Please outline this person’s/firm’s significant contributions to the consulting
engineering industry and to the well-being of humankind. Please use additional
sheets if needed.

Please refer to the attached sheet for details.

Why do you think this person/company should receive an award? How does thisperson/firm meet the criteria of being recognised as an innovator that have turned avision into reality, an ambassador of the consulting engineering sector,
demonstrated that have generated employment and contributed to industry growth,and that have substantially contributed to the progress of society? Please use
additional sheets if needed.

Please refer to the attached sheet for details.

FIDIC Centenary Award
Yutaka Kubota

Nomination of Leading Consulting Engineer
Nominee : Yutaka Kubota
Country : Japan
1. Please outline this person’s/firm’s significant contributions to the consulting engineering
industry and to the well-being of humankind.

 Profile
Kubota Yutaka was born in 1890 in Kumamoto, Japan. After
graduation from Tokyo Imperial University (Faculty ofEngineering, Department of Civil Engineering), he wasinvolved in the development of electric power and theconstruction of large-scale hydroelectric power projects on the
Korean peninsula from 1930 to 1945.

After the end of theWorld War II, he drew upon his experiences in Korea toestablish Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. which is the first engineering
consultant firm in Japan. He devoted himself to the realizationof a variety of projects on the world stage, including theconstruction of hydroelectric power plants in the Southeast
Asia, and was a member of the United Nations Mekong River Basin Development Survey
Team. Until the age of 90, he continued to direct projects all over the world and tocontribute to the development of developing nations. In 1984, he invested his own resourcesto establish the Kubota Foundation for cultivation of young engineers in the developing
countries. In 1985 he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. He
died in 1986 at the age of 96.

 Contributions to the Consulting Engineering Industry
・ Kubota Yutaka has gained a historic reputation as a great civil engineer in Japan, ranking
together with Aoyama Akira and Hatta Yoichi. Furthermore, the scale of his work and its
impact on society go beyond the limits of a mere engineer. From the 1930s to the 1940s,
Kubota directed and supervised construction work on huge power plants on the Korean
peninsula. After the war he consistently used that experience to promote consulting services
pertaining to development overseas.
・ From the Meiji period on, Japan had developed almost all its key industries - iron and steel,electric power, railways, communications, ports, roads, etc. - as government enterprises.

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FIDIC Centenary Award
Yutaka Kubota

Eventually public works under the direct control of government offices were commissioned
to private contractors, and at the time design and construction were kept separate from thestandpoint of the transparency and fairness under the works contract. It was not until after
the war that design was commissioned to the private sector.
・ Unlike in the West, where the profession of consulting engineer holds a secure position
within the social framework, the importance of the profession was for a long time notacknowledged in Japan. Wishing to somehow put an end to this situation in Japan,

Kubotaworked hard to establish the position of consultant firms in Japan, building on theachievements and trust gained from his overseas development projects. It was Kubota
who introduced to Japan the business code of the Association of Consulting Engineers,
founded in Great Britain in 1913.
・ Kubota also attempted to make the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Japan understand theimportance of the consultant. These efforts paid off, and from 1963 the Ministry of Tradeand Industry hammered out, as a long-term measure for the promotion of exports, the policyof greatly encouraging the overseas activities of consulting firms, and all kinds of measures
came to be put in place. As a part of this policy, in 1964 the Engineering and Consulting
Firms Association was established to promote the overseas activities of consultants. Its firstchairman was of course Kubota. From then on, Kubota focused on the development of theindustry from a global viewpoint, for example actively introducing to Japanese companies
the FIDIC standard contract forms.
・ Today consulting companies in Japan have gained a sound status both at home and abroad,with increased recognition of the importance of the role they play.

 Contributions to the Well-being of Humankind.
・ Throughout his life, Kubota Yutaka directed and supervised an enormous number ofdevelopment projects large and small, mainly overseas and mainly involving hydroelectric
power generation. Below are listed some of the more representative projects which are
outlined in Appendix A.
¾

1930-1945: Yalu River Basin Development (Pujon-gang Dam, Changjin-gang Dam,
Supung Dam), Korea¾

1946-1980s:
Baluchaung hydropower generation project, BurmaDa Nhim general development project, South Vietnam



Nam Ngum multipurpose dam project, Laos

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FIDIC Centenary Award
Yutaka Kubota

Brantas river integrated development project, Asahan multipurpose dam project,
Indonesia¾

In addition to the above, in the 1950s Kubota served as a consultant to the United
Nations Mekong Committee and as a leader of the Japanese committee’s survey team,drawing up the blueprint for the integrated development of the Mekong River Basin,
which became the foundation for the subsequent development projects for the area.

