Contents■ Development of Strategic Stock Management■ New Main Projects■ The 5th Japan-U.K. Workshop on Advanced Technology in Highway Engineering■ RESEARCH REPORT of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (July-September, 2003)■ TECHNICAL NOTE of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (July-September, 2003)■ "2004 Annual Report of NILIM" is now on our website (in Japanese only, for the time being)

No.8

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March 2004

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N e w sL e t t e r

ISSN 0389-4150

massive quantities of social capital constructed so far takes■ Development of Strategic Stockon added importance.

Management

For this reason, while utilizing technology to extend the

The social capital of Japan has displayed dramatic

service life of individual facilities, it is necessary to develop

progress in terms of both quality and quantity. In

technology in order to control the service life of eachparticular, the stock of social capital that was formed

element of social capital and to disperse service life peaks.

during the period of high-level economic growth will enter

The National Institute for Land and Infrastructure

the renewal phase in the period from 2020 to 2030, andManagement, with the aim of developing a strategic stock

renewal and maintenance investment is expected to

management system for carrying out the planned andincrease greatly from now on. In consideration of harshstrategic maintenance, control, operation and renewal of

fiscal conditions in future, assuming that total investment

multiple units of social capital, is currently engaged in a

in social capital remains more or less the same after 2002,

research project for the Development of Asset Management

it is estimated that renewal and maintenance investment

Technology for Housing , Infrastructure and Building

will come to account for approximately 50% of the total

Stocks (2001-2004). In this research project, research andinvestment amount in 2025 (Figure 1).

development are being advanced from the dual viewpointsof developing management and operation technology for(Trillion yen)
(In the case of total social capital investment from 2002 onwards assuming ± 0%change over the previous year)
Maintenance investment

individual items of social capital stock, and developing
technology for realizing strategic management.
Before constructing a strategic stock management system,

Renewal investment
New investment
Disaster restoration investment

it is first necessary to gauge the condition of individual
facilities and to carry out control using appropriate
methods. Thus, in order to enable the selection of
appropriate maintenance technologies according to thestate and functions of facilities, research is being advanced
into methods for assessing the characteristics and effects ofeach individual technology.
Strategic stock management system development, which(Year)

Figure 1 Estimating investment in social capitaltargets multiple units, i.e. a group, of social capital in acertain area, aims to develop management and operation
technology that, 1) utilizes service life extension technology,

Meanwhile, ongoing renewal generates increased

repair technology, functional upgrading technology and use

quantities of solid waste products, and this situation isconversion technology, and 2) takes into general accountleading to a shortage of final disposal sites.

social characteristics such as financial conditions, asset

When fiscal and environmental issues such as these aretaken into account, the maintenance and renewal of thevalues, local environmental impacts, ripple effects on local
communities, historical features and landscape.

NILIM

News Letter

N I L I M

■ New Main Projects

be promoted, thereby leading to the construction andmaintenance of high-quality social capital at low cost.

1. Research for sophistication of consensusbuilding method in infrastructure
management ~ aiming to promote common
understanding and to raise satisfaction ~In the current situation where implementation of public
works with greater transparency and equity is being
demanded, it is necessary to develop a consensus-building
system that is even more appropriate and ensures greater
satisfaction than before. This research aims to conduct
examination into consensus-building processes andcommunication skill in infrastructure management, and toconstruct a knowledge sharing system for systematicallyaccumulating and utilizing know-how and research findings
obtained from past consensus-building cases in a wide rangeof sectors throughout the country. Information collected inthis way will be utilized in actual consensus-formation inprojects supervised by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure
and Transport, and newly derived ideas will be fed back into
the information sharing system once again.
Realization of such a cycle will contribute to theconstruction of a consensus-building system that is both
appropriate and satisfactory as a knowledge management
system.
Facilitation and Higher Satisfaction of Consensus Building in Infrastructure Management

OutcomeAccumulation,
sharing and utilization of
know-how
New ideasand Lessons

Practice ofconsensus building

Transition from
unspoken knowledge toformal knowledge

System development forsharing and utilization ofconsensus building knowledge

Systemized knowledge
sharing system
Proposal of a situationresponsive consensus
building process
Cross-sector analysis basedon project characteristics andlocal characteristics, etc.

