2018. 1. 9Japan Society of Civil Engineers
International Activities Center

IAC News No.63
New Year’s Greetings
I hope the New Year finds you in excellent sprit and brings you and yourfamily a fortune and happiness.
Last autumn, I attended the ASCE’s 2017 Convention held in New Orleans,
Mississippi and had an opportunity to meet three ASCE presidents, theincumbent and incoming presidents and the president-elect. All three werefemale engineers, that was a nice surprise for me.
It is important to strengthen the communication between ASCE and JSCE inorder to more effectively respond to the challenges of aging infrastructures
and the risks posed by violent, large-scale natural disasters, that I mentioned

OHISHI, Hisakazu

in my last essay in the IAC News. Considering that, I made two proposals to 105th JSCE President
the three presidents. One was to put two heads together to examine and explore what civil engineering should
be to mitigate disaster risks, and to review and re-define the efforts we make to achieve that. The other was tostrengthen JSCE’s and ASCE’s efforts to address the common challenge of aging infrastructure, competing witheach other in research and development.
Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK: Japan Broadcasting Corporation) has aired the programs featuring mega natural
disasters several times recently. Those programs send pretty good messages to remind people what they should
do to respond to the risks of large-scale natural disasters induced by climate change and extreme weather aroundthe world.
I meanwhile am very disappointed in those programs. For, they have seldom mentioned the importance ofstrengthening risk reduction measures and social protection while have stressed on the significance of making
accurate forecasts, planning and implementing disaster preparedness and emergency response.
Making accurate forecasts, planning and implementing disaster preparedness and emergency responses, andenhancing risk reduction measures and social protection must be emphasized equally and dealt with accordingly.
I am convinced that it is vital to build collaborations among those countries which have conducted numerous
studies and researches, gained various experiences and knowledge, and acquired a significant amount of data inorder to unerringly achieve those actions.
Seeing the government’s poor policies and schemes for infrastructure development and media’s not-wellbalanced opinions, I can’t help but saying that it is absolutely necessary for civil engineers not to stay behind,but to step forward and say what to say, knowing that they share the common views of the governments andmedia. I therefore keep my hope up that you civil engineers working international projects in the civil
1engineering field will make every effort to pursue your goals, pushing yourselves to excel while keeping goodterms with your international counterparts.

Report of JSCE Study Grant Tour 2017
Since 1992, with the support of the “JSCE International
Scientific Exchange Fund,” the Study Tour Grant (STG)
program has been inviting students of civil engineeringor young engineers, who have been recommended as
excellent by societies within the Agreement of
Cooperation (AOC), to visit Japan. A single participant
was accepted from each of the six countries ofMyanmar, Vietnam, Mongolia, Turkey, the Philippines,
and Thailand in 2017.
Spending a week in residence from September 10th toAt the Erosion Control Construction Site in the Great Aso

September 16th, and in accordance with a program Bridge district
planned by the International Scientific Exchange Fund
Committee, they gained knowledge of civil engineering technology in Japan and deepened their exchanges withJapanese civil engineers and researchers.
The program is constructed around three activities: visits to technical research facilities, inspections ofconstruction sites, and presentations at the International Summer Symposium (International Program) held at2017 JSCE Annual Meeting.
List of ParticipantsParticipant’s nameRecommending organization

Mr. Mai Hoang Bao

VFCEA (Vietnam Federation of Civil Engineering Associations)

Mr. Ganzorig Tsevelsuren

MACE (Mongolian Association of Civil Engineers)

Mr. Pau Sian Muan

MES (Myanmar Engineering Society)

Ms. Tugce Ceran

JSCE Turkey Section

Mr. Al-Adzhar P. Usman

PICE (Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers)

