ICUS NEWSLETTER
International Center for Urban Safety Engineering

Institute of Industrial Science
The University of Tokyo

VOLUME 6 NUMBER 3
OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2006

International Center for
Urban Safety Engineering

HEALTH RISK MANAGEMENT
IN THE FIELD OF BUILDING HYGIENE
By
Koichi IKEDA*
Recent years have seen thefrequent appearance of healthhazards related to the architecturalenvironment. Events such as theoutbreak of the Severe AcuteRespiratory Syndrome (SARS)
mainly in China in 2003, the massoutbreak of legionnaires' disease at a
spa in Miyazaki Prefecture in 2002,
and the terrorist attack with sarin gas
in the Tokyo subway system in 1995
are still fresh in the minds of the
public. These events neverthelesshave not been thoroughly examinedwith respect to factors such as theroutes involved in the mechanism of
mass infection, characteristics ofdiffusion in building interiors, andhuman exposure; many issues about
them still remain uncertain.
Ta k i n g i n t o a c c o u n t t h e s ecircumstances, our research group
was organized under the support of
the Ministry of Health, Labour andWelfare with the ultimately aim todefine measures to be taken in theevent of emergency situations, suchas the outbreak of unforeseen healthhazards in buildings with highconcentration of people. The firsttask of this research group is tocollect reports from related
researches conducted to date andsummarize their findings. This is tobe followed by experimental studies
and numerical fluid analyses topredict, for instance, thecharacteristics of the dispersion ofcontaminants inside buildings andexposure to them among residents,
in order to establish countermeasuresapplying available technology. Thesestudies and analyses would bepremised on the outbreak (release)of pathogenic microorganisms or
hazardous chemical substances int h e b u i l d i n g e nv i r o n m e n t ,p a r t i c u l a r ly a i r- c o n d i t i o n i n gfacilities, water supply and drainage
facilities, and building interiors. The
final step is to compile the results ofthese activities for preparation of aneffective manual to be used in theevent of actual health hazards.

Terrorism: Sarin gas spraying in the underground in Tokyo (March, 1995)

page 2MEASURES AGAINSTBIOCHEMICAL TERRORISM
IN BUILDING ENVIRONMENTFour areas should be focused at
the present situation: 1) backgroundfactors, 2) current status of healthhazard management in Japan, 3)
trends in research in othercountries, and 4) measures against
biochemical terrorism in a building
environment.
According to Dr. Yanagi, Chiefof the National Institute of Public
Health's Department ofArchitecture, Hygiene andHousing, over the period 1900 2003, there were a total of 1,154
acts of terrorism of a certain scaleu s i n g c h e m i c a l , b i o l og i c a l ,radiological, or nuclear (CBRN)
material throughout the world. Of
this total, about 90 percent of thea c t s i nvo l ve d b i o c h e m i c a l
substances. Mr. Yanagi pointed outthat the 9/11 terrorist attack in the
United States served to heighten
wariness about biochemicalterrorism around the world.This
was followed by a description of
the current status of health hazard
management in Japan. In responseto the 9/11 attacks and theincidents of anthrax poisoning by
m a i l s h o r t ly t h e r e a f t e r, t h eJapanese government made anurgent study of preparedness andhad setups for health hazard
management constructed by theg ove r n m e n t a s a wh o l e , t h e
p r e f e c t u r a l a d m i n i s t r a t ive
authorities, and health centers. In

Disaster: Smoke dispersion at fire

ICUS Newsletter Vol. 6, No. 3

An FBI agent opens letter addressed to US Senator Patrick Leahy.
(Courtesy of the Monterey Institute of International Studies,
Center for Nonproliferation Studies)