DB items/search items
management systembuilding based on projectcharacteristics, etc.

Practice of consensus building
Examples of new ideas

Improvement ofcommunication
technology
Systematic arrangement of
the merits and demerits ofeach communication
technology, etc.

Figure 2 Constraction and Applicaion of Consensus-Building System

2. Development of Techniques for Assessing
and Controlling Overall Cost Reduction
Effects in Public Works
With a view to reducing the overall cost of public works
projects, including not only work costs but also social costand construction time, etc., the government has been
advancing work based on the Action Guideline for Addressing
Cost Reduction of Public Works (September 2000) and theCost Structural Reform Program (September 2003). However,
due to the fact that methods of converting social cost such as
mitigation of environmental impact, etc. into monetary value
have not been established, this has so far been omitted from
calculations of overall cost reduction rates in the Cost
Structural Reform Program. This research aims to develop
techniques for assessing overall cost reduction effect based on
the conversion of social costs, etc. into basic units giving
consideration to convenience on sites and controlling the cost
and time of public works. By reflecting the outputs of thisresearch into measures for cost structural reform, etc.,
measures for reducing overall cost including social cost,. will

Reduction of social cost
Paving made of recycled materials
Reduction of construction time
Using new construction methods
to reduce construction time

Reduction of life cycle cost
Paving that lower noise
Reduction of social cost
Use of construction sludge
as embanking material
Reduction of life cycle cost
Structures made of durable concrete

Reduction in construction work cost
Reducing number of main beams
Reducing labor requirements
Construction sludge
Recycling plant
Reduction of social cost
Low noise machinery, machinery
equipped with exhaust gas measures

Reduction of social cost
Development of new technologies
based on performance standards

Figure 3 Overall Cost Reduction (Example)

3. Research into the Influence of Soil and
Groundwater Contamination on River
Water Environment
While various chemical substances indispensable to ourmodern society are produced and used increasingly inwatersheds, those are not incorporated sufficiently into
watershed and river management. As a result, the concern
about their possible influence on river water environment is
growing, and people begin to claim for an extended
management system of a watershed and its rivers that includes
the behavior of chemical substances as a primary target.
This research project launches as a three years project inorder to respond such needs, and is aiming to provide with afoundation of implementing the extended management systemthrough the linkage to “Study on Risk Evaluation of Chemical
Substances in Water Environment”, which has already started
and deals with chemical substance transport through surface
water.
To achieve the purpose, it is necessary to clarify the actual
condition of soil and groundwater contamination and thedispersion process of contaminants, and to interpret thisinformation so that government in charge of managing a riverand people can take proper actions collaboratively in a
prevention , risk management and restoration stage. The

Ground water streamlines
are of great use for rapidly
identifying a source and pathof contaminants, whenground water contamination
is detected.

Together with the information of chemical characteristics of targeted substances
including dispersion and decomposition,the map enables selecting appropriate
measures of risk control in advance, such as dividing a river basin into areas of different
precaution level and applying a corresponding level of regulation to each area.

Potentially higher precaution should be taken for areas
with riverbed water where the water is capable oftransporting substances faster.

Ground water streamline:athicker streamline is drawn
for faster ground water flow.

Arrival time contour line: ground water on a contour line takes the same time to join the river water..

Figure 4 River Basin Map of Soil and Groundwater Contamination Behavior

followings are the major parts of the research: 1) gauge actual
conditions, 2) clarify mechanisms and assess impact, etc. byusing models, 3) prepare a “river basin map of soil andgroundwater contamination behavior, and 4) propose methods
for utilization of this.
This research also takes advantage of related institutional
systems now being evolved: for example, the system of PRTR
(Pollution Release and Transfer Register), and the soil
contamination countermeasures law.