Mr. Pornnarong Lueanpech

JSCE Thailand Section

On the 11th, for the first day of the JSCE Annual Meeting, after visiting Kajima Technical Research Institute’s
Nishi-Chofu Complex experimental site in Tokyo, they flew to Fukuoka Airport, then travelled to the Ito campusof Kyushu University, where they attended the networking reception organized by the International Activities
Center.
On the following morning of the 12th, they attended the 19th International Summer Symposium (Annual
Scientific Lecture Meeting/International Program) held at the same location and, together with many
international students resident in Japan, made PowerPoint presentations of the papers they had prepared in their2home countries. In the afternoon, they departed Ito
campus for the city of Kumamoto by charter bus. On theway, they inspected the Yabegawa Bridge on the Ariake
Sea coastal road (a three-span continuous cable-stayed
prestressed concrete bridge opened in 2009 which has
the largest main tower separation for a concrete cablestayed bridge in Japan) and the right bank of the
Yabegawa embankments which ruptured due to theheavy rain in the northern Kyushu in 2012, and where
maintenance is now underway at the river disasterprevention station. Next, they visited the remains of the At the Right Bank of the Yabegawa Embankments
Miyanohara Pit at the Miike Coal Mine located in Omuta City, which is one of the Modern Industrial Heritage
Sites registered as World Cultural Heritage.
On the 13th, they inspected Kumamoto Castle which was damaged in the Kumamoto earthquakes of 2016, andobserved the state of unmanned construction at the site of the large-scale landslides that the earthquakes causedin the Great Aso Bridge district. On the way, they stopped by the Tsujun Bridge, well-known for its stone arch
construction (currently undergoing restoration work) and the Shirakawa Spring Source in Minami Aso, selectedby the Ministry of the Environment as one of Japan’s 100 best water sites, and where they were able to see thespring water itself at source. Afterwards, they returned by an evening flight from Kumamoto to Tokyo.
The 14th began with an inspection of the ongoing Tajiri
construction work (Taisei JV) on the Tokyo Gaikan Expressway inIchikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, before a visit to the Shimizu
Institute of Technology Research Facilities in Tokyo, and the JRTokyo Station north road area maintenance and construction site
(Obayashi Corporation). The schedule was tight, with little freetime, but on the evening of the 14th, there was an opportunity formembers of the International Scientific Exchange Fund Committee
and the STG participants to enjoy dinner together.
On the day before their final departure, they took a water bus along
the Sumida River from Hinode Pier to Asakusa, and walked aroundthe Asakusa area before ascending the Tokyo Sky Tree to enjoy theview across Tokyo.
Thanks to all cooperative efforts involved, particularly those of the STG participants receive a lecture at the
Kyushu Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land,

Shimizu Institute of Technology

Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the program was concluded successfully and without incident. We express
our gratitude and hope to receive your ongoing cooperation.
【Reported by Committee on International Scientific Exchange Fund】

3

【Alumni of DOBOKU Series】“Important roles of international collaboration between Japan
and Vietnam in the development of civil engineering”
Nguyen Hoang Giang
Associate Professor / Director, International Cooperation Department / Director,
Vietnam - Japan Institute for Advanced Technology (VJIAT),
National University of Civil Engineering
Understanding Culture, a Start of Cooperation
In 2003, the year that I graduated from National University of Civil Engineering(NUCE) in Vietnam, the difference between constructions in Vietnam and those indeveloped countries especially in Japan was huge. A 20–stories building at the newtown My Dinh was considered as a good achievement for Vietnamese civil engineers
at that time. Now, we can have 81-Stories Building (Landmark 81) or beautiful Nhat
Tan Bridge (Japan – Vietnam Bridge), Noi Bai airport, Metro Line 1 Ho Chi Minh…
all of these have been happened thank to great and rapid international cooperation andNguyen Hoang Giang,
Associate Professor,
National University of
The great opportunity came to me as I got a JICA long-term training scholarship and Civil Engineering

contribution especially with Japanese partners.