addition, it took steps for smoothprovision of information to citizens
on a timely basis.
DISPERSION OF HAZARDOUS
SUBSTANCES WITH AN
ADVERSE INFLUENCE ON
HEALTH WITHIN BUILDINGSLet us consider ways of dealing
w i t h t h e d i ff u s i o n , wh e t h e rdeliberate or accidental, of acutetoxins within buildings as viewed
from the aspect of architecturalenvironmental engineering. It
could first be noted that preventionof the dispersion of such toxins
within buildings (i.e. the release ofhazardous substances by acts ofterrorism) is of primary
importance. Measures to curtaila ny d a m a g e t o t h e a b s o l u t eminimum are, naturally, of asecond-best nature. The discussion
presented hereinafter concerns thelatter. In this context, the firstprerequisite is to detect thed i ff u s i o n o f t h e h a z a r d o u ssubstance within the building.
This demands development ofsystems to sense the substance.
Canaries were once carried intomine shafts to test the quality of
the air. Hinted from this practice,Professor Kato at the Institute ofIndustrial Science, the University
o f To kyo , i s n ow c u r r e n t ly
developing a bioassay sensor that
detects the presence of toxins in the
air by blowing it into a tank ofkillif ish ("medaka"), whoseb e h av i o r c h a n g e s i f t h e
c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f t ox i n s i ssignificantly high. The next step isto accurately forecast the difussionof the hazardous substance within
the building and effectively prevent
it. The urgent task to this end isdevelopment of a simulation
system enabling analysis of thecomplex circulation of air in thebuilding interior. Dispersion
within buildings can be estimatedby three-dimensional simulation of
non-regular air flow and of thedispersion, but this takes a very
long time. In response, Professor
Kato is now developing a system
which makes it possible to analyze
the detailed distribution ofcontaminant concentrations ininterior spaces and their changes
ove r t i m e , w i t h o u t h e av y
calculation loads. The system
consists of investigation of the flow
through a three-dimensional air
flow simulation, followed byanalysis of only contaminantdiffusion using a simple method. It
derives from the fact that formulas
for flow and diffusion related to thedispersion of contaminants arelinear. This makes it possible toc a l c u l a t e t h e n o n - r eg u l a r
concentration response through a
convolution computation using a
response coefficient for a limited
time width pulse. The work has
already moved out of the stage oftheoretical studies into that ofdeveloping a concentrationresponse simulation system for use
in the event of the introduction ofcontaminants into interior spaces
due to terrorism or other.

page 3
SAFETY OF DRINKINGWATER IN BUILDINGS
Po s i t i o n i n g o f wa t e r s u p p ly
equipment
Water supply equipment consists ofthe pipes leading from the distribution
pipes for supply of water to customers
and the fittings attached directly tothem. At present, the management ofhygiene varies with the supply
arrangement. In buildings such as
condominiums, for example, the water
may be either put into a receiving tankbefore being supplied to customers or
supplied by direct connection to each
unit. This difference in supply
arrangements conveys a differentiation
on where the responsibility for water
quality at the tap in homes lays. While
there are ministerial ordinances
concerning the standards for the
structure and material quality of watersupply equipment, they have notcompletely eliminated accidents
occurring through such equipment.
Cases of occurrence of water quality
accidents within buildings
In 1994, there was a mass infectionof 461 people with cryptosporidium ina multiuse building in the city of
Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Authorities suspected contaminationof tap water because the people who
were infected had drunk the waterfrom the water tank. The investigation
determined that the underground watertank, sump tank, and other facilities
had an outdated design andinappropriate structure, and that thetrouble was caused by an overflow ofVentilation ducts provide pathways for contamination to flow amongrooms (Courtesy of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
sanitary sewage from the sanitary
sewage tank into the water tank due tofailure of the sump pump at the time ofoccurrence.
In 2001, there was an incident inwhich tap water in a cer tain
condominium turned yellow after a
power outage. It was thought that thepower outage resulted in a negative
pressure in the condominium
standpipe, and subsequent backflow
of the hot water remaining in bathtubs.
As there was a high incidence of
defects among the backflow
prevention devices on the storage-typewater heaters in the building,modif ications were made in the
structure and material of the checkvalves to prevent backflow. It is notclear, however, whether the backflow
prevention equipment on the line fromthe condominium units to the outsidefunctioned abnormally.
There were also complaints about
service water quality from people
living near a hotel. An investigation

