‫ە‬Message from the Director-General

National land and infrastructure in a timeof low birth rates, aging and declining
population
NISHIKAWA Kazuhiro , Director-General,
National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management(Keywords) National land management, social infrastructure, aging, population shrinkage
1. Population problems as a condition for national
land management
 When considering the management of national land
and infrastructure, it is essential that we keep abreast ofchanges in various conditions in the background toprepare related technological policy.
However, they have been rapid of late, often moving
into uncharted territory.
For example, the borderless international economy andrapid expansion of newly emerging countries haveinvalidated many conventional economic theories
which were established regarding domestic matters.
The primary target of NILIM’s research is to decide
how we should manage national land and social
infrastructure. Therefore I think that addressing not
only international economic trends and long-termclimate change but also rapid aging and population
shrinkage are some of the major challenges we arefacing. Here, I would like to consider trends in Japan’s
population shrinkage and what they signify, as well as
stating my personal views on two or three remedial
measures.
2. Views on demographics
 On February 25th, the Statistics Bureau of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
published its preliminary report on the 2010 National
Census. In it, the population of Japan was said to havegrown slightly by 288,000 or 0.2% compared to theprevious survey in 2005. But I think a closer scrutiny
will prove that the population is falling. According to
the National Institute of Population and Social Security
Research, Japan’s population peaked in 2007 and is
expected to fall below 100 million (around 80% of
today’s figure) four decades later in 2050. Judging
from this prediction, the simple impression might bethat Japan’s population will gradually turn to a decline
from now on.
 However, a recent bestseller1) asserts that Japan’s
economic growth is related not to the total population
but closely to the working population (people aged
15-64), as they are the main players in personal
consumption, which accounts for 60% of GDP. The
book also presents the shocking truth that thispopulation in fact peaked in 1995 and has alreadydecreased by around 9%. By 2050, moreover, it will
have fallen to less than 50 million, a decline of 45%
compared to the peak of 87 million. This can beinterpreted as showing that, to maintain the nation’svitality, we need powerful economic policies that canreverse the tide of decline in the working population.
In this paper, I focus on the “advanced elderly” (those
aged 75 or over), who account for the majority of
personal assets among those over the pensionable age(65), with the prediction that their number willapproach 24 million by 2050. While most people aged
75 or over are assumed to be in an age cohort requiringsupport in a variety of situations, this means that there
will be no choice but for the rapidly declining working
population (i.e. active generations) to support the
rapidly increasing advanced elderly generation while
attempting to sustain and energize the national vitality,
particularly economically. This means, in turn, that weneed to implement national land management designed
to rebuild social infrastructure in ways this requires.
3. Scope of maintaining and energizing national
vitality
To maintain high vitality under the shrinking
population, it will be necessary to make theinfrastructure produce added value efficiently in an
effective state for users at all times. To this end, I would
like to propose that the completion of expressways,
currently under development, be pushed forward to
keep them functioning as road networks. By so doing,
we should establish a globally unique roadinfrastructure that harnesses leading-edge technology
in Japan2).
 There is a considerable expectation that electricvehicles (EV) can help to usher in a low-carbon society,with zero emissions (although depending on the power
generation method). Recharging facilities are therefore
already being built, and EVs are expected to be diffused
rapidly. There are still many issues to be tackled for
EVs to travel long distances; for example,
high-performance batteries are expensive and limitedin their capacity, and in addition, the recharging
process is time-consuming. The batteries are also heavy,
and this will cause difficulties in diffusing them for use
in cargo haulage.
 Nevertheless, the technology for supplying electricenergy to moving EV from roads already exists as an
infrastructure. There are several different technologies
for non-contact transmission of electric energy, and if
the method known as electromagnetic resonance (notinduction) is used, it will be possible to supply energy‫ە‬Message from the Director-General
to vehicles some meters away by consecutivelyaligning coils on the road surface or in the median strip.
In a case where energy is supplied from the road on
expressways and vehicles on ordinary roads are
powered by batteries, the EV systems will be diffuseddramatically.
Systems of charging fees for the power consumed
have already been developed to some extent, having
been produced in conjunction with ITS technology. If
these are combined with truck platooning technology
for trucks, high-precision GPS using quasi-zenithsatellites, and others, automatic transit of freight
haulage vehicles might no longer be a pipe dream.
While a contribution in environmental terms is assured,
there is also potential for wave effects, such as solving
manpower shortages in the distribution sector amid
population shrinkage, reducing long working hours,
and so on. Reducing costs in domestic haulage may
even lead to increasing their competitiveness innational activities.
4. Scope of Quality of Life (QOL)
The aging society also means a long-living society.
There is room for study, from the view of infrastructure,
concerning ways to ensure that a longer life can also be
a happier life. Decisive factors in QOL are, for example,
whether or not a person can move about freely even in
old age. Considering that many of the advanced elderly
stop driving cars, it would be better for them to live
convenient to public transport services.
 Although much discussion has already been held on
the rationale of compact cities, it is not easy to present auniversal panacea, because cities all differ in theirscales and existing transport infrastructures. But
considering the simple maxim that “it should be theelderly who live in places where public transport
services are convenient”, society as a whole will be
expected to gradually move in such a desirable
direction.
 And if you were to give up the preconceived notionthat station plazas are places for busy shopping malls,
and remodel the vacant shops on shuttered streets into
old people’s homes or other welfare facilities, theprovision of public services would also be made more
efficient. Moreover, a population of station front
residents would make it easier for a certain level ofcommercial facilities, supermarket delivery services
and others to become established. And if community
buses and other local transport termini were establishedthere, it would certainly attract regular users. Setting up
nursery schools and other facilities at the same timemight also be expected to have synergistic effects onthese areas. Delivering such services in and aroundbuildings located at large stations is also possible using
the infrastructure.
5. Scope of mitigating natural disasters
 In readiness for natural disasters, emphasis has long
been placed on the concepts of self-help, mutual help

