2019. 10. 2

Japan Society of Civil Engineers
International Activities Center

IAC News No.84
2019 Annual Meeting, International Program- Prompt Report The 2019 Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of CivilEngineers (JSCE) was held from September 3 to 5 at theSaiwai-cho Campus of Kagawa University and othervenues. The International Activities Center holds
InternationalProgram,namelytheInternational

Roundtable Meeting, International Summer Symposium(International Session), International Workshop for
Young Civil Engineers (part of the Symposium), IAC
Networking Reception, and Technical Tour, on the firsttwo days of the Annual Meeting every year. This year,
we held the International Summer Symposium and IACInternational Roundtable Meeting (RTM)

Networking Reception at Kagawa University, andprograms such as the International Roundtable Meeting and International Workshop for Young Civil Engineers
at Kagawa Prefectural Comprehensive Social Welfare Center.
In this year’s International Roundtable Meeting, under the theme of “Effectiveness of Developing Quality
Infrastructure –Issues and Approaches-”, we reaffirmed the necessity of improving infrastructure to resolve
various issues confronting Asian countries. Our goal was to establish a shared awareness of the significance ofhigh-quality infrastructure and the impact of infrastructure improvements on social development. First, speakers
from the US, South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Mongolia made presentations on their activities
and issues. Then, participants outlined the infrastructure they need and discussed its quality and the importanceof high-quality infrastructure. The second half of the Meeting was an open discussion. Participants including
PICE (Philippines), which did not make a presentation as a speaker, activelyexchanged opinions. Discussions on the quality of infrastructure are expected
to continue.
This year marks the 21st since we started the International Summer
Symposium (International Session), which is another core part of theInternational Program. There were presentations on 52 papers, including
those prepared by the seven young overseas engineers who are participatingin the Study Tour Grant, a program subsidized by the JSCE International
Scientific Exchange Fund. Like last year, in the International Workshop for
Young Engineers, we discussed the measures taken by municipal
governments affected by earthquakes under the title of “When a Mega
Disaster Strikes ...How would you respond if you were a mayor?” and under
the directions of Yoshihiro Okumura, Associate Professor at Kansai
1Participants Discuss Post-DisasterPolicies as Mayors

University. Participants discussed the policies for measures against disaster, security measures for residents, andreconstruction activities from the perspective of the mayor of the municipal government. The policies werereported in a press-conference style. As there have been many natural disasters in recent years, the participants
seemed to consider specifically what should be prioritized and what directions and cooperation are needed byanalyzing countermeasures against disasters as if they were mayors.
On the first evening, IAC Networking Reception was held at bakery cafe “SORAMI” on the Saiwai-cho Campusof Kagawa University. Seventy-one people, including JSCE President Hayashi, International Activities Center,
Members from the Research and Studies Committees, International Guests, and participants of the International
Workshop for Young Civil Engineers attended. Regional cuisine of Kagawa was prepared, and the participants
enjoyed the food of Kagawa and making new friends across generations and country borders.
The Technical Tour on the second day was unique,consisting of visits to both construction sites andentertainingsites,

suchastheKabagawa

Damconstruction site, National Sanukimanno Park, ShinInohana tunnel construction site, Honen-ike Dam, andZenigata Sunae. The Tour was made possible with thecooperation of the Annual Meeting Steering Committee;
Shikoku Development Bureau, Ministry of Land,Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; Civil Engineering
Department, Kagawa Prefecture; Honen-ike Dam FanClub; and Kannonji City Tourism Association. We

In Front of Honen-ike Dam

received positive feedback from many of the participants,saying the Tour was very interesting. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who assisted us
throughout the Tour, from planning to implementation.
【Overview】Date：September 3&4, 2019
Venue：Kagawa University Saiwai-cho Campus, Kagawa Prefectural Comprehensive Social Welfare Center
Oversea Participants：JSCE Korean Section, JSCE Taiwan Section, JSCE Mongolian Section, JSCE Vietnam Section,
ASCE, Fed. MES, IEB, KSCE, MACE, PICE (25 participants from 8 countries and regions, excludingsummer symposium participants)【Program】(1) International Roundtable Meeting
Title：“Effectiveness of Developing Quality Infrastructure–Issues and Approaches-”
Date & Time：September 3, 13:30～17:00
Participants：64(2) The 21st International Summer Symposium
Date & Time：September 3&4, 8:40～11:55
Papers：52(3) International Workshop for Young Civil Engineers
Theme：“ When a Mega Disaster Strikes...-How would you respond if you were a mayor? -”Date & Time：September 3, 13:00～17:00
Participants：27(4) IAC Networking Reception
Date & Time：September 3, 17:30～19:30
Participants：71
Venue：Café Sorami, University Hall 2F., Kagawa University Saiwai-cho Campus(5) Technical Tour
Date & Time：September 4, 8:30～17:00
Participants：22
Visited Places：Kabagawa Dam Construction Site, Sanuki Mannou Park, Shin-Inohana Tunnel Construction Site,Honen-ike Dam, Zenigata Sunae2

Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown Tunnel Construction
Keele to Yonge Project◆ BackgroundIn this project, a joint venture group led by Obayashi Canada; a local
company of Obayashi Corporation and Kenaidan Contracting Ltd., oneof the Obayashi Group companies, constructed single track twin tunnels(inside diameter: 5.8 m) with a total length of 6.5 km each (first section:3.6 km; second section: 2.9 km), as part of the LRT line connecting theeast and west sides of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. The earth pressurebalance (EPB) type shield machine was applied. Though the project is Fumitaka Katafuchi Kenji Yamauchi
located in Toronto; the fourth biggest city in North America, it was (General Manager, (Deputy General
Civil Engineering

Manager, Civil

difficult to hire miners due to a short history of shield tunnel dept. North America Engineering dept.
branch, Obayashi

construction in the city. We needed to train and supervise non-skilled Corp.)
workers and ensure planned means and method to achieve sufficient

North America branch,
Obayashi Corp.)

workmanship.
◆ Challenges
Generally speaking, construction projects in North America are characterized by higher
labor costs and more difficult labor management compared with Japan. In this project, wealso spent much time managing workers from labor union. There was no experienced
Hiroyoshi Kawasaki

subcontractors due to the short history of shield construction in this area, and thus the (Manager,dept.
primary contractor had to directly hire each foreperson and worker as miners and manage Management
Civil Engineering

them throughout all stages during construction such as safety issues and construction means Division, Obayashi
Corp.)and methods, in order to proceed with the construction project.
In such a working environment, construction risks unique tooverseas projects are to be judged and managed. In an overseas

CanadaToronto

project like this one, it is quite normal to excavate a long distance
while carrying out intervention and replacing cutter bits
underground. By hiring local workers, the majority of whom had

United States

not many experience in tunnel work, we had to safely proceedwith the long-distance shield tunnel construction project whileproviding the workers with education and guidance onconstruction.

Location Map

Also, the risk allcation between a contractor and anowner is strictly determined in accordance with theSecond Section (2.9 km)

contract. Therefore, when bidding for a project,even like this one involving high-risk work such as

Second Section Starting Shaft

NATM excavation of cross passages (eight in total),
it is imperative to identify construction risks andoffer competitive price at the same time. This iswhat decides the bid results. It is important toevaluate risks while confirming the aspects specificFirst Section（3.6ｋｍ）

to the site and project from various perspectives
from the bidding stage, before actually bidding forthe project, concluding the contract, formulating theCrossing an Existing Subway Line

3First Section

plan, and proceeding with the construction.
These kinds of challenges unique to overseas projects are too numerous to mention. At the same time, they area precious experience that can be gained only overseas. If you regard the experience as an opportunity for
personal growth as a civil engineer, you will motivate by yourself to work, and when the construction is finishedwithout any accident, you will feel a profound sense of relief and accomplishment.
◆ For Young Engineers
Canada, a country with multicultural policies, is sometimes
regarded as a “cultural mosaic”, which describes thecharacteristics of the project team. Completion of theconstruction

project

requiredcooperation

among

multinational staff and workers who place a top priority on
their own values. I believe that working with colleagues
who have a different culture and sense of value is a good
opportunity not only to know the world outside but also tosearch your soul. We encourage young engineers toAt Arrival Shaft

challenge themselves by working overseas projects.