Each and every one of the development projects undertaken by Kubota Yutaka is at the present
time operating as an important part of the infrastructure of the country where located; each one
is greatly appreciated by the country and its people, and Kubota’s achievements are valued
highly. The principle commendations awarded to Kubota are listed in Appendix B and the major
awards given by the foreign countries are as below:
1958: Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Cambodia
1962: Mining Industry Award of the Minister of Labor of the Republic of Burma
1964: Order of the Golden Perfume (2nd Class) of the Republic of Vietnam
1965: Order of the Million Elephants 2nd Class of the Kingdom of Laos
1971: Order of the Silver Badge of the Kingdom of Laos
1973: First Order of Merit for Public works, Transport and Communications of the
Republic of Vietnam
A Christian, Kubota Yutaka was particularly enthusiastic about technology transfer and thedevelopment of human resources. This was because of his firm belief that independence andself-help were essential for the sustainable growth of the developing nations, and that for thisthe transfer of technology to the country and the development of human resources were
important. Finally Kubota decided to provide financial support to allow young engineers to visit
Japan from their own developing country, study in companies, schools and research institutions
and on returning home draw on what they had learned and experienced to contribute to thedevelopment of their countries. In 1984 he invested his own resources to establish the Kubota
Foundation. To date a total of 246 ambitious engineers from 34 countries have been awarded
grants, the total amount coming to some 240 million yen. This is one more way in which theconvictions of Kubota Yutaka have contributed to the well-being of humankind.

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FIDIC Centenary Award
Yutaka Kubota

2. Why do you think this person/company should receive an award? How does thisperson/firm meet the criteria of being recognized as an innovator that has turned a vision
into reality, an ambassador of the consulting engineering sector, demonstrated that hehas generated employment and contributed to industry growth, and has substantiallycontributed to the progress of society?

 As an Innovator that has turned a Vision into Reality
・ Before and during the World War II, the development plans for the Korean peninsula drawn
up and put in to practice by Kubota Yutaka were, within the limits of the national strength ofJapan at that time, huge and innovative. Driven by his passion and faith, he directed andsupervised very difficult engineering works, and the fact that he brought to completion
essential power-generating facilities and other public works is nothing less than amazing.
・ After the war he consistently played a leading role in growth of Japanese consultant

industry on the model of spirit of CE promoted by FIDIC. The bulk of his achievements
were in development projects overseas, but at the same time it was Kubota who essentiallycreated the mechanism for present-day assistance projects undertaken through Japanese
ODA. It can be said that it was through projects like Da Nhim in Vietnam and Brantas inIndonesia that the present-day international yen loan-based project schemes came into being.
Appreciation of this point makes it clear that the development projects Kubota worked onoverseas were landmark events not only for the beneficiary countries and their people, butalso for Japan.
・ Japan has now at last begun to initiate public-private partnerships (PPP) for infrastructuredevelopment projects, but Kubota Yutaka was already a pioneer of this kind of scheme in
the Asahan development project in Indonesia.

 As an Ambassador of the Consulting Engineering Sector
・ Kubota Yutaka was always a man ahead of his time, who was the driving force behindconsulting companies in Japan. The Mekong River development plan and otherdevelopment plans in Asia pioneered by Kubota led to Japanese consulting companies
making aggressive advances overseas. This aspect alone is indicative of Kubota’s
immeasurable contribution as an ambassador of the consulting engineering sector.

 Generation of Employment
・ In 1945 after the Potsdam Declaration was issued and Japan was defeated, Kubota and hiscolleagues, subordinates and engineers were repatriated to Japan with nothing but theclothes on their backs.

