Contents■ Message from the Director-General■New Main Projects■The 10th US-Japan Workshop on Advanced Technology in Highway Engineering■Meeting with FHWA on bridge technologies■ RESEARCH REPORT of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (October-December, 2002)■TECHNICAL NOTE of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (October-December, 2002)

No.4
March 2003

News Letter■Message from the Director-General

to make a network among many researchers andengineers,

TheISSN 0389-4150

Nationalandconstructacomprehensive

technological system.

Institute for Land

The NILIM was established as the successor of theand Infrastructure

functions conducted by the former Public WorksManagement (NILIM)

Research Institute, Building Research Institute, andis the only national

Port and Harbor Research Institute, and consists ofresearch institute inmembers specialized in various research fields. We use

Japan specialized inthis advantage to the full in its research activities, if it

the fields of housing

says concretely, we place great importance on theand infrastructure.

NILIM study projects. To carry out them, we set up

Aiming to construct atheir topics based on the needs of people as the end

safe, beautiful andusers of social infrastructure. And identifying the goals

dynamiccountry,and duration of studies by considering the seeds ofare conducting

technologies of related fields, specialists of diverse

westudiesrequiredresearch fields gather under project leaders and carryf o r d r aw i ng up technological policies of the Ministryout studies also in cooperation with researchers

ofoutside the institute.

Land,Infrastructure

establishingtechnicalandTransport

standards,and(MLIT),providing

The NILIM study projects encompass themes thattechnological assistance to national public works.

must be urgently addressed in Japan and some ofIn Japan, housing and infrastructure have beenthem are common major problems in many countries.

constructed as the basis of people’s lives. However, theThe research outcomes, which will be reflected in thecondition of such housing and infrastructure stillpolicies and technical standards of the MLIT, will beremains room for improvement for all people to enjoy apublished in our newsletters, websites, and othersafe and active life, and for proudly passing on to theprinted documents. As well as research activities, thefuture generations. Technological development needed

NILIM will furthermore contribute to constructing

for constructing infrastructure and using existing

international networks for research and development

stocks more efficiently are also our major assignment.

andThe NILIM is carrying out the research that are closely

participating in various international activities.

related to the lives of citizens and involve technologies
from wide-ranging scientific fields. We try to deepen

imp ro ving technical stand ard s thr o u g h

We hope that you will continue to cooperate with usand support our activities.

the specialized research and development in those
fields, and furthermore we believe that it is important

Haruhiko OKUNO, Director-General, NILIM

News Letter

N I L I M

■New Main Projects

Nickel compounds
Toluene1. Water control technologies to deal with global-scale

Poly(oxyethylene) alkyl ether
Acetaldehyde

fluctuations of water cycle

Formaldehyde

Last year, Europe and Asia were attacked by floods
and suffered serious damage. Recently, the number ofand the scale of damage by floods and draughts areincreasing due to meteorological abnormalities ofglobal scale.
This study aims to develop technologies for using
predicted rainfall values, whose precision has
improved due to substantial meteorologicalobservations of global-scale from satellites and thedevelopment of advanced prediction models, forpredicting floods, giving warnings and evacuation
orders before floods, landslides, etc., and controllingthe discharge from dams during floods and draughts,
to prevent and mitigate damage.
Contribution is also aimed for to solving water
problems in other regions of Monsoon Asia, which aresimilar with Japan in meteorological condition,
topography, and landuse, by exchanging information
about river and debris control.

N,N-dimethylformamide
Poly(oxyethylene) nonylphenol etherNitrobenzene

εøcaprolactam
Manganese and its compounds
Water-soluble zinc compounds
Acrylic acid
PhenolTrichloroacetaldehyde
Carbon disulfide
Boron and its compounds
Ethylenediamine
Chloroform
Ethylene glycol
Hydrogen fluoride and its
water-soluble salts
Discharge (t/year)

Figure 2 The 20 principal chemicals discharged to public water bodies(2000 and 2001 PRTR pilot projects)