Experimental apparatus for detecting malfunctionsof backflow preventersrevealed installation of illegal crossconnections. It was concluded thatdrinking water for the hotel (supply tothe third and higher floors based on
chlorination of groundwater) had
flowed backward into the utility water
distribution pipes.
Research concerning water supply
in buildings
In Japan, research in this area
funded by expenditures for scientificstudies under the Ministry of Health,Labour and Welf are may be
exemplif ied by two studies: oneconcerning abnormality monitoringand management for water supply
equipment, and another consisting ofa fact-finding survey of water storage
facilities (particularly unregulated
small-scale ones), and preparation ofa manual for their operation andmaintenance for their installers. The
former proposed a methodology for
detection of water quality
concentrations and quantities beyonda cer tain level as well as thedevelopment of techniques forsensing abnormalities affecting
backflow prevention devices. The
World Health Organization, too, has
prepared a document entitled "Water
Safety in Public Buildings." As these
activities suggest, there is a
widespread recognition of theimportance of maintaining highlevels of water quality in order toassure the safety of drinking water.
* Director,
Department of Architecture,
Hygiene and Housing, National
Institute of Public Health

ICUS Newsletter Vol. 6, No. 3

page 4

ICUS & AIT Organized the 5th International Symposium
on New Technologies for Urban Safety of Mega Cities in Asia
The Asian Institute of Technology(AIT), Thailand, and theInternational Center for Urban
Safety Engineering (ICUS), Instituteof Industrial Science (IIS), theUniversity of Tokyo, Japan, coorganized the Fifth International
Symposium on New Technologies for
Urban Safety of Mega cities in Asia
(USMCA-2006) at Phuket on
November 16 – 17, 2006. The
symposium was sponsored by theJapan Aerospace Exploration
Agency (JAXA), Japan; the Center
for Sustainable Urban Regeneration,
the University of Tokyo, 21st Century
Center of Excellence Program(COE), Japan; the Geo-Informatics
and Space Technology development
Agency (GISTDA), Thailand; Siam
City Cement, Thailand; and Index
International Group Co., Ltd.,
Thailand.
The two-day long program of thesymposium was arranged in two
plenary and ten technical sessions,in which four keynote speeches andt we l v e s p e c i a l l e c t u re s we redelivered by invited distinguishedacademicians and researchers froms ev e ra l A s i a n c o u n t r i e s . T h esymposium was inaugurated by Dr.
Pennung Warnitchai, School ofEngineering and Technology (SET),AIT and it was followed by thewelcome address of Prof. Worsak
Kanok-Nukulchai, Dean of SET, AIT
and the opening speeches of Dr.
Takashi Moriyama, JAXA, Dr.
Surachai Ratanasermpong, GISTDA
and Prof. Taketo Uomoto, ICUS. The
keynote speakers for the plenarys e s s i o n s we re P ro f. T s u n e oKatayama (Department ofA rch i t e c t u re, To k y o D e n k i
U n i v e rs i t y, Ja p a n ) , D r. S u v i t
Vi bu l s re s t h ( G I S T DA ) , D r.
Absornsuda Siripong (Marine
Science Department, Chulalongkorn
University, Thailand) and Prof.
Mehedi
AhamedAnsary(Department of Civil Engineering,B a n g l a d e s h U n i v e rs i t y o fEngineering and Technolog y,Bangladesh).
A t o t a l o f 6 4 p a p e rs we represented in technical sessions
covering a wide range of issues in
the areas of urban safety including
flood risk management, sustainablei n f ra s t r u c t u re m a n age m e n t ,earthquake, fire, tsunami, disastermitigation and environmental
impacts. Several presentations weremade on newly developed advancedt o o l s a n d m e t h o d o l og i e s fo r
addressing these issues.
For the first time, ICUS prepared
the Excellent Young ResearcherAward to encourage activities ofyoung researchers in the field ofurban safety engineering. The
winners of this award were Dr. Hong
Huang (IIS, the University of Tokyo),
Ms. Kulapramote Prathumchai,
Geoinformatics Center (AIT), and
Dr. Kawin Worakanchana (IIS, theUniversity of Tokyo.)
The next symposium will be heldat Dhaka, Bangladesh on December,2007. Further information will beannounced in ICUS web site soon.
(By Y. Kato)