took a master’s degree at Toyohashi University of Technology from 2004 – 2006. After
that, I got the Monbukagakusho scholarship for my PhD at Saitama University from 2007 – 2010. My research
topic was about the seismic stability of damaged reinforced soil walls where I conducted various types ofexperiments including a series of centrifuge tests at Tokyo Institute of Technology. There during these times inJapan, I experienced not only academic, research environment, but also important and interesting cultures andnetworking. Throughout seminars, international conferences, site visits and student symposiums such as JSCE’s,
I had established many fruitful relationships with colleagues and experts who later became important partners
for my research activities and international collaborations.
Starting from Small Steps
After completing my PhD in 2010, I returned to National University of Civil Engineering working as a lecturer
in the areas of inspection and maintenance. From 2013, I became Director of International Cooperation
Department and in 2016, an Associate Professor of NUCE. Besides my university work, I also deeply involved
with industries cooperating with corporations in areas such as soil improvement, span piles, steel pipe piles, andmonitoring. As Vietnam is in rapid development, I have had opportunities to be involved in many interesting
projects: Nghi Son thermal power plant, Thai Binh thermal power plant, Discovery Complex. The Japanesecompanies are very popular and dominant players in Vietnam’s construction market, thus an alumnus like I could
have the advantage of integrating in the industry with knowledge, culture that were gained during time in Japan.
There, I could see that alumni of Japan are one of the key factors for connecting and supporting business between
Japan and Vietnam.
As in NUCE, we have other alumni from Japan and other countries and we have been working together as a4

team to establish collaboration in research and education with the most important partner, Japan. Having started
with small steps such as organizing technical joint seminars, we continue to this day and have developed
important programs such as the Student Exchange programs with Japanese universities and companies, Joint
Master Program with Saitama University, JSPS Core to Core project, S.I.P, SATREPS. Together with Japan
Society of Civil Engineering (JSCE), in 2013, we established the Center for Promoting Vietnam - Japan Civil
Engineers Collaboration (CJV) in our campus, and I am the chair of this center. We also have Dr. Phan Huu Duy
Quoc from Shimizu Corporation as the co-chair of this center. Japanese construction companies and experts
could request our support and assistance when they visit Vietnam. Every year, we organize 5-6 seminars andhave a library that has Japanese codes, books and journals are available for public access.
In 2015, we established Vietnam – Japan Institute for Advanced Technology (VJIAT) in NUCE, which I am now
working as a director. We have been working with Japanese partners such as JFE Steel Corp. for technology
transfer, developing new structures, materials for Vietnam, market researches, establishing codes and technicalguidelines and training excellent Vietnamese engineers with Japanese language and culture then supporting them
to work for Japanese companies in Japan (Photo 1). With the fast growing market of Vietnam, we are very happy
and proud that together with Japanese partners, we have achieved some encouraging results and positive
contribution to societies.

Photo 1: Seminar with JFE Steel Corporation

A Typical International Cooperation Project: SATREPS
Most recently, we just got the acceptance for a
Science and Technology Research Partnership for
Sustainable Development (SATREPS) supported
by Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) and Japan Science Technology Agency(JST). The project’s title: “Establishment ofEnvironmentally

Sound

ManagementofConstruction and Demolition Waste and Its Wise
Utilization for Environmental Pollution Control
and for New Recycled Construction Materials in
Vietnam” (Photo 2). Saitama University is the

Photo 2: Signing Ceremony on SATREPS Project

primary institute from Japan and National University of Civil Engineering is the primary institute from Vietnam.
5

In this project, my role is as a project manager. The project involves other partners from both countries.
Japan:•

National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES)•

Center for Environmental Science in Saitama (CESS),

Vietnam:•

Ministry of Construction (MOC)•

Hanoi Department of Construction (Hanoi DOC)•

Haiphong Department of Natural Resources and Environment (Haiphong Donre)•

Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE), MONRE•

Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST)Our research addresses the hot issues in construction demolition waste management in Vietnam. The solutions
for the issues would probably change Vietnam’s legislations and regulations, socio-economic sectors as well as
environmental protection’s attitude.
This kind of international joint research project is very important for Vietnam at this moment since it could
utilize research results with government’s policies and management to generate business models as to support
the outputs of research. We really hope and believe that our project could greatly contribute to our society. We
aim to become a reliable partner and gateway to Vietnam for Japanese universities, experts and enterprises.

Profile: Born in Hanoi, Vietnam in 1980. He pursued Master (Toyohashi University of Technology) & PhD (Saitama University)from 2004-2010. Currently, Associate Professor and Director, International Cooperation Department / Director, Vietnam – Japan
Institute for Advanced Technology of NUCE.