and public help. Until now, these have been keywords
for finely focused evacuation guidance, etc., at times ofnatural disasters. But when considering the sharp
decline in the working population as bearers of mutual
help for the rapidly increasing advanced elderly, we
have to consider how we can reduce their burden. Thiskind of situation often pertains in mountainous regionsthat contain depopulated villages. While it is essential
for advanced elderly who require evacuation support tolive in places that are safe and easily accessed by
support services, and collectively if possible, to achievethis, efforts are surely needed to inform people that
reducing the burden of “mutual help” is an act that
leads to “self-help”.
6. Conclusion
 We will never understand the essential meaning of the
population shrinkage if we only consider total
population. Most opinions on future population are theproduct of wishful thinking. However, the working age
population in, say, 15 years’ time will only be
augmented by younger people who have already beenborn, and has therefore already reached its peak value.
This means we have to think out various measures todeal with this matter, so our eyes must be firmly
focused on the facts.
Finally I hope we will not forget that the futurecomposition of our population not only consists oftarget recipients of welfare but is also a prerequisite for
proposing policy.
(References)1) K. Motani: The true identity of deflation, Kadokawa One
Thema 21 Shinsho, 2010.6
2) K. Nishikawa: Expectation of the potential of roadinfrastructure in spreading the diffusion of the electric vehicle(EV), Japan Society of Civil Engineers website, Editorial
Committee page, 45th editorial (Feb. 2011 edition), (due forpublication in JSCE Journal April 2011)(http://committees.jsce.or.jp/editorial/no45-2)

‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

Challenges facing public procurement andperspectives of national land management
TERAKAWA Akira,Executive Director for Research Affairs andDirector of the Research Center for Land and Construction Management(Keywords) Public procurement, Construction management, National land management
㸯㸬Introduction
The mission of the Research Center for Land andConstruction Management (“the Center”) is to support
the planning and proposal of policy related to thedevelopment and management of housing and social
infrastructure under the jurisdiction of the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
The Center fulfils this mission through research
activities focused on the key phrases of “national land
management” and “construction management”.
In the following report, I would like to introduce oneof the main themes of research by the Center – thechallenges currently facing the system of procurementin the public works sector and the status of initiatives
aimed at solving them, including perspectives ofnational land management.
2. Challenges facing procurement in the public
works sector(1) Ensuring and improving the quality of public works
To steadily promote the development andmanagement of social infrastructure that supports asafe, comfortable and energetic national lifestyle, itgoes without saying that expanding public trust andsupport for public works is a major requirement. To
that end, as well as ensuring the transparency andcompetitiveness of procurement processes, a systemfor ensuring a certain level of quality is seen asnecessary.
The “Act on Promoting Quality Assurance in Public
Works” enacted in April 2005 was an epoch-making
revision of the public procurement system, in that it
initiated a shift from the conventional “procurement bycompetition based only on price” to “procurement
based on combined excellence in price and quality”.
The method of awarding bids based on overall
evaluation, in which the winning bid is decided from acomprehensive evaluation of the content of thetechnical proposal combined with the bid price, has
gradually been expanded in scope while its application
has been continuously revised based on trials. Thismethod was applied to almost all of about 11,100 works
under the direct jurisdiction of MLIT in FY2009.
Incidentally, the comprehensive evaluation method
also became applicable to survey and design work in

FY2007, and was applied to about 20% of 17,400 cases
in FY2009. Adding about 34% decided under the
proposal method, this meant that around 54% of
contract partners were decided in a form not based
solely on price.
Every year, the Center compiles and publishes
annual reports on the implementation status of thecomprehensive evaluation method in public works andconstruction consultancy, etc.1) 2).
We also carry out research aimed at making adaptive
improvements, considering discussions at the“Informal Discussion Group on Ensuring the Quality of
Public Works under Direct Jurisdiction of MLIT”(chairman: Professor Kazumasa Ozawa, University ofTokyo). The ultimate aim is to create a system ofcontract bidding that effectively encourages efforts toimprove technical ability among the bidders.
(2) The role of construction industries in exhibiting
local leadership
When considering the ideal shape of the constructionindustry in future, its role as a leader of regional society
is also an important perspective. To appropriately
maintain and repair aging social infrastructure stock
and increase its longevity, the presence of construction
companies with the necessary technical capability isessential. Undeniably, maintenance and repair works
have until now tended to have a rather drab image
compared to new works, including their budgetary
treatment. However, considering that the weight ofsuch works is inevitably going to increase in future, weneed to form attractive markets in which companies
with sufficient technical and business capabilities cancontinue corporate activities and reap the necessary
profit to make further improvements to their technicalcapability. To this end, initiatives such as setting
estimated prices based on small-scale, dispersed site
conditions and flexible work processes, orders for
combined maintenance inspection and repair works,
continuous orders over several years for several works
sites within a fixed area, and others have been started
on a trial basis. Now, the time is right for efforts aimed
at developing the market environment while
ascertaining the effects of these measures.
The role of construction companies in the event of a‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