Number of participants per country

Symposium participants in a group photo

JAXA representative shares his view of USMCA 2006
I would like to extend my sincere
appreciations and congratulations toall people belonging to the organizing
agencies who worked very hard to
make the 5th Inter national
Symposium on New Technologies for
Urban Safety of Megacities in Asia
(USMCA 2006) a success, speciallyto the Asian Institute of Technology(AIT) and the Institute of Industrial
Science, the University of Tokyo. It
was my great pleasure to deliver theOpening Speech in this event during
which views and experiences on newtechnologies for natural disaster

ICUS Newsletter Vol. 6, No. 3

mitigation and urbanization urban spaces and hopes to actively
technologies were shared and continue contributing to events such as
USMCA.
exchanged.
(By T. Moriyama, JAXA)One of the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency (JAXA) mainemphases is the use of spacetechnology to cope with environmental
problems, prevent and mitigate risks of
disasters, improve quality of life, andbring about better future for the next
generation. This initiative is being
taken together with its partners in the
Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency
Dr. Moriyama Delivers Opening
For um. JAXA feels a strong
Speech at USMCA 2006
commitment to achieving sustainablepage 5

ICUS joined Chiba Experiment Station Open House“Towards the Establishment of a
Sustainable Urban System”. Panels
were prepared to make an easy-tounderstand explanation to visitors,
including pupils from local primaryand secondary school.
(By R. Kuwano)

On November 10, the Institute ofIndustrial Science, the University ofTokyo organized the 'Open House' of
Chiba Experiment Station. Under the
splendid weather, there were 650
visitors altogether.
ICUS joined the event bypresenting its research progress on
ICUS Exhibition

1st Transdisciplinary Federation of Science and Technology Symposium
The f irst Transdisciplinary
Federation of Science and Technology
Symposium was held on December 12, 2006 at the Campus Innovation
Center in Tamachi, Tokyo. The
nonprofit organization was established
to merge essential technologies fromvarious fields. Forty-three academic
societies join the organization whose
total number of individual members
reach 60,000.
On the morning of the second day, asession on disaster risk was convened
by Prof. Y. Yasuoka, IIS. ICUS
members were invited as speakers:- Prof. Meguro explained theimportance of structuring researches
on disaster and its countermeasuresand infrastructure system for properdisaster management.
- Dr. Yoichi Kitsuta, a emergency

Prof. Yasuoka, Prof. Meguro,
Dr. Kitsuta and Dr. Miyazaki
delivered speeches

physician of the Univ. of Tokyo
Hospital (a member of project teamwith ICUS) presented theimplementation of an advanced
technology into a major medical
incident management and support.
- Dr. Miyazaki introduced a future
infrastructure information databasefor disaster management.
After their presentations, thenecessity of information exchange withother organizations at a time of adisaster and proper data preparation, i.e.
collection, processing, analysis andcommand systems, were discussed.
(By H. Kanada)

RNUS Activities
Training Program on
Infrastructure Maintenance and
Non Destructive Testing
Jointly organized with theSirindhorn International Institute ofTechnology, RNUS staffs led by Dr.
Raktipong Sahamitmongkol made ademonstration of non-destructive
testing machine for the inspection ofreinforced concrete structure on
November 8, 2006 at Bang Pakong
Power Plant.
This activity was a part of the
training program for technical staffs ofthe Electricity Generating Authority ofThailand in order to explain theimportance of good maintenance

Demonstration of corrosion
detection at a damaged structure

practices as well as the deterioration
processes and inspection procedures ofconcrete structures.
Located in Bang Pakong district,
Chachoengsao Province, the Bang
Pakong Power Plant is presently
Thailand’s biggest and most modern
thermal power plant employing stateof-the-art technologies for power
generation and environmental
management. With an aggregate
capacity of 3,600 Megawatts, Bang
Pakong plays a vital role in securing
well over 25 percent of Thailand’s
electricity needs.