Japan too had been reduced to ashes. Greatly concerned for his

4FIDIC Centenary Award
Yutaka Kubota

3,000 workers who were in need of employment and payment, Kubota set up a corporationand stock company to provide jobs for those who had been repatriated. This stock company
is the present-day Nippon Koei Co., Ltd., and he had served as a president till 1973 and achairman till 1986.
・ At the present time Nippon Koei together with its group companies employs some 2,950
persons; coincidentally the approximately same number as the number of repatriates who
were with him at the end of the war.

 Contribution to the Industry Growth・ Throughout his life, Kubota Yutaka considered the promotion of industry to be essential forthe growth of society, and moderately-priced, stable hydroelectric power an effective means.
With this as his core belief, he turned his energies towards the stabilization of thedeveloping countries through flood control and the promotion of agricultural development.
Essential to this is the existence of a consultant able to carry out site surveys, plannings andevaluations and make proposals. Through Nippon Koei, and through various organizations,
Kubota put this idea before the world. No discussion of the growth of the Japanese
consultant business is possible without mention of Kubota.
・ Kubota’s own words:“It is consultancy work that is really rewarding. The uniquely human power to create - it’s
the consultant that embodies that. The path the consultant walks is hard and forbidding.” Contribution to the Progress of Society
・ As a young boy, Kubota Yutaka came across his first electric lamp, was impressed by themarvel of electricity coming from the power of water, gazed on a waterfall and dreamed ofgenerating hydroelectricity. That dream remained unchanged throughout his life and wassomething of which he was always reminded at every period of his life. And beyond thatdream were societies in which hundreds of thousands, millions, of people could live happy
and productive lives. Kubota devoted his life to making his dream a reality.
・ Kubota’s own words:“A project without vision has no appeal, and will never be a sustainable undertaking. In
particular, there should be vision and hope for children and the young people who are thenext generation. If those in a position to provide vision have no vision of their own, what isgoing to happen?

We need to have a shared vision to come up to the challenge.”

・ As was mentioned above, Kubota Yutaka considered the education of the younger
generation to be essential for the sustainable growth of the developing countries, and used5

FIDIC Centenary Award
Yutaka Kubota

his own resources to establish a charitable trust fund (Kubota Foundation), from whichsome 246 young nation-builders from 34 developing countries have benefited to date.
・ The many of the young engineers expressed their gratitude to the Kubota Foundation thatthey could continue their study and research comfortably in Japan with its great support.
They also mentioned they will devote continuous efforts to the development of theircountries after their return home. All of them are following in the footsteps of Kubota
Yutaka.

Appendices
Appendix A : Outline of the Project that Mr. Kubota InitiatedAppendix B : List of Decorations and Medals

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FIDIC Centenary Award
Yutaka Kubota

Appendix A
Outline of the Project that Mr. Kubota Initiated1. Yalu River Basin Development (Pujon-gang Dam, Changjin-gang Dam, Supung Dam),
Korea
The total power generating capacity of thecompleted project, including the Supung Power
Plant that at the time was acclaimed as the largest
in the world, was in excess of 1.6 million kW,
and the power-generating projects still in thedesign/construction stages reached 2.5 million
kW. In combination with his implementation of
the power generation project, Kubota also devoted himself to therealization of railways and other public infrastructure. These projects arestill in operation today, and are deemed to form the basic infrastructure of
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; the Supung Dam is portrayed

as a symbol of the country on the coat of arms of the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea.

2. Baluchaung Hydropower Project, Burma
The concept of the power generation project on the BaluchaungRiver, a tributary of the great River Salween in Myanmar, was todevelop the fast-flowing section of the river in three stages togenerate 240,000 kW of electricity. It was decided to first construct
the No 2 Power Plant, where the difference in elevation was mosteffective (Phase 1 work), and Kubota Yutaka directed andsupervised the project in its entirety, from the planning to thedesign and construction supervision. He also single-handedly
undertook the financial preparations and the negotiations with Burma and Japan, leaving a
powerful impression at home and abroad of the role of the consultant. The Phase 1 Work wascompleted in 1960, but the ever-increasing demand for electricity in Myanmar due to thepromotion of industrialization could not be met by the No 2 Power Plant alone; financed
through Japanese ODA, construction of the No 1 Power Plant upstream went ahead, and wascompleted in 1992. The Baluchaung Power Plant remains even today an important source ofenergy, accounting for some 20% of all the electrical power generated in Myanmar.
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FIDIC Centenary Award
Yutaka Kubota

