in thethoroughgoing combat against global warming is4445“humanity’s desire” for its vested interests andaffluence through economic growth. As such, any
initiative to protect Planet Earth and the lives ofhumankind and other species will inevitably demand an
essential shift of values, which will often involve
philosophical and ethical connotations. It is thus quite
important that, through “penitence and conversion,”
humans develop a correct realization that this planet iscurrently in a state of desperate crisis.
Viewed pessimistically, there is no small chance ofcatastrophes breaking out due to the state of climate
emergency within the coming 10 years. One way toprevent such an occurrence that is being considered inEurope and the United States is “geoengineering.” Theconcept involves cooling the surface temperature of theplanet by reflecting solar radiation back into space, forexample, through the annual injection of 1.5 million tonsof sulfur dioxide gas into the stratosphere. It isestimated that this will help to lower the surface
temperature by approximately 3°C. However, it isprojected that if this remedy were to be implemented,
blue or starry skies would no longer be visible,
significantly lowering the volume of photovoltaic power
generated and exerting a profound influence on farm
products. How aware are the Japanese of the gravity ofthe situation, when this kind of “emergency” plan isbeing openly discussed to combat global warming?

From Relatively Sustainable Management to
Absolutely Sustainable Management
Drastic Decisions Based on the Lofty
Environmental Philosophy Required from Leaders
Against this backdrop, businesses will have no choice but
to put into practice “sustainable management,” namely,changing their mold while sustaining business
management. Achievement of sustainable growth requiresthat “eco-efficiency” be increased by maximizing
corporate value while minimizing the impact that businessundertakings have on the environment. So far, previous
attempts in this regard have had to do with relatively
sustainable management, but “absolute” efforts will be
required from now on. To put it simply, it is essential toachieve absolute reduction of CO2 emissions. We mustleave behind such halfhearted strategies like “developing
eco-friendly products,” when the survival of life itself is at
risk. It is totally meaningless to publicly brag about how
much CO2 emissions you have reduced. Rather, we needto realize that emitting CO2 is a “crime” on a global scale.
Building on this awareness, businesses are urged todevise ways to transform their operations from “carbon
neutral” to “carbon negative.” From relatively sustainable
management to absolutely sustainable management – thisis a moral obligation of any business manager in the 21st
century. In a sense, it could be compared to the practiceof religious beliefs.

And it is nothing less than the leadership of top
management that is most necessary to realize absolutely
sustainable management, with leaders guiding theiremployees with high aspirations and lofty environmental
philosophy. It is now the time when leaders are
expected to make daring decisions. Once there was a
top manager of a manufacturing company whoannounced that his company would completely
discontinue using CFCs – the main cause of ozone layer
depletion – within two years, without having any specificalternative technology in mind. In response, his
employees began developing alternative technology, anda new technology was established before the two-year
limit had been reached. This is an excellent example
that shows how the situation can be changed if a leader
makes a firm decision.
Planet Earth has begun to bear its fangs. We should
never assume that nature is always kind to us. Within
the next 10 to 20 years this planet will go through aperiod of phenomenal crisis full of Sturm und Drang.
Amid this environment, businesses and economic circles
are urged to create new innovations with an unyielding
determination in order to establish a new paradigm andrules for what may be referred to as a “21st century
model economy.” And yes, it is time now for us to takethe plunge and cross the Rubicon once and for all.

4445

PhotoLake Chao
Jan. 2011

Closing Message

Living on Planet EarthSome 3.8 billion years ago, the first life was born on Planet Earth,which had by then become a rare planet with vast expanses of oceans and an atmosphere.
The organism then began to “live” as it drifted about in the sea.
Perhaps it was the exercise of strong will brought about by the providence of life.
Ever since that time, a great many species have been born and gone extinct,
but our ancestors survived through the process of evolution,and over 30 million different species of all kinds have come to prosper on this planet.
And now...
The global environment is expected to face a serious crisis brought about by
global warming and resultant climate changes.
However, it is not the planet itself, but humankind that will eventually go on to sorrowfully
cry out for help...
We must be awakened to the hard fact that it is we humans who hold the key to the future destinyof our own species and the other diverse organisms inhabiting our planet.
Living on Planet Earth – the strong will and determination to do so is needed now more than ever.

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www.kubota.co.jp
2011.3