Generation, Strength, Water Movement,
and Microstructure’. He discussed thedifferent mechanisms of concrete aswell as the relationship among themand subsequently the modeling of
concrete behavior was explained.
Dr. Yasushi Tanaka, Research
Associate from Nagaoka University ofTechnology presented ‘Constitutive
Model for Non-linear Analysis ofReinforced Concrete Structures.’ In thepresentation, fundamentals andtechniques for simulation of structural
response of RC structure were discussed.
(By R. Sahamitmongkol)

RNUS Seminar
On November 13, 2006, RNUS
organized the seminar on “Modeling ofConcrete Properties and Nonlinear
Structural Analysis”.
Associate Professor Toshiharu
Kishi, IIS, the University of Tokyo gave
the presentation ‘Microscopic
Approach to the Governing Mechanismof Concrete Properties – Fluidity, Heat

Dr. Y. Kato gave a memorial gift
to Dr. Toshiharu Kishi.

ICUS Newsletter Vol. 6, No. 3

page 6

IIS seminar was arranged by ICUS
The IIS seminar was held on
October 3, 2006 organized by theFoundation for the Promotion ofIndustrial Science. This seminar
was arranged by ICUS, the theme
was “Towards safer and more

Dr. R. Kuwano

comfortable urban space.”
D r. Ku wa n o d e l i v e re d apresentation on the causes andmechanisms of ground depression.
Dr. Ooka presented the prediction
and control of heat-island effect. Dr.

Dr. R. Ooka

Prof . K. Meguro
Dr. S . Miyazaki
ICUS members instructed their topics

Miyazaki introduced the detection oflandslides by satellite remote sensing
and real time 4D system for disaster
information. Prof. Meguro outlined
a new proposal on how to change
low earthquake-resistant houses tostrong ones and how to educate
people and organizations to prepare
against earthquakes.
About 40 people attended theseminar. Certifications were given
during the closing session.
(By H. Kanada)

Certification was given

MOU between ICUS and SIIT was signed
On October 25, 2006, theMemorandum of Understanding(MOU) between the International
Center for Urban Safety Engineering(ICUS) and the Sirindhorn
International Institute of Technology(SIIT), Thammasat University was
signed.
SIIT has been one of the regional
partners of ICUS in promoting theimportance of urban safety

especially in central areas ofThailand. Several joint activities andcollaborative research projects havebeen carried out by ICUS and SIIT
in the last few years. The signatureof this MOU will strengthen therelationship between these twoparties and bolster collaborative
activities in the region(By R. Sahamitmongkol)

Prof. S. Tangtermsirikul,
Deputy Director of SIIT and
Prof. T. Uomoto, Director of ICUS

Delegation of Thai scholars visited ICUS
A delegation of 24 members of
the Council of Deans ofEngineering of Thailand visitedthe Institute of Industrial Science(IIS) on October 23, 2006. Their
fields of expertise covered a broad
spectrum including Civil,
Mechanical, Industrial, Electricaland Computer Engineering,
among others. At IIS, they werereceived by a group of professors
led by the institute President, Prof.
Maeda. Research activities, ongoing projects and collaborative
schemes of the institute wereintroduced to the guests.
In the afternoon, thedelegation split in four groups andalternately
visitedtheCollaborative Research Center for
Computational Science andTechnology with Prof. C. Kato, theCollaborative Research Center for
Advanced Mobility (ITS Center)with
P ro f .
Suda,
the
Nanoelectronics Collaborative
Research Center with Lecturer

Iwamoto, and ICUS with Prof.
Uomoto.
At ICUS, a brief introduction of
the center activities was given by
P ro f . U o m o t o a n d t h e n t h efollowing talks were delivered:- “Sustainable Tsunami DisasterM i t i g a t i o n S y s t e m fo r t h e
Indian Ocean Rim Region andothers” by Prof. Kimiro Meguro- “Real Time Bridge Remote
Health Monitoring System” by
Dr. Sanae Miyazaki- “Integrated Information System
for Total Disaster Mitigation”
by Dr. Miho Yoshimura
At the end of the visit, group
pictures were taken.
(By P. Mayorca)