natural disaster should also not be forgotten, in thatthey take emergency measures and make other direct
and indirect contributions, either autonomously orbased on disaster response agreements withadministrative bodies. In particular, locally-based
companies often make tremendous contributions totheir communities through swift emergency action
using their own heavy equipment and materials,
drawing on their close familiarity with the local terrain;
they take responsibility for “protecting the nation” atgrass roots level, as it were. To respond flexibly todisasters that could occur at any place and at any time,
construction companies with business developments allover the country need to establish an environment inwhich they are always prepared for local disasterprevention activities.
(3) Harmonizing with international public procurement
processes
Global strategies by industries aimed at harnessing
the economic growth of newly emerging markets in
Asia and elsewhere, as an energy that will revitalize
Japan’s economy, are cited as one mainstay of theJapanese government’s new growth strategy.
In pursuing the global expansion strategies of theconstruction industry sector, where production-to-orderis the norm, mastery of the procurement rules of thecountry in question is also a major challenge underpresent conditions, in addition to responding to normal
market risks.
Preparations are currently in progress to start trial
contracts based on the standard contractual terms
determined by the International Federation ofConsulting Engineers (FIDIC) in some works under
direct MLIT jurisdiction. Part of the aim in doing so is tocontribute to the training of engineers and experts incontractual practicalities who can be active ininternational projects, thereby aiding the international
development of the construction industry. Of course, thenational infrastructure, society and economic conditions
in western countries differ from those in Japan, and there
is no need to apply internationally standardized
contractual terms mainly formulated by engineers fromthose countries unconditionally to Japan. Nevertheless, it
is expected that this will provide positive lessons on thebest aspects of works contract rules that have gradually
been brushed up through application in various countries.
At the same time, it may provide hints for improving
Japan’s system of construction production.
(4) Contributing to the creation of a recycling society
The construction industry, where various materials
are invested on a massive scale, has the role ofencouraging market formation and technology
development and guiding the creation of a recycling
society. It does so not only by recycling and reusing
construction by-products generated in the process ofworks, but also, for example, by actively promoting theeffective use of waste from other sectors where inside
recycling is difficult.
Green procurement in the public works sector, based on
the Law Concerning the Promotion of Procurement of
Eco-Friendly Goods and Services by the State and Other
Entities enacted in May 2000 (the “Green Purchasing
Law”), has made steady progress over the last 8 years3).
In the future, as well as further strengthening efforts
from the design stage, it is hoped that the industry, by
introducing life cycle assessment (LCA) and otherrelated measures, will transmit information both in Japanand abroad as actual examples of the development ofsocial infrastructure that can serve as models
internationally, according to the demands of the times.
3. Summary
In the foregoing, I have cited the challenges facing
procurement in the public works sector from a numberof angles, and introduced directions for related research
initiatives. These challenges are closely linked to eachother. While making sure that in such cases the solution
to one problem does not cause new problems or side
effects (though this is by no means limited to public
procurement), a holistic approach is required in order tofind the best solutions for the problem as a whole4). It
might be fair to say that the role and targets of theCenter’s activities lie in achieving this.
References
1) National Institute for Land and InfrastructureManagement: Implementation status of thecomprehensive evaluation method in survey & design
work under direct MLIT jurisdiction (FY2009 annual
report), December 2010(http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/peg/siryou/kisyahappyou/
H21nenji.pdf)
2) National Institute for Land and InfrastructureManagement: Implementation status of comprehensive
evaluation method in works under direct MLIT
jurisdiction (FY2009 annual report), January 2011(http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/peg/siryou/kisyahappyou/
H21nenji (kouji).pdf)
3) Akira Terakawa: Roles and challenges ofprocurement in the public works sector – from theperspective of supporting a recycling society, FY2010
NILIM Lectures, NILIM Journal issue No. 614, pp.
65-78, December 2010.
(http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/bcg/siryou/tnn/tnn0614pdf/ks061410.pdf)
4) Akira Terakawa: Perspectives of comprehensive
flood risk management, Civil Engineering Journal
Vol.50 No.12, pp.4-5, December 2008

‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

Towards sustainable national land and urban
environments to hand on to the next
generation