3. Building standard and technology systems for intelligent
Presentbuildings and houses

RainfallMonitored rainfall

Predicted rainfall

Time

Present stateThis study

Water control based on

Develop water control technologies

experience and monitored rainfall

based on predicted rainfall values

Figure 1 Application of Predicted Rainfall

2. Integrated risk management of chemicals in water body

As shown by increasing interests on endocrine
disrupting chemicals and the enactment of Pollutant
Release and Transfer Register (PRTR), risk
management of chemicals is an important topic. The
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, whichis responsible for controlling rivers and other areas ofJapan, should identify the actual states of the risk ofchemicals, restrict the use of chemicals, andencourage stakeholders along rivers to take voluntarymeasures.
This study conducts case studies to 1) determine theactual amounts (concentrations) of principal chemicals,
which were found likely to be discharged into rivers by
preliminary surveys, of those stated in PRTR but not
restricted, and 2) identify the changes of theirproperties in river environments. Communication tools
will be also be developed since the results of risk
assessment of the chemicals should be communicatedto residents, stakeholders, etc. along rivers in manners
that are convenient and easy to understand.
The study results will be used to propose a scheme forIntegrated risk management of chemicals for entire
basins, such as rivers and sewer systems.

This study aims to develop intelligent technology
systems
forbuildings
andhouses,which
spontaneously detect external forces and loads acting
on building structures and resultant, aging
deterioration, and so on, and take necessary control
measures,byusing
advancedinformation,communication, control technologies, or highperformance materials. Building code and standard
system will be developed for correctly evaluating theperformance of designs, for example,
that areequipped with active vibration dampers or smartsprinklers. Under the system rational and economical
designs will be realized, which show required
performances with reduced cross section of members,
reduced fire rating, or increased fire compartmentcompared to conventional designs with large factors ofsafety against uncertainty.
The objectives of this study are 1) to develop
technological systems for design, construction andmaintenance of intelligent buildings and houses, and2) to provide building code and standard systems tohelp the performance evaluation to be accepted by thepublic communities. The systems are to be
implemented as standards, guidelines, and technicalstandards of the Building Standard Law and theHousing Performance Indication System.
●Control the deformation of the upper
structures and mitigate input forces to→Ensure safety, and→Maintain comfort
Active vibration damper

ControlDetect(seismic waves)Figure 3 Maintaining earthquake resistance by an active damper(vibration)

4.

Policies for airports development suitable to a future airservice network in East Asia

Due to the globalization of the economy and society,the air services for the entire East Asia as a whole,which include both domestic and international routes,should be taken into account for identifying the future
air network. Based on the predicted dramatic andlarge-scale development of the network and traffic
volume, proposals for optimum capacities of airports
in Japan, the optimum role allocation under various
construction restrictions, will be drived. These will
include, the optimum period and size for constructing
the third Tokyo capital airport, and utilization of local
airports. For these propasals, such investigation,
analyses of the characteristics of airline formation as aresult of alliances among air service companies andwith economic indices, and comparison with areas
with advanced air services will be done.
Planning and design standards will be prepared so as
to deal with diversifying airplanes, such as New Large
Aircraft A-380, which is likely to be introduced, andregional jet planes whose use will satisfy air demand
for more frequent services. The effects of suchdiversified planes on airport capacity will beinvestigated. IT systems for guiding passengers will
also be investigated to improve passenger services at
air terminals.
To precisely understand the actual movements ofpassengers in East Asia, a data collecting scheme is tobe constructed in liaison with other countries in thearea.

5.

Enhancement of a multi-modal transportation system

Although there are various modes of transport, they
are insufficiently connected, and are inefficient andinconvenient to change modes of transport. Therefore,
people excessively and inefficiently use private cars,
which are convenient but have serious impacts on
global and regional environments and are a cause of
global warming, air pollution in cities, deteriorated citytransport services, traffic congestion, and reduced
amenities of cities. This study project aims toconstruct a multi-modal transport system that enables
optimum allocation of transport among various modes
by reflecting the satisfaction of users and theproperties of cargo, by investigating the characteristicsof road transport and aviation, maritime, and railway
services. The project 1) develops methods andtechnologies for increasing the convenience ofpassengers and encouraging people to use public
transport, 2) investigates multi-modal freight transportsystems, which are possibly implemented by revising
old business customs, and 3) develops methods forevaluating the effects of various measures in terms ofboth demand and supply sides of passenger andfreight transport.