《Column》Jiro Kuwano, Professor, Saitama University
Dr. Giang was my first PhD student at Saitama University. His research topic was“seismic stability of damaged reinforced soil walls” for which he had to go to Tokyo
Institute of technology, my previous
workplace, for his centrifuge model tests as
we did not have enough facilities at thetime. Although TokyoTech is not close to
Saitama-U, about an hour and a half, heseemed to be happy to go there and madenew friends. When we went to Cape Town inSouth Africa for a conference, Dr. Giang enjoyed a walk. “Giang,
how was a walk?” “I was pursued at the beach by a gang of two
young guys.” “What, could you get clear away from them?” “No,sir. I was caught up by them. But we are friends now!” Yes, it isindeed the goodness of Dr. Giang that he can be friends with
Prof. Kuwano and Dr. Giang at the Cape ofanyone anywhere. I am quite happy that he successfully plays an Good Hope in Cape Town, South Africa
active part in the international cooperation between Vietnam and (Sept. 2009)
Japan.
※Alumni of DOBOKU Series is in collaboration with Editorial Committee of JSCE Magazine.

65th JSCE Taiwan Civil Engineering Heritage Visit Report
The JSCE Communications and Public Relations Center held the “5th JSCE Taiwan
Civil Engineering Heritage Visit” over four days from 11th to 14th October, 2017.
Of the 19 participants, 16 were civil engineers and 3 were ordinary members of the
public, with around 70% on their first visit to Taiwan. Regular visitors are strongly
encouraged – “You can only see and experience this on these programs!”
The basic theme of this program is for visitors to walk in footsteps of those Japaneseengineers who devoted themselves to the development of Taiwan’s basic
infrastructure over the 50-year period of Japanese rule. The irrigation projects of
Yoichi Hatta, for which the people of the region continue to be grateful, are always
included in the viewing program as examples representative of the work of the many
Japanese engineers. On the visit to the Wushantou Dam Facility, Dr. Ko, Wu-Te,
Secretary General of the JSCE Taiwan Section, together with four members of the

Hideki Ogata
Director of Civil
Engineering Literacy
Promotion Group, JSCE
Communications andPublic Relations Center

Chia-Nan Irrigation Association attended and provided explanations. While walking
across the Wushantou Dam, we learned, amongst
other things that, as the largest dam in Asia at thattime, it had been designed by, and constructed under
the supervision of Yoichi Hatta, and that it is valued
for

its

contribution

via

irrigation

to

the

transformation of the Chia-Nan plain into a major
grain-producing region. The attendees were greatly
impressed that Yoichi Hatta’s accomplishments in
the irrigation of Chia-Nan served not only to create
one of the world’s great dams at the time, but
Laying flowers at the bronze statue and grave of Yoichi Hatta nearfollowing the construction, also made important the Wushantou Dam
contributions to society, such as through therealization of a water supply for three-year crop
rotation, thereby transforming and enriching the
lives of 600,000 local farmers up until the presentday.
While visiting the Taiwan Power Company Sun
Moon Lake Hydroelectric Power Station (renamed
to the Takuan Hydroelectric Power Station), thestation manager explained that, though construction
was suspended under the rule of Akashi Motojiro,
governor-general of Taiwan in 1918, through thework of Kanichiro Matsuki, Yosuke Yamagata,

Takuan Hydroelectric Power Station at Sun Moon Lake, Central

Nagashige Kunihiro, and Massu Horimi, the Taiwan, 748 m above sea level7

damming of the lake and the power plant construction was eventually completed over 16 years. Following this
explanation, we went on to inspect the facility in detail.
With comments such as “The times may change, but this provides an opportunity to feel pride in civil engineers
and in Japanese,” many participants expressed a desire that these visits should continue.