4. Research into Measures for Promoting
International Tourism Based on
Networking of Local Resources andTransportation Hubs, etc
Last year, the government embarked on a new policy to build
a tourism-oriented nation, while at the same time the Ministryof Land, Infrastructure and Transport compiled the Broad
Outline of Policies for Development of a Beautiful Nation. This
project research, which aims to contribute to the deployment oftechnical measures for the promotion of international tourism,
entails analyzing the attribute-separate tourist behaviors ofvisitors to Japan and the tourism characteristics of local
resources, etc. and implementing examination into thefollowing areas: 1) techniques for networking local resources, 2)
techniques for networking transportation hubs, 3) techniques
for raising the value of gateway spaces, 4) techniques forcompiling databases of, and transmitting, tourism resource
information, and 5) preparation of guidelines for the approachof local governments and other related organizations working
to promote tourism.

5. Development of Building Performance
Assessment and Countermeasure
Technologies for a Sustainable Society
Since buildings consume large amounts of energy andresources in the various stages of at their lives such as
construction, operation and demolition. They also generate
carbon dioxide and C&D waste. In order to build a sustainable
society, it is essential to deal with such environmental
problems in the building sector prowptly.
This research aims to contribute to the dissemination andpromotion of buildings that have low environmental loads interms of global warming and C&D waste processing throughdeveloping and establishing 1) measurement and assessment
technologies for gauging environmental loads accurately ineach stage of building life, 2) countermeasures technology for
efficiently realizing these, and 3) optimization technology forsupporting the rational selection and combination of thesecountermeasures.
Moreover, it is planned to compile and effectively utilize local
government guidelines for improvement of building
environmental performance (draft), etc.

6. Development of Technologies for Thermal
Environmental Assessment andCountermeasures in Urban Spaces
In order to improve the thermal environment of urban
spaces typified by the heat island phenomenon, it isintended to develop techniques for gauging and assessing
urban thermal environments while utilizing geographicalinformation, etc., as well as developing techniques forsetting improvement measure target levels and technology
for forming effective urban environments that willcontribute to thermal environmental improvement in linewith local characteristics. Doing this will enable
quantitative assessment of composite countermeasures
such as urban greening, securing of water surfaces, etc.,
improvement of water-retentive pavements, improvement ofthermal performance of building exteriors, improvement of
the shape of urban areas, and so forth. In addition, it will
become possible for local public authorities, etc. to set
target levels for the thermal environment according to local
characteristics and to implement heat island
countermeasures in an effective and planned manner.
Setting of target
levels for urban
and district
thermalenvironments

Project managers(local publicauthorities andprivate sector, etc.)

Urban master plan
Green master plan
District planning system

Techniques for inducing
desirable urban spaces

Deployment anddecision of measures
Building of techniques for assessing
and introducing countermeasuretechnology taking local
characteristics into accountImprovement of urban
space thermal
environments throughimprovement of theform of urbanized land

Assessment ofcountermeasure benefits

Reduction of groundsurface heat
discharge througheffective greening,
etc. of urban spaces

Construction of windpassages throughnetworking of green
spaces and rivers

Reduction of artificial
exhaust heat throughintroduction of energy
conservation technology

Comprehensive and planned implementation of effective countermeasures taking local characteristics into accountFigure 6 Image of Urban Planning Techniques as Heat Island Countermeasures

BackgroundCO2 discharge control and C&D waste control
Control of environmental load in the building
sector is an urgent issue in Japan

18 Other Main Projects
Title of Project

Establishment ofenvironmental performanceassessment technology
Development of
optimization design andconstruction technology
based on environmental
performance assessment

Market inducements

Measures against Global Warming
Establishment and practical application of techniques for assessing CO2
emissions and C&D waste discharge over the life cycle

Technologies for Zero Emissions and Recycling Oriented Society
Stock Management System of Housing and Infrastructure

Development of optimization techniques enabling selection of technologies tocombine environmental performance"Toward a Pleasant, Beautiful Tokyo Bay"
Sound Hydrological Cycle and Sediment Transport System
Watershed/Urban Regeneration in Accord with Nature

Development of countermeasure technology to realize combination withimprovement in environmental performance

Compilation of local government guidelines for improvement of building
environmental performance (draft) contributing to the promotion of supply ofbuildings with excellent environmental performance on the market