KISHIDA Hiroyuki,
Director of the Environment Department(Key words) National land and urban environments, sustainability, biodiversity, global environment
1. Introduction
Surrounded completely by the sea, Japan is blessedwith abundant and beautiful nature throughout itschanging seasons. On the other hand, it is exposed toharsh natural conditions and constantly faces the threatof disasters. For example, located on the main courseof typhoons, Japan is susceptible to storm surges andfrequent floods and sediment disasters. Moreover,located above tectonic plate boundaries, it isvulnerable to earthquakes and is frequently struck by
tsunami and volcanic eruptions. Standing on national
land with these conditions, we must find ways tomanage our land as we face and seek harmony with anenvironment in which we coexist with nature.
On our small national land with its limited living
space, a society has been formed which offers apopulation of approximately 130 million people the
comfortable cultural life and efficient amenities we allnow enjoy. However, the population has begun to fall
and we are facing the steadily advancing aging ofsociety. Therefore, to hand on a sound environment tothe coming generation, we need methodologies tocreate a sustainable environment while we can, and toconstruct systems to develop these methodologies. 
2. Directions in environment research
We face the urgent challenge of forming sustainable
national land harmonized with nature under thelimitation of the finitude of the environment.
Because today’s environmental problems are, as
shown by the global warming problem, becoming
more complex and widespread, it is becoming more
important for us to identify their position in the overall
scope of the problems, and thus to implement
comprehensive and strategic technical policies andresearch and development.
Environment Department considers environmental
issues to be an important administrative challenge for
the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport andTourism and our research mission to be developing
and managing public infrastructures such as roads,
rivers, parks and green space, which directly
contribute to livelihood and economic activities inJapan in the midst of fast-moving activities by otherson the environment, by conserving, restoring, andimproving quality of national land and urban
environments.
Our research strategy is to target both global
environmental issues such as “global warming”,“sustainability”, and “biodiversity” and immediate
environmental issues such as “beautiful, abundant, andactive livelihood” , and focus on research in theseareas (see Fig. 1).
River Environment Division䕔 River environment management and assessment system䕔 River basin management technology policies
䕔 River environment assessment methodNational
land
Global
environment
Natural environment
Livingand ecosystems
environmentNationallandRivers
Roads
Parks/
greenbeltsRoadEnvironment Division
Landscape and Ecology Division䕔 Roadside environment (noise, atmospheric䕔 Plant and animal environment assessment
pollution)
prediction and evaluation policies
methods䕔 Evaluating global warming prevention
䕔 Restoring urban water, greenery andmeasuresin the transportation fieldenvironmental beauty䕔 Road environmental assessment policy䕔 Proving space for contact with life
management
Figure 1. Outline of Research by theEnvironment Department
Our research is based on not only the naturalscience approach but the social sciences approachnecessary for our policy research. It is also based on
the empirical approach in corroboration withconcerned organizations and local entities.
Our approach to research includes actively
collaborating with concerned government ministries,
independent administrative corporations, private
corporations, universities and research institutes

- 1 -



‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

including those overseas through coordination under avariety of circumstances, because environmental
research encompasses a variety of interests and is very
complicated. 
3. Research principles
Environment Department has set the following threeresearch principles.
The first is “visualization” of processes ofenvironment research on infrastructures. For example,“research project on the conservation and restorationof brackish water area environments” puts emphasis
on innovative ways to display the behavior of brackish
water environments in an easily understood form, andon public symposiums. The “Research project on
developmentofenvironmental
assessment
technologies for the life cycle of infrastructures”
involves broad groups concerned with technologicaldevelopment. This visualization principle is applied toother research projects.
The second is harmonization of the natural sciences
and social sciences. History tells us a great deal
concerning the environment, so in the environmental
field, it is particularly important to understandhistorical changes in society. The relationship of thechange of coastlines with land use and social systems
is also linked to the construction of the current
comprehensive
coast
management1).
Strongerpartnership with social sciences will be increasingly
needed.The third is “data archive.” Research is based on alarge quantity of data, but once conclusions aredelivered, data sometimes gathers dust and is unused.
Throughenvironmental
studies,particularlycomplicated data are newly obtained, so data is much
more significant than ones in other fields.
Some environmental research needs a trial and error
process. Notwithstanding past common theory,
Environment Department shall explore newtechnologies applicable to infrastructure management,
and also be challenged by fundamental research.

4. ConclusionsFigure 2 shows change over time in the top three
answers, “beautiful nature”, “long history andtradition”, and “superior culture and arts”, given in
response to the question, “What is the pride of Japan?”in a recent public opinion survey conducted by the
Cabinet Office. The figure shows a gradual increase in
the percentages for these answers. Environment
Department shall make efforts to perform research anddevelopment to contribute to a splendid national land
and urban environments where we will coexist withbeautiful nature and enjoy traditions and culture, andonce again a future generation will declare that theseare “the pride of Japan.”, although increased benefit
from infrastructures related to rivers, roads, and parks
become commonplace and may be unrecognizable tothe public. In addition, modern society is flooded witha variety of information, but Environment Department
shall stick to the research principles to achieve themissions through processes of trial and error andself-questioning, and closely watching environmental
movement.
[Source]
1. Practice and directions of new coastal systems
from the perspective of change of coastline
management, NILIM Technical Note No. 619,
January 2011 (in Japanese)
http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/bcg/siryou/tnn/tnn0619.htm

Beautiful nature
⨾䛧䛔⮬↛

䠄%䠅
50

Long history and traditions㛗䛔Ṕྐ䛸ఏ⤫Superior
culture and arts䛩䛠䜜䛯ᩥ໬䜔ⱁ⾡

49.4
47.9
46.3

40
36.7
34.6

30 29.7

38.6
38.0
32.3

20
December1991
ᖹᡂ䠏ᖺ㻝㻞᭶

December1996
ᖹᡂ䠔ᖺ㻝㻞᭶

37.4
36.2

39.9
39.1
38.4

34.1

December 2000ᖹᡂ㻝㻞ᖺ㻝㻞᭶

February 2005ᖹᡂ㻝㻣ᖺ䠎᭶

January2010ᖹᡂ㻞㻞ᖺ䠍᭶

Reorganized by the author based on the results ofan opinion survey by the Cabinet Office

Figure 2. Changes of the Top “Three Prides of Japan” in
an Opinion Survey of Social Consciousness by the
Cabinet Office㻌- 2 -

‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

To operation of public infrastructurein the age of world unity

HORIE Nobuyuki,
Director of the Water Quality Control Department(Key Words) Sewage system, energy, global warming, B-DASH, international standard
Introduction
Average soil cover: 2.9m
 Information from around the world is transmitted
instantaneously not only by TV, but over the internet,
most food products and miscellaneous day-to-day
goods are imported and their share is growing,
Japanese corporations are beginning to procure
supplies overseas and place priority on hiring
foreigners, and English is becoming an official
Conventional construction method
Exposed pipe construction method
language.
Figure 1. Exposed Pipes
On the other hand, a prolonged economic slump has
been accompanied by tightening financial restraints
both at the national government and local level, and in
2. Revolution in wastewater treatment technologiesMore than half of the population of Japanregions where the population is declining and society
discharges sanitary water into Tokyo Bay and otheraging, concern regarding the maintenance and renewal
closed bodies of water, but the percentage of theof the public infrastructure which supports daily life
population served by sewage systems performing
and economic activities has become a real problem.
advanced treatment of sewage is very low at onlyThis report introduces trends in sewage systems as
16.9% (end of FY2008), and the percentage of treatedtheir operators search for ways to contribute
sewage which is now reused stands at a mere 1.4% ofinternationally such as through measures to counterall treated sewage.
global warming, and to encourage domestic growth The most common sewage treatment method in use
while lowering the costs of constructing, operating,is the activated sludge method which employs
and renewing their facilities in modern society, whichmicroorganisms, but replacing facilities to introduce
is now in the midst of a process of international
more advanced facilities while continuing to operateunification.
treatment plants on narrow sites in urban districts is adaunting task. The revolutionary “membrane treatment
1. For cheaper and faster improvement of pipelines
technology”, which is not only compact, but can also
The cost of providing pipelines generally accounts
easily obtain immediately reusable high water quality,
for 60% to 70% of the total cost of a sewerage system,
is now spreading worldwide.
which consists of pipelines and treatment plants.
 Japanese manufacturers supply a huge share of theThrough the efforts of our predecessors, theworld market for the membranes, but they are only usednationwide sewered population has reached 73.7%
at about 10 small scale sewage plants in Japan. In order(end of FY2009), and the sewered population plus theto make a big contribution to promoting the application
percentage which treats sanitary sewage using septicof this method to deteriorated facility reconstruction andtanks etc. has risen to 85.7% (end of FY2009), but
renewal projects in large cities and to satellite treatment
in water demand regions, the Advance of Japan Ultimate
neither service is available in districts with a total
Membranebioreactor technology Project (A-JUMP), a
population of 18 million people. So in FY2006, thenational government financed project to prepare
Sewage System Quick Project, a social experimentguidelines to proving and introducing the method at large
regarding technologies to lay pipelines cheaply andtreatment plants was inaugurated in FY2009 with thequickly, was kicked off. The Wastewater Control
cooperation of corporations and regional governments.
Department of the NILIM is contributing to the
To cut the energy used for aeration needed to prevent
selection of diverse technologies such as exposed
filter clogging and to tackle a variety of problems which
pipelines, which are placed on the ground surface
arise when introducing the method at an existing plant,
instead of underground (Fig. 1), through social
the NILIM is serving as a member of the projectexperiments to test such technologies, and, reporting
administrative office to revise existing guidelines in lighton their findings, by providing technical support forof new knowledge which is being continually obtained.
technology evaluations, and so on.These efforts are counted on rapidly expanding its
introduction to large-scale plants in Japan.

‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

3. Using sewage sludge to create resources andenergy and fight global warming The next topic is sewage sludge formerly buried inlandfill as industrial waste material. Throughstrenuous efforts of various kinds, the recycling rate ofthis sewage sludge has been increased to 78% (as of
FY2008), but the rate of use as biomass taking
advantage of its organic constituent has stopped atonly 23% (as of FY2008). Treating wastewater
consumes nearly 1% of all energy use in Japan,
focusing national attention on this field oftechnologies because of the recent soaring cost ofenergy, project and maintenance costs, and theimportance of measures to counter global warming.
The LOTUS (Lead to Outstanding Technology for
Utilization of Sludge) Project, which was inaugurated
in FY2004 to achieve two goals, (1) reuse is cheaper
than disposal and (2) generating electricity is cheaper
than buying electricity, is developing practicaltechnologies such as technology to recover, dry, andcarbonize biogas (methane) to form solid fuelbriquettes by a digestion (fermentation) process. In
FY2011, the project had selected and verified
technology which has sharply cut the cost of
construction and substantially lowered greenhouseeffect gases through energy recovery, and led by the
NILIM, is now preparing for the large scale guideline
enactment project, B-DASH (Breakthrough by
Dynamic Approach in Sewage High Technology
Project).
These projects are counted on to develop sewage
systems which function as urban infrastructure
contributing to the environment in the areas of bothresource recycling and of energy.
4. Maintaining and using existing systems The era when infrastructure provided rapidly during
the era of high speed economic growth and various
other parts of our public capital must undergo
full-scale renewal is near at hand. With limited
finances and personnel, we are concerned with theneed to decide how to make predictions and reachrepair or reconstruction decisions in order to performsystematic stock management.
 While facing problems such as road surfaces caving
in above deteriorated water mains, the Sewage
Pipeline Service Life Extension Support System wasinaugurated in FY2008 as a national government
subsidized project. Under this system, service lifetime
extension plans enacted for sewage system projects
nationwide are now in progress with their completion
scheduled for FY2012. The NILIM has beencollecting and analyzing nationwide data concerning
pipelines, resulting in the completion in 2007 of the
Basic Concepts of Stock Management in Sewage
System Projects (Draft) and the preparation of the, still
incomplete, Handbook of Stock Management of
Sewage System Projects.