3. Da Nhim General Development Project, South Vietnam
France had already done the surveying and planning for the Da Nhim development project inwhat was at the time South Vietnam, but Kubota Yutaka offered his own original power
generation scheme. The Vietnamese government of the time entrusted the decision regarding theappropriateness of the proposals put forward by Japan and France to the United Nations. As aresult, the scheme proposed by Kubota was adopted, after which time Nippon Koei took on thetask of consulting for the project. The plan was to create a reservoir at an altitude of 1,000 m inthe upper reaches of the Dong Nai River which joins the Saigon River and to construct the No 1
Power Plant to generate 160,000 kW by diverting the water from the reservoir towards theeastern seacoast. In addition, the plan involved channeling the water discharged from the power
plant to the Phan Rang Plain to promote an irrigation scheme (19,600 ha) and using the natural
harbor of Cam Ranh Bay located some 50 km north of the power plant to promoteindustrialization.
The Da Nhim Power Plant was completed ahead of schedule, in 1964. In 1975 at the end of theVietnam War it continued in operation as a major power plant of the Southern Power
Corporation; even today it has an annual operating rate of 75% and provides a stable electricity
supply of 1,100 GWh per year. This project became the model for later assistance schemes
under Japanese ODA.

4. Nam Ngum Multipurpose Dam Development Project, Laos
The Nam Ngum multipurpose development
project was a development project based on a
study report prepared by Kubota Yutaka at therequestoftheUnitedNations

MekongCommittee. With Nippon Koei taking on the taskof consultant and under the direction of Kubota alarge reservoir with a capacity of 7 billion tons,

8FIDIC Centenary Award
Yutaka Kubota

the largest in the Mekong River Basin, came into being. Of special note is the fact that under anelectric power exchange agreement between Laos and Thailand, electric power for the initial
work was provided from Thailand and since completion of the Nam Ngum Dam surplus poweris sold to Thailand. Even today electricity continues to be sent across the Mekong River,providing Laos with an important source of foreign currency.
5. Brantas River Integrated Development, Indonesia
Indonesia’s second largest city Surabaya is well known
as the country’s leading breadbasket. However, fifty
years ago this area was constantly plagued by flooding
and drought. The cause was inundation by the great
Brantas River. In addition volcanic eruptions from Mt
Kelud caused huge amounts of matter emitted from thevolcano to flow into the river:local farmers wereconstantly at the mercy of the elements. Kubota Yutaka
came up with the concept of preventing natural disasters through afforestation of themountainside, flood prevention work and irrigation, and in addition turning the surrounding area,with its naturally fertile soil, into a huge breadbasket. He proposed the integrated developmentof the river basin, including the development of a flood control/irrigation dam as the first step inflood prevention, agricultural/irrigation planning, river improvement and the provision of anurban and industrial water supply. This was the first river basin comprehensive Master Plan. The
Karangkates multipurpose dam project, the Kali Konto multipurpose dam project and four otherprojects considered priority projects under this plan were picked out and put into execution.
Nippon Koei took on the task of consultant, and has served as consultant ever since, for overfifty years.
The Brantas River Basin development project became a Japanese ODA Loan Project; in 1973
the second Master Plan was drawn up, and in 1986, the third. In the 40 years to 1999, 23
projects for the development of the Brantas River Basin and six
projects for the development of Surabaya City have been
executed. Agricultural and irrigation projects have increased riceproduction to nearly twice what it was, and today the Brantas
River Basin has come to account for thirty per cent of all riceproduction in East Java.
In carrying out the Brantas River Basin development project, efforts were made to ensure thattechnology was transferred to the Indonesian engineers. Through the surveys, design and

9FIDIC Centenary Award
Yutaka Kubota

engineering

work

the

implementation

structureandorganization of the Indonesian side was strengthened and at
every level technology transfer and human resource
development were implemented, making this an outstanding
example of successful capacity building. It is reassessed
today as an assistance project typical of Japanese ODA.
6. Asahan Multipurpose Dam Development Project, Indonesia,
The Asahan development project is the largest-scale engineering
works to have been carried out in Indonesia following
Independence; a monumental enterprise completed by a taskforce
of several hundred Japanese and Indonesian engineers, 5,000
workers in the power generation sector and some 10,000
Indonesian

engineersinthealuminium

smelting

sector,overcoming differences in language and customs to work together
in unity and cooperation.
It was in 1942, the year after he had completed the Supung Power
Plant, that Kubota first surveyed Lake Toba and the Asahan Riverin Sumatra. The end of the World War II meant that Kubota once withdrew from the project, but
in 1953 he proposed to the government of Indonesia a plan for the construction of ahydroelectric power plant and various fertilizer plants. Against Kubota’s wishes the scheme
went ahead as an aid project of the USSR, but was brought to a halt due to a change ofgovernment. Kubota implemented his own Asahan investigation and with the permission of thegovernment put together an Asahan development project plan that combined hydroelectric
power generation with aluminium smelting, and at long last the project became a reality. The
realization of the Asahan multipurpose integrated
development project brought about not only thedevelopment of aluminium-related enterprises but
also the economic and social development of thewhole of northern Sumatra, through the constructionof industrial infrastructure - electricity, ports, roads
etc. - and the provision of social infrastructure, suchas schools and hospitals.

10FIDIC Centenary Award
Yutaka Kubota

7. Mekong River Basin Integrated Development
In October 1945 the United Nations was established, and in the following year the Economic
Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE, now ESCAP, the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific) was established as a regional commission. Until theconclusion of the Geneva Convention the activities of ECAFE were perforce restricted, but in
1955 the holding of the general meeting in Tokyo provided the occasion for the start ofinitiatives aimed at the reconstruction of Indochina. The Mekong Lower Basin Study Group wasestablished, and Kubota Yutaka, who was already working on Baluchaung and Da Nhim, wasinvited to be a special advisor. In 1957 the Mekong Committee was formed under ECAFE, andKubota four times carried out field surveys as leader of the Japanese Committee Inquiry
Commission (Mekong River Development Committee). The report compiled in 1961 was highly
praised by the Mekong Committee.
The report explains the development concept for 34
main tributaries by country, evaluates, selects andproposes projects that offer good potential asdevelopment

projects.

It

also

presentedadevelopment concept not only for the tributaries but
also for the main stream of the Mekong. The plan
aimed to promote industry through electrification of
the region by providing a moderately-priced, stablesupply of electric power and to stabilize agricultural production, using reservoirs to both control
flooding and provide irrigation with a view to self-sufficiency and the processing/export ofsurplus agricultural produce. The plan also proposed the use of the rivers for improved inland
water transport. The Mekong Committee accepted this report and carried out feasibility studies
for one project in each country, financed by the United Nations Special Fund (UNSF, later theUNDP). The projects selected were the Nam Ngum multipurpose dam development project for
Laos, the Nam Phong multipurpose dam project for Thailand, the Battambang River Basindevelopment for Cambodia and the Upper Sesan River development project for Vietnam.
The series of studies carried out under the United Nations made the name of Kubota Yutaka
known throughout the world.

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FIDIC Centenary Award
Yutaka Kubota

Appendix B

List of Decorations and Medals

April
May

1941

Korea Government-general Culture Prize

1942

Asahi Shinbun Cultural Award, Japan

1942

Daido Denryoku Memorial Prize, Japan

1942

Third Order of Merit of Manchuria

1955

Blue Ribbon Medal, Japan

1958

Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Cambodia

1962

Mining Industry Award of the Minister of Labor of the Republic of Burma

1964

Order of the Golden Perfume (2nd Class) of the Republic of Vietnam

1965

Second Class Order of the Sacred Treasure, Japan

1965

Order of the Million Elephants 2nd Class of the Kingdom of Laos

1970

Japan Society of Civil Engineering Merit Award

1971

Order of the Silver Badge of the Kingdom of Laos

1971

First Order of Merit for Public Works, Transport and Communications of
the Republic of Vietnam

April

1974

December 1982

First Class Order of the Sacred Treasure, JapanThe Most Puissant Order of the Gurkha Right Arm Second Class of theKingdom of Nepal

October 1984

Republic of Korea Golden Pagoda Award for Industry

April

Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, Japan

1985

September 1986

Senior Grade of the Third Court Rank (posthumous) , Japan

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