Report on 3rd Excursion to the Construction Sites and Joint
Company Information Session in Civil Engineering forInternational Students held in Kyoto
The International Student Network Group holds its
Construction Site Excursions and Company Information
Sessions to educate international students studying inJapan about Japan’s cutting-edge civil engineering
technology and to provide them with information about
civil engineering-related companies. Focusing on the
Kansai area, that group has been holding Construction
Site

Excursionsincombination

withCompany

Information Sessions since the first session in December
2014. A second session was held in January 2016, andthe third and most recent session was held jointly with

Commemorative photograph taken in front of a large PR
signboard for foreign tourists

the Kansai branch of JSCE on November 24th, 2017 in
the city of Kyoto.
For this year’s Construction Site Excursion, we were able to cooperate with the business owner, Kyoto National
Highway Office within the Kinki Regional Development Bureau of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport
and Tourism, as well as with the constructor, the Kyoto West Shield Branch Office of Nishimatsu Construction
Co., Ltd. In addition, four companies, including Nishimatsu Construction, joined the Company Information
Session, which was held in the hired conference room of Kyoto Research Park. The international student
attendance was 16 for the Construction Site Excursion and 17 for the Company Information Session.
International student affiliated schools- Kyoto University, Ritsumeikan University, Setsunan University, Wakayama University, and National Instituteof Technology, Akashi College
Excursion destinations- National Highway No. 9 Kyoto West Utility Tunnel Shield Construction
Companies in attendance at the Company Information Session (Venue: Conference Room of Kyoto Research Park)- Nishimatsu Construction Co., Ltd., Eight-Japan Engineering Consultants Inc., NEWJEC Inc., and Obayashi
Corporation

In a conference room within the National Highway No. 9 Kyoto West Utility Tunnel Shield Construction Site,
Nishimatsu Construction staff provided an outline explanation of the details of construction, including planar
and vertical section alignment, geological conditions, the slurry shield machinery and slurry discharge systems
used, etc. They also explained the diversified current status of shield machinery from the points of view of crosssectional shapes, excavation lines and underground joining. Next, while observing various slurry treatment8equipment, participants moved to the start shaft
opening, where they viewed the φ 5.32 m slurry shieldmachine which is due to begin its advance in the near
future, and which has been set in place at the base of
its approximately 40 m-deep shaft. On site, young
engineers from Indonesia and Vietnam working for thecompany also participated.
Although the site visit was brief, there was time at aquestion and answer session for questions concerning
the presence or absence of effects of shield excavationongroundsurfacesubsidence,

International students are briefed by young foreign national
engineers belonging to Nishimatsu Construction

subsidence

countermeasures, the involvement of consultants inproject implementation and the respective uses of RC segments and steel segments. Finally, participants wereable to see the central control room through a glass window partition in the wall of the neighboring room, fromwhich they curiously viewed the monitor screens installed there.
The Company Information Session was divided into
two halves, with the first half including ten minutepresentations by staff from the four participatingcompanies, with each company introducing theirrespective business operations and representative
projects, as well as providing information regarding
their overseas development etc. Following a change insetup, in the second half, the participating international
students were divided into four groups of three to fivepeople, with each group spending 10 minutes at a timein conversation with the staff from each of the fourCompany Information Session with the groups separated by
Screen Partitions

companies. Though starting 30 minutes earlier thanscheduled, the session went on to run beyond its scheduled closing time.
As was the case for our previous excursion, it was possible to sense the high degree of interest the international
students had in the construction sites and in Japanese industry. Aiming to collaborate with the international
students’ universities etc., and while improving how the meetings are held, the International Student Network
Group plans to continue to hold these events, providing opportunities for international students to study Japanese
civil engineering technology and to obtain information about the industry.
Finally, I express my appreciation for the generous cooperation received in holding this event from Naoki
Matsuda, Deputy Director of the Kyoto National Highway Office, Tamio Horiuchi of Nishimatsu Construction
Kyoto West Shield Branch, the Kansai Branch of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers and all other parties
concerned.
【Reported by Jun Saito (Kyoto University), International Student Network Group, IAC】