Shared freighttransportsystems

Road improvement to reinforce access to airport,
port, train station, and freight distridution center

Improvementof a freight
distribution
customUtilization of public
transport systems
for urban freight
distribution

Park & ride
to promote usageof public transport
Information system tofacilitate utilization of
public transport

Transport connection
facilities to enhance theconvenience of thechange between different
transport modes

Figure 5 Various scenes of multi-modal transport system

14 Other Main Projects

City and its population

1 to 2.49 million
2.5 to 4.99 million
5 million and more
Figure 4 Comparison of City Layouts in East Asia and North America

Title of ProjectMeasures against Global Warming
Technologies for Zero Emission and Recycling Oriented Society
Stock Management System of Housing and Infrastructure
Toward the Pleasant, Beautiful Tokyo Bay
Sound Hydrological Cycle and Sediment Transport System
Watershed/Urban Regeneration in Accord with Nature
Minimizing natural disaster risks in urban areas
Improving the safety and amenity of road-space
Health-conscious Built Environment
Measures for Condominium lssues
Renaissance of the Urban Area
Advanced Assessment Methods for Pubulic Works Projects
Advanced Cruise-Assist Highway System(AHS)
Appling IT for Comprehensive Land Management System

■ The 10th US-Japan Workshop on Advanced
Technology in HighwayEngineering

The 10th US-Japan Workshop on Advanced Technology
in Highway Engineering was held on November 4 to 6,
2002, in Salt Lake City, Utah, US, under the theme of“Travel Demand Management and Operations: AnIntermodal and Technology Based Approach.”
In the workshop, members from the US described anoverview of travel demand management in US, methods forusing ITS technologies, ITS and traffic operations in Utah,
an overview of incident management systems, and road Photo 1 US-Japan Workshop in Salt Lake City, November 2002
management during winter-time. Members from Japangave six presentations, such as an overview of travel demand management in Japan, revitalization of street cars,
car sharing, probing-car systems for monitoring traffic conditions, and road management during winter-time.
Active discussions were also made. The participants made an on-site inspection of street cars and the Park andPride system in Salt Lake, and visited Traffic Operations Center.

■ Meeting with FHWA on bridge technologies
A meeting was held with FHWA on October 24, 2002, in Saint Louis, Missouri, US, to exchange information aboutbridge technologies. This meeting is usually held together with the UJNR US-Japan Bridge Workshop, which is heldin autumn every year. This was the eighth meeting.
From Japan, nine people attended the meeting, including Nakatani (Director of the Bridge Division), Hiromatsu(Bridge Division) and Ishida (Research Administration and International Cooperation Division, now studying in theUS) from the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management, and six members from the Public Works
Research Institute. From the US, Mr. Cooper (Director of the Bridge Department of FHWA) and bridge specialists ofthe federal and state governments attended.
The meeting started by the participants from both countries giving speeches on bridge management and seismicdesigns. Then, they discussed about administrative issues based on lists of questions exchanged in advance. The
meeting closed after confirming to keep exchanging information.

■RESEARCH REPORT of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management(October-December, 2002)
No

Title of Paper

Names of Divisions

Probability Characteristics of Surcharge acting on the Mooring Facilities

5Port Facilities Division■TECHNICAL NOTE of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management(October-December, 2002)
Title of Paper

NoNames of Divisions

14

FY2000 RESEARCH SUMMARY OF WATER QUALITY CONTROL DEPARTMENTWater Quality Control Department

24

Road Communication Standards

Information Technology Division

40

QUICK INSPECTION MANUAL FOR DAMAGED REINFORCED CONCRETE BUILDINGS DUE TO
EARTHQUAKES Based on the Disaster of 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake in Turkey

Research Center for Disaster Risk Management

43

Land and Infrastructure Management on Water and River from the Historical ViewpointConstruction Economics Division

48

Macro Traffic Accident Analysis using the Comprehensive Database for Traffic Accident

Advanced Road Design and Safety Division

49

The Analysis between Road Network and Traffic Accident in Urban Area

Advanced Road Design and Safety Division

52

Annual Report of Road-related Research in FY 2001

Road Department, etc.

53

Investigation on the Transition of the Road Traffic Census and the Method for its Improvement

Traffic Engineering Division

54

Preparation of GSE Traffic Simulation Program

Research Coordinator for Advanced Airport Technology

58

Report of the Lecture Meeting of NILIM (2002)

Planning Division

National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and TransportNo.4
March 2003

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