5. Aggressively responding to international
standards
Table 1. Trends Related to International Standards
Name
TC224: Used for potable water supply
and sewerage services
TC138: Plastic pipe for transporting fluids
PC253: To reuse treated waste water as
irrigation water
TC255: Biogas
PC251: Asset management

International standard
ISO24510-2
ISO4435, 8773, etc.
Being prepared
Being prepared
Being prepared The Water Quality Control Department took part in
the first meeting of ISO/PC251 held in Melbourne
from February 28 to March 4 to prepare proposedinternational standards for asset management
including overall social infrastructure in various areas.
Two working groups (WG) were established to
discuss the contents at the same time as they agreed ona three-year standardization schedule. The next
meeting will be held in October in Washington.
 Public projects above a certain scale are alreadyrequired to make procurements applying internationalrules under a WTO Agreement, but the international
standards, ISO etc. which require compliance withdomestic regulations and standards are being enacted
one after another for various kinds of hard and soft
public capital.
 And in the public water supply and sewage systemfields, the 2007 ISO/TC224 General Meeting (Tokyo),enacted international standards for drinking water andsewage services and decided to begin the task ofenacting new international standards for assets and forcrisis management, signaling the arrival of the age
when the ISO has gained full-scale influence overdomestic standards. Other related trends have begun as
shown in Table 1.
 With the ISO style, in which a core group formed
through voluntary participation actually decides on
proposals, if we do not detect trends and leap directly
into discussions, we can be left in the position of
having to comply with predetermined results. We
advocate an aggressive response through the national
government’s intellectual property strategy.
Conclusions
 In neighboring Asia, a population several tens aslarge as Japan’s is continuing high speed economic
growth. Private sector companies now play a majorrole in infrastructure projects in Japan. It is essentialthat while creating new procedures on one hand, we
also reliably predict technologies etc. in order thatpublic services, which must never cease to operate,continue to function at appropriate levels. We aredetermined to respond nimbly to high speed changearound the world by appropriately determining
regional needs and adopting a long-term perspective.

‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

Promoting river projects that ensure
safety and security
YAMAMOTO Akira, Head
Director of the River Department(Key words)  Climate change, flood control, risk assessment, adaptation measures
1. Change surrounding river administration
Extremely sharp changes of direction are facing
flood control projects intended to ensure the safety andsecurity of the people of Japan. One is abnormal
weather occurring frequently throughout Japan andelsewhere around the world in recent years. Weather
phenomena, which can be described as the source offlood disasters, are frequently taking abnormal form,
resulting in expressions we use to describe them often
including “the highest (or lowest) ever observed”.
The severe impact on the world’s grain markets ofthe serious damage to grain production in Australia inrecent years inflicted by its severe droughts andunprecedented giant floods is still fresh in ourmemories. It is impossible to state positively that thecauses of these abnormal weather phenomena is
climate change. But we can conclude that some occur
when climate changes, and that we must now begin
considering how to respond to these changes.
The second change in the environment surrounding
flood control projects is the arrival of the era when ourpriority has abruptly shifted to management. Generally,
regarding the provision of public capital, in the
beginning, Japan responded to a shortage of neededfacilities by providing (constructing) more, increasing
the quantity of facilities being managed, a process
resulting in a shift of emphasis from provision to
management. It has long been pointed out that an era
dominated by facility management would eventually
arrive, but spurred by financial restrictions, thisprocess is abruptly accelerating. This is not a simple
shift of emphasis from provision to management; wemust not only manage existing facilities without errors,
but must shift to appropriate management byadvancing our methods in order to maximize ourutilization of our facilities, requiring proposals fortechnical support measures for appropriate andefficient management.   In the midst of this recent change of both theclimate and facility needs, a major challenge facing
flood control projects which must be resolved is todecide the best measures to adapt to climate change.
Another major challenge is the efficiency of rivermanagement. This report introduce some of theresearch which the River Department has undertaken
in response to these two challenges.


2. Measures to adapt to climate changeHalf of Japan’s population and about three-quartersof its assets are concentrated on alluvial plainsaccounting for only about 10% of its national land.
And the three large metropolitan regions, which serve
as Japan’s administrative and economic centers, arelocated beside three large bays (Tokyo Bay, Ise Bay,and Osaka Bay) on low “zero-meter” zones facing thesea. Japan’s national land is also susceptible to floods,
debris flows, and storm surge disasters at a location
exposed to the threat of typhoons passing or crossing
its land, and on the eastern end of the monsoon regionof Asia, a zone of heavy rainfall unmatched by anyother part of the world. 
In an effort to overcome such national land
conditions, Japan has worked strenuously to
implement flood control measures by, for example,
constructing uninterrupted lines of levees and building
dams and other flood regulation structures, achieving a
big improvement in the level of safety from floods.
But the state of provision of flood control structures
remains at a low level, at only about 60% of thepresent target levels. Already vulnerable to natural
disasters in this way, finding ways to respond to thisrise in external forces occurring in response to climatechange is a major challenge facing future national land
management. 
Studies to develop measures to adapt to climatechange are now guided by the following
considerations.
(1) Evaluation of risk accompanying climate change.
The effects on society and the economy of flood
disasters occurring under the impact of climate change
are evaluated as disaster risk. Evaluating flood risk isimportant in the sense that it not only shows present
vulnerabilities, but also permits the clarification ofeffectiveness of introducing adaptation measures. (2) Proposed measures to minimize inundation
damage We study comprehensive measures combining
facility provision—the excavation of river courses toincrease rivers’ flow capacity and the construction ofretention facilities to supplement present inadequacyof flood control planning—with “drainage basinmeasures” (for example, setting flood control safety‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