9

ACECC TC21 Session at World BOSAI Forum was a Success!
World BOSAI Forum was held in Sendai, Japan from November 25 to 28, 2017. The
purpose was to discuss efforts to put into practice the ideas of “Sendai Framework,”
which was adopted at Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in
March 2015. The participants were selected from BOSAI related professionals fromindustry, government, and academia worldwide. On November 27, JSCE hosted thesession “Transdisciplinary Approach (TDA) for Building Societal Resilience toDisasters - Efforts towards Achieving the Goals of Sendai Framework.” (Figure 1)
This session was held as a part of TC21’s activities. TC21 was established as the 21st Yoshihiro Katsuhama
Secretariat of ACECC

technical committee of Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council (ACECC) under TC21 Support
Co-Chairs Dr. Kuniyoshi Takeuchi, Professor Emeritus at University of Yamanashi and Committee, JSCE

(Nippon Koei Co.,

Mr. Romeo S. Momo, Undersecretary of Department of Public Works and Highways Ltd.)
from Government of the Philippines. ACECC TC21 Support Committee(Chair: Dr. Takeuchi), which was constituted to support TC21’s activities
and collect, analyze, and offer the information regarding actual cases inJapan, prepared this session.
Following an outline of TC21 and the purpose of the session by the Chair,
Dr. Takeuchi (Photo 1), Mr. Masaru Arakida explained past and current
activities and plans of TC21, and Dr. Senro Kuraoka reported the areas ofpriority based on the field survey in the Philippines. Then, Dr. Masako
Yoneda, Director of Japan Academic Network for Disaster Reduction(JANET-DR) and Special Research Professor at Keio University, gave alecture on the efforts of TDA by JANET-DR. Following this, I,
Katsuhama, gave a substitute lecture for Dr. Harkunti Rahayu, a TC21

member, and Mr. Ting-Chi Tsao, a TC21 member, introduced the practice Figure 1: TC21 Session’s Flyer
of TDA in Indonesia and Taiwan. As the end of presentation, Dr. Takako
Izumi, a TC21 member, who also serves as Secretariatof the World BOSAI Forum, explained thesignificance and aim of TC21’s activities to achieve
the

goals

of

SendaiFramework.

After

the

presentations, there was a whole room discussion.
(Photo 2)
As the conclusion of this session, the following
recommendations were proposed toward a summaryof the forum by a Chairperson of World BOSAI
Forum Committee, Dr. Fumihiko Imamura, a
Photo 1: Dr. Takeuchi outlines TC21 and the purpose of theprofessor at International Research Institute of Session
Disaster Science, Tohoku University:10Achieve transparency in decision-making by transdisciplinary approach (TDA). That can make scientificknowledge-based decision-making possible, break down silos among stakeholders, and end corruption.

Photo 2: Main Participants of TC21 Session

Updates◆Summary of feature articles in JSCE Magazine Vol. 103, No. 1, January 2018 is available on the JSCE website.
http://www.jsce-int.org/pub/magazine◆Journal of JSCE
The Journal of JSCE is the collection of research papers which can be viewed on the JSCE website.
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/journalofjsce◆CECAR8 Call for Abstract: August 1, 2017 – February 28, 2018
http://www.cecar8.jp/◆Concrete Committee International Newsletter No. 51
http://www.jsce.or.jp/committee/concrete/e/newsletter/newsletter51/index.html◆Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council (ACECC) International Newsletter archives
http://www.acecc-world.org/newsletter.html◆【A Live Stream at Osaka and Nagoya】Japanese Civil Engineers the Global Leaders Symposium Series No.11“The Construction of Osman Gazi Bridge in Turkey – a suspension bridge with one of the world’s longest centerspan” will be held on January 24, 2018. The Symposium will be broadcasted on live streaming at Osaka andNagoya venue.
http://committees.jsce.or.jp/kokusai/node/116 (in Japanese)◆IAC Students and Alumni Network
http://www.jsce-int.org/IAC_network§ IAC News Subscription §The IAC News is one of the communication tools to share information and ideas with the members. We would like to invite
you, your friends and colleagues to join the communication and to subscribe the IAC News. Please register online:(http://www.jsce-int.org/node/150). We look forward to meeting you.
§ IAC Facebook §Recent activity of International Activities Center is introduced on this Facebook. By all means, please see this home page.
(https://www.facebook.com/JSCE.en)
Comments and Questions
Please send us your feedback and comments to help us improve the IAC news. We look forward to hearing from you.
JSCE IAC: iac-news@jsce.or.jp

11