ICUS PARTICIPATION – IIS OPEN HOUSE

ICUS Newsletter Vol. 6, No. 3

Dr. Miyazaki explained about
real time monitoring of bridges

page 7

Inauguration Ceremony of BNUS and Seminars
The Bangladesh Network Office for
Urban Safety (BNUS) was inaugurated
by the honorable Vice Chancellor, Prof.
Dr. A. M. M. Safiullah of Bangladesh
University of Engineering andTechnology (BUET) on December 6,
2006, at the 4th floor of the Civil
Engineering Building, BUET, Dhaka.
Prof. T. Uomoto and Prof. K. Meguro of
ICUS attended the ceremony with Prof.
Md Hossain Ali, Dean of Civil
Engineering Faculty, Prof. Md.
Mazharul Haque, Head of the Civil

Attendants of the ceremony
with Vice Chancellor

VISIT TO JAPANESE EMBASSY
IN DHAKA

BNUS staff members
Engineering Department and Dr. Munaz
Ahmed Noor, project manager of BNUS.
Prof. Uomoto presented a talk on'Importance of Maintenance of Existing
Concrete Structures' at the Institution ofEngineers, Bangladesh, organized byEngineering Staff College, Bangladesh(ESCB) and BUET on December 5,
2006. Prof. Meguro also delivered a talkon ‘Recent Developments of Earthquake
Related Activities in Japan' on December
6, 2006 at the seminar room of the
Department of Civil Engineering, BUET.

Prof. Uomoto, Prof. Meguro and
Dr. Munaz Ahmed Noor (BNUS,
BUET) visited the Japanese Embassy inDhaka on December 6, 2006. The
professors explained ICUS activities andthe plan to cooperate with BUET to
Ambassador Masayuki Inoue and otherembassy staff members. They also asked
for support to the activities of ICUS,
especially the international symposium
which will be held in Dhaka in 2007.
(By T. Uomoto)Meeting at the Embassy of Japanin Bangladesh

ICUS Activities• All ICUS members attended the
USMCA 2006 held at Phuket, Thailand
on Nov. 16-17.
• Prof. Uomoto visited Istanbul, Turkey
from Oct. 15 to 18 to join the field
inspection of an undersea tunnel acrossthe Bosphorus strait. He traveled to
Udon Thani, Thailand from Oct. 24 to
27 together with Dr. Sahamitmongkol inorder to join the Thai Annual Concrete
Conference and sign a Memorandum ofUnderstanding with the Sirindhorn
International Institute of Technology,
Thammasat University. He attended the
2nd Asian Concrete Federation
International Conference from Nov. 19
to 23 at Bali, Indonesia together with
Drs. Kato, Kanada andSahamitmongkol. Prof. Uomoto visited
Sydney, Melbourne, and Gold Coast,
Australia from Nov. 26 to Dec.2 to give aseminar on concrete deterioration andhold meetings with teaching staff at
Monash University.
• Professors Uomoto and Meguro

visited Dhaka, Bangladesh from Dec.
4 to 7 to hold a seminar at the
Bangladesh University of Engineeringand Technology and meet theJapanese Ambassador to Bangladesh.
• Prof. Meguro visited Singapore from
Dec. 2 to 3 to attend the meeting of theBoard of Directors of the World
Seismic Safety Initiative.
• Dr. Oki was promoted to Professor on
Nov.1st. He retired from ICUS andreturned to the 5th Department of theInstitute of Industrial Science, theUniversity of Tokyo.
• Dr. Oki visited Bangkok/Phitsanulok,
Thailand from Oct. 15-22 to carry out
observations there.
• Dr. Ooka attended the 6th International
Thermal Manikin and Modeling
Meeting held at Hong Kong, China,
from Oct. 15 to 19.
• Dr. Kato stayed at AIT for his research
work and teaching duties at RNUS
from Oct. 23 to Dec. 8.
• Dr. Yoshimura held a series of four