levels according to land use, doubled levees, and otherinundation prevention measures). 
And to minimize the harm to residents, we conduct
basic studies of non-structural measures outside riverareas, the improvement of evacuation guidancesystems or land use guidance, among them. 
At the same time, we study the increase in rainfall
plus ways to increase the precision of climate models.
Recent analysis has obtained the results of calculating
the relationship: increasing torrential rain ĺ
increasing flood flow rates ĺ increasing river
improvement works, but even if the torrential rainincreases only 10% over present levels, the flow rate
will rise 20%, and the quantity of works necessary tohandle this increase in the flow rate, will rise 80%.
Unable to define the extent of hypothesized climatechange, we have to study adaptation measures
resigned to the fact that they must be extremely
extensive. 

3. Performing more efficient maintenance  Ensuring the safety and security of the peoples’
lives is an important policy target, and in order to deal
with river damage such as the breaching of levees etc.,
we must continuously implement appropriate rivermanagement adapted to changes in the state of rivers
such as runoff etc. and to changes in rivermanagement facilities which have been constructed.
But there are limits to maintenance which rivermanagers can perform with their limited budgets,
manpower, and systems, so performing effective andefficient maintenance is an urgent challenge. 
A predominant feature of river management is thatlevees, which are the major facilities managed, areextremely long linear structures which, when breachedat even one point, result in the loss of the flood control
functions of the entire patrol section. A characteristicof the soil used to build levees is, that as result of thefrequent reconstruction and repair of the levees in thepast, its quality is inconsistent, and it is also difficult
to fully clarify the erosion resistance capability of thevegetation on the surface of the levees. Under thesecircumstances, the NILIM is currently undertaking thefollowing research. ࣭Research to improve inspection and maintenancetechnologies to maintain the safety of levees
This is intended to propose the minimum necessarylevel of management by clarifying the quantitative
relationship of deterioration of its functions such aschange of the looseness of levees or of erosion
resistance according to the level of levee vegetation
maintenance.
࣭Improving maintenance technologies
This will allow managers to perform maintenancemore efficiently and at less cost and will advancetechnologies used to analyze photographic and video
data concerning levees by using the most advanced
technologies such as IT technologies andnon-destructive inspection technologies, and toevaluate these technologies. ࣭This will systematize data and analysis results related
to patrols and inspections, maintenance and repair, andevaluation of rivers, to build a database of, and toevaluate the results, thereby contributing toappropriate maintenance in the future. 
4. Aiming at river management which can ensure
safety and security It is essential that Japan, which is vulnerable toflood disasters, look back at its history to clearly
evaluate risk posed by the impact of climate change
and to propose appropriate and effective responses inorder to recover from the many natural disasters whichhave been caused by violent wind and rain etc. and toprevent future disasters. And at the same time, Japan
also has the duty of sharing its advanced technologies
with countries around the world. At any rate, we havelittle time left to implement measures to adapt to theimpacts of climate change, so we are determined toquickly undertake research needed to do so. ‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

Reinforcing data collection, analysis, andapplication
Toward achievement evaluation of policy
objectives
SATO Hiroshi,
Director of the Road Department
1. Introducing policy objective-oriented project
evaluation
Immediately following the change in Japan’s
government, the Cabinet adopted a plan on “reformof budget compilation, etc.” in October 2009. Oneof the main pillars of this plan is “introduction of asystem for clear presentation of policy objectives.”
This system will clearly present the objectives ofpriority policies and provide for objective
verification of their achievement based on
established indices.
In response to this decision concerning all aspectsof government, MLIT has decided to introduce
policy objective-oriented project evaluation.
By
doing so, MLIT will strive to improve evaluation in
the form of comparative evaluation that is based on
concrete data after clarifying policy objectives andpresenting alternative proposals.
It will also
implement comparative evaluation-based project
evaluation beginning from the project planningstage. It began planning-stage evaluation on a trial
basis for certain MLIT-controlled projects during
FY2010, and in November 2010 it announced
projects in the rivers, roads, and ports and harbors
fields to be included in the trial.
2. Enhancement and application of increasingly
important basic data
Given today’s tight fiscal constraints, evaluation of
the policy achievements and thorough explanation of
the necessity and effects of projects and measures aredemanded in all areas, not just the kind of project
evaluation mentioned above. Thus, as part of thisapproach, MLIT will proceed with “management that
leads to positive results” in the roads field. Suchmanagement will prioritize items through selection
and concentration, and simultaneously seek tocomprehensively explain priorities and expected
effects based on objective indices.
More than ever before, this approach requires theresolution of various technical issues, among them“how to set objective evaluation indices” and “how toefficiently enhance data that will provide the basis forevaluation.”

3. The 3 roles NILIM will be expected to play

NILIM’s roles in supporting government
administration through technical policy research
toward addressing such policy needs can be largely
classified into the following three areas:(1) Establishment of efficient data collection methods
Questions that must be answered regarding basic data
include how to efficiently collect “useable” data
having the required accuracy, and how toappropriately supplement missing data. Although thework of providing answers here may not be very
glamorous, it forms the foundation for everything
thereafter and requires considerable effort. Anotherextremely important aspect is “arranging data to match
application strategies.” In cooperation with MLIT,
regional development bureaus, local governments, andother concerned bodies, NILIM is moving forwardwith studies for envisioning application in actual
operations—specificallyroad
construction,
construction, and policy management—from the datacollection stage.
(2) Effective strategies for use of data by project
implementers
If data are set, the next question becomes how to apply
them to actual operations. In the same manner
described above, NILIM is working with project
implementers from the data collection stage to study
and propose concrete application strategies andapplication templates.
(3) Technical policy research (policy support)
Finally, as a research institute engaged in technicalpolicy research, NILIM is identifying new issues andilluminating phenomena in the road policy field basedon scientific data analysis, and advancing research on
its own function as an organization that provides
policy support.
4. Specific approaches
Typical examples of specific approaches that
NILIM is pursuing in accordance with its roles are
summarized below.
(1) Efforts to realize smoother road traffic flow
By themselves, conventional road traffic censusesthat are conducted every five years do not provide thedata needed to carefully select locations having majortraffic congestion or other problems and to implement
priority countermeasures. To address this situation,
NILIM is working to ascertain traffic conditions,‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

formulate relevant measures, and analyze theeffectiveness of countermeasures based on datacollected 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Here,NILIM is focusing its attention on data obtained fromconstant traffic volume measurement using vehicle
detectors and data concerning probe travel time using
car navigation systems.
Thus far, NILIM has verified the density andprecision of data gathering, and confirmed that thedata have extremely high application potential.
Accordingly, it is now beginning full-scale data
gathering and application. Examples here include
data application in efforts to ascertain effectiveness(e.g., improvement of travel time on ordinary roads,etc.) in a pilot project conducted to make expressways
toll-free ,which started in June of last year, and to
determine effects realized by the Daini Keihan Road,
which was opened in March of last year. At the sametime, NILIM is formulating various proposals. One
involves the presentation of new performanceindicators that are arrived at by contrasting periods ofcongestion with periods of no congestion and thencalculating lost time. And another seeks to get a
picture of lower speeds caused by snow and ice during
winter and then apply the results to evaluations.
An example of policy support-related research by
NILIM itself is development of methods forevaluating travel time reliability. Here, NILIM willdevelop methods that focus not only on average travel
time, which is the conventional marker, but also on
reliability (accuracy) of travel time by taking
fluctuations in travel time into account. It also seeks
to make permit estimation of travel time reliability
impacts in order to evaluate individual projects.
(2) Road traffic safety
Countermeasures that focus on arterial road sections
having high accident rates are effective. Thus, just as
it is in seeking to realize smoother road traffic flow,
NILIM recognizes that it must continuously
accumulate data on traffic accidents and theimplementation of safety measures, as it also
simultaneously selects locations for countermeasure
implementation, formulates countermeasures, andevaluates their results. Thus, it is accumulating
accident data and safety measures data that will form
the foundation for the above-mentioned activities witha fairly high degree of accuracy compared to the effort
to realize smoother road traffic flow that waspresented in (1) above.
By analyzing such accident data, NILIM is
preparing methods for extracting zones deemed tohave high urgency due to frequent accidents, andanalyzing candidate countermeasures (i.e., a“countermeasures menu”) that may be effective indealing with the characteristics of each zone. NILIM
uses the results to provide road managers with toolsthat help them formulate traffic safety measures.

NILIM recognizes that it must further fine-tune thesetools based on continuing data accumulation.
At the same time, NILIM knows that ordinarily data
must be accumulated for around four years in order toproperly ascertain accident conditions for evaluationof countermeasure effectiveness. This makes thework of accumulating data a long-term endeavor.
Thus, NILIM will study methods to enable evaluationof countermeasure effectiveness in a shorter period oftime by grasping changes in traffic behavior (e.g.,conditions that inhibit speed, vehicle convergence,etc.). Moreover, it will continue its studies on
methods for scientific ascertainment and analysis byapplying travel speed data, etc., obtained from video
images (i.e., image processing technology) and car
navigation systems.
These methods will be inaddition to ordinary onsite survey methods.
(3) Bridge maintenanceRegular inspections (taking place once every 5
years) of MLIT-controlled roads that are inaccordance with a proposed bridge inspection
standard prepared by NILIM began in 2004.
Taking the results of these inspections, NILIM also
proposed a standard for collection of road bridge
inspection data that has greatly prioritized andsimplified content for use by municipalities. This
standard is already being applied by manymunicipalities.
Moreover, by analyzing thecharacteristics and advancement of deteriorationand damage, NILIM is drafting a standard forspecific inspection of ancillary structures as well as
for inspection and survey of fatigue in steel platedecks. These items are being used as referencematerials in bridge management.
Given that a round of detailed regular inspectionsof MLIT-controlled roads has been concluded,
NILIM is moving forward with an analysis of theaccumulated data. It is using the results to revise
the inspection standard in order to make it more
efficient and rational, improve the accuracy of
degradation predictions for concrete slabs andpre-stressed concrete structures, and formulate a
new specific inspection standard for steel
component fatigue and bridge pier scour. It is also
reinforcing the foundation for appropriate responseto the aging of road bridges, which is expected toaccelerate in the future.
5. Conclusion
This article presented an outline, within the scope
allowed by space limitations, of representative
approaches being taken by NILIM. For details,
please visit the website of the relevant NILIM
department.
In policy support-related research,reciprocal linkage with actual fields is essential.
Specifically, such linkage involves trial applicationof the achievements of ongoing development to thefront lines of actual operation, and then feeding‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

back the results to further research anddevelopment. The author wishes to thank MLIT,