【Report by Fumitaka Katafuchi, Kenji Yamauchi, Hiroyoshi Kawasaki, (Obayashi Corp.)】

Japanese Civil Engineers the Global Leaders Symposium Series No. 14“The Project on Rehabilitation and Recovery fromTyphoon Yolanda” in the Philippines by JICA’s Project”
International Activities Center hosted “Japanese Civil Engineers the Global Leaders Symposium Series No.14”
at 2nd floor of the JSCE auditorium on August 28, 2019. Until the 13th symposium, this series focused onoverseas construction projects. But this time, it took another term; the theme was JICA’s rehabilitation andrecovery efforts after a natural disaster. The date of the symposium was right before the Disaster Preparedness
Day, Sept. 1 and over 60 people attended the event. The program was as follows:4

Program- Opening Speech
Makio Shichijo, Acting Senior Director, International Activities Center, JSCE(The 1st Part) Latest Situation of International Cooperation- JICA’s Efforts in the Field of Disaster Prevention and Rehabilitation from Disasters
Miki Inaoka, Senior Deputy Director, Disaster Risk Reduction Group, Global Environment Department, JICA
(The 2nd Part) International Emergency Assistance and Measures to Strengthen Disaster Prevention by JICA
~ Lessons from Assistance for Rehabilitation and Recovery from Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 ~- Framework and Examples of JICA’s International Emergency Assistance
Tsukasa Katsube, Senior Adviser (Humanitarian Assistance), Secretariat of Japan Disaster Relief Team, UN DisasterAssistance and Coordination Team (UNDAC), JICA
- Case Study of Rehabilitation and Recovery from Typhoon Yolanda in Philippines, Lessons and Challenges
Atsutoshi Hirabayashi, Senior Advisor, Infrastructure and Peacebuilding Department, JICA
- Support through Technical Cooperation Project ~The Project on Rehabilitation and Recovery from Typhoon Yolanda~
Masaki Todo, Director, Contents Development Division, Foundation of River & Basin Integrated Communications(FRICS)- Career Path for Civil Engineers Involved in International Cooperation
Soichiro Ide, Project Officer, Grant Aid Project Management Division, Financial Cooperation Implementation
Department, JICA
- Q & A Session- Summary
Yoshiaki Higuchi, International Activities Center, JSCE
- Closing Speech
Yukihiro Tsukada, Executive Director, JSCE

Typhoon Yolanda was a very powerful typhoon unprecedented in the weather observation history that hit Leyte
Island in the Philippines in November 2013. There were 6,300 casualties, and economic loss was estimated at
200 billion yen, due to strong winds and storm surges. Many countries offered assistance from soon after thedisaster.
In the symposium, after an opening speech by Mr. Makio
Shichijo, Ms. Miki Inaoka talked about the importance ofdisaster prevention to support sustainable development, theSendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
and international trends, and the characteristics of JICA asa donor.
After a break, four lecturers from JICA and FRICS who
were engaged in the Yolanda project made presentations
about various aspects.

Mr. Hirabayashi Introduces Case Study ofRehabilitation and Recovery from Typhoon Yolanda

Active discussions were made in the question and answer
session, which covered emergency assistance policy and how to approach disaster prevention for infrastructure.
In the closing, Mr. Yoshiaki Higuchi summarized the symposium, and Mr. Yukihiro Tsukada made a closingspeech.
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The next symposium will be held on Feb. 5, 2020, focusing on the Vietnamese Railway Bridge Rehabilitation
Project.

【Reported by Yoshiaki Higuchi (Oriental Consultants Co., Ltd.),
JSCE Fellow, Director of International Center, JSCE】

Updates◆Up-coming Events1. Workshop Japan and the Netherlands “Climate Adaptation and Resilience” (October 31, 2019)2. 2019 Site Excursion & Joint Company Information Session in Osaka (November 25, 2019)3. 2019 Joint Company Information Session in Tokyo (December 7, 2019)
4. 3rd Seminar on the Dissemination of Japanese Technical Standards Overseas (December 17, 2019)
5. Japanese Civil Engineers the Global Leaders Symposium Series No.15 (February 5, 2020)◆The International Infrastructure Archives– A Compilation of Japan’s Greatest Projects in Transfer of Civil Engineering Technology in Service –http://www.jsce.or.jp/e/archive/◆The International Infrastructure Archives– A Compilation of Japan’s Greatest Projects in Transfer of Civil Engineering Technology in Service –http://www.jsce.or.jp/e/archive/◆Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council (ACECC) International Newsletter
http://www.acecc-world.org/newsletter.html◆IAC “News Pick Up!!” on the JSCE Japanese website
http://committees.jsce.or.jp/kokusai/node/118◆Summary of featured articles in JSCE Magazine Vol. 104, No.10, October 2019http://www.jsce-int.org/pub/magazine◆Journal of JSCE
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/journalofjsce§ IAC News Subscription §The IAC News is one of the communication tools to share information and ideas with the members. We would like to invite
you, your friends and colleagues to join the communication and to subscribe the IAC News. Please register online:(http://www.jsce-int.org/node/150). We look forward to meeting you.
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(https://www.facebook.com/JSCE.en)
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