lectures for introducing earthquake
engineering at Hayashi-cho
elementary school in Tokyo in
December. About seventy students
learned the meaning of seismic
vulnerability and importance ofcountermeasures through smallscale experiments.
• Dr. Kanada visited Seoul, Korea from
Nov. 3 to 5 to join the 2006 Korea
Concrete Federation Autumn meeting.
• Dr. Mayorca traveled to Lima, Peru
from Oct. 14 to 22 to introduce PPband retrofitting technique formasonry structures to several
governmental agency representatives.
• Dr. Sahamitmongkol stayed at AITfor his research work and teaching
duties at RNUS during Sept. 9-Dec.
18 and Dec.29-Mar.24.
• The RC-39 Committee met on
October 10. After the meeting Drs.
Kuwano and Miyazaki gave talks ontheir respective research activities.

AwardsCompton Backscattered Laser Photons• Drs. Kanada and Sahamitmongkol
Beam” and “Effect of Mix Proportion
received the “Best Concrete Researchand Cover Thickness on Electromagnetic
Award” at the 2nd Asian Concrete
Properties of Concrete Measured byFederation International Conference forRadar Method”, respectively.
their papers: “Radiography ofReinforced Concrete Structures Using • Dr. Worakanchana (Meguro

laboratory) received the “Excellent
Young Researcher Award” at
USMCA 2006 for his paper:“Voronoi Applied Element Method:
Theory and Application for Linear
and Non-linear Materials.”

ICUS Newsletter Vol. 6, No. 3

page 8
Editor’s Note
The word that showed social
conditions in 2006 was “Life (Inochi:)”. This word was chosen by apublic advertisement company basedon an interview survey carried out in
all Japan. The reasons why people
chose "Life" may be classified into thefollowing four categories: 1. Imperial
prince “Hisahito” birth; 2. frequent
occurrence of suicide (child suicidecuased by bullying, suicide of seniorcitizen because of hard living
conditions, etc.); 3. frequent
occurrence of painful accidents andevents (deaths in traffic accidents
caused by drunken drivers, cruelmurders, sudden deaths by natural
disasters such as tornadoes, etc.); 4.
frequent occurrence of events thatmake life feel uneasy (execution of
nuclear test in North Korea, increaseof medical treatment expense load forsenior citizens due to medical carereforms, doctor shortage, etc.).

(Reference: http://www.kanken.or.jp/
event/index.html)
The year 2006 ended with two
unhappy news that symbolized theabove issues: the suicide of adolescents
who worried about being bullied and amurder by the victim’s relative. It is very
difficult to find the actual reasons
behind these events and to takecountermeasures against them.
However,
I
think
that
“Communication”
and“Consideration” are important key
words to solve these problems. It is very
difficult or impossible to guess what
other party thinks. However, it is mostimportant to make our best effort toguess it in order to make an excellent
interpersonal relationship. Then, do notforget to try to guess others' thinking as
mentioned above. You cannot
communicate with the other party when
thinking that you completely
understood other party's thinking.
Modesty is always important. This isalso important for ICUS. We tackle

If you would like to contribute an article to ICUS newsletter orhave any comment or suggestion, please contact the editorialcommittee at icus@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
International Center for Urban Safety Engineering, ICUS
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo
4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
Tel: (+81-3)5452-6472, Fax: (+81-3)5452-6476
E-mail: icus@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp
http://icus.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/

International Center for
Urban Safety Engineering

Priest writing the kanji characterfor ‘Inochi’ or Life (Photo
courtesy of the Sankei Shinbun)
several problems in the field of urban
safety such as aging of structures,
natural disasters, environmental
destruction, etc. At this time, we should
not only pay attention to the object in
the concrete problem but also to thethinking of the users in the city. I am
wishing that our activity is useful for the
improvement of our “Life”.
(By Y. Kato)PRINTED MATTER