Health - conscious Built Environment
Renaissance of the Urban Area
Advanced Assessment Methods for Pubulic Works Projects
Advanced Cruise-Assist Highway System(AHS)
National Land Management Technologies Using IT

Utilization of outputs
Construction of sustainable society
Dissemination of buildings with minor environmental impact

Figure 5

Minimizing natural disaster risks in urban areas
Improving the safety and amenity of road-space

Outline of Project

Water control technologies to deal with global-scale fluctuations of water cycle
Integrated risk management of chemicals in water body
Building standard and technology systems for intelligent buildings and houses
Policies for airports development suitable to a future air service network in East Asia
Enhancement of a multi-modal transportation system

■ The 5th Japan-U.K. Workshop on Advanced Technology in Highway Engineering
were carried out into analysis of accidents etc. and
The 5th Japan-U.K. Workshop on Advanced Technology inplanning and implementing of road safety measures.
Highway Engineering was held at the National Institute forWith a view to realizing even greater research cooperation
Land and Infrastructure Management and Kyusyu Regional
and information exchange between both countries, on
Development Bureau on November 10 to 14, 2003. The
November 10 the extension of the Implementing Agreement
series of the workshops has been held alternately between
between Japan and U.K. on Highway Science andJapan and U.K. based on the Implementing Agreement
Technology for a further 6 years was signed.
between Japan and U.K. on Highway Science andTechnology, and the theme this year was road safety.
Six members from the U.K. side, including Mr.
Dennis Roberts, Director of Roads and Vehicles
Directorate of the Department for Transport andMr. Alan Pickett, Director of Safety andInformation Division of the Highways Agency,
participated in the workshop. From the Japaneseside, more than 40 members were in attendance
including Mr. Okuno, Director-General of the
National Institute for Land and InfrastructureManagement and other representatives of NILIM,
the head office and the regional development
bureaus, of MLIT, and the Civil Engineering
Research Institute of Hokkaido etc. In theworkshop, presentations and earnest discussion Photo 1 Workshop Participants■ RESEARCH REPORT of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management(July-September, 2003)

Title of Paper
Names of Divisions
Study on the Regulations for Base Buildings : Some proposals of the Building Standard and the Housing Planning Division
11 Property Law for the new type of buildings which consist of the public or semi-public Base
Structures and the private Secondary Structures

No.

Larval Abundance,Distribution,and Size Composition of Planktonic Larvae of the Clam Ruditapes Coastal and Marine Department
12 philippinarum in the Fall Season in Tokyo Bay
13

A Model for International Maritime Container Movement and Scenario Analyses on Investment Port Systems Division
for Container Terminals with Deeper Berths■ TECHNICAL NOTE of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management(July-September, 2003)

Title of Paper
Names of Divisions
No.
Traffic Engineering Division
57 Report of comparison test with test vehicles for skid resistance
Evaluation of Cut-off Performance for the Seawalls of Waste Disposal Landfill by Seepage & Port and Harbor Department
91 Advection/Dispersion Analysis
108

On the Watershed/Urban Regeneration in Accord with Nature ---Human, Water, Earth and Environmental Department
Environment---

110 Design Standard for Fairway in Next Generation (Interim Report,Ver.2)

Port and Harbor Department

111 An Analysis on the Flow of North American Containerized Cargo in East Asian Region (2003)

Port Planning Divisionst

112 The System of Airport Development and Arguments about that of 21 Century in The United States
113 Application of Precast High Strength RC Slab Pavements in Airports

Airport Planning Division
Airport Facilities Division■"2004 Annual Report of NILIM" is now on our website (in Japanese only, for the time being)
We publish "2004 Annual Report of NILIM" to show our research activities and accomplishments, and you can see its
contents on our website, www.nilim.go.jp. English version will be available in the future.

National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Asahi 1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0804, Japan(Tachihara) Tachihara 1, Tsukuba Ibaraki, 305-0802, Japan(Yokosuka) Nagase 3-1-1, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 239-0826, Japan
TEL:+81-29-864-2675 FAX:+81-29-864-4322

N I L I M

N e w sL e t t e r

No.8

March 2004w w w. n i l i m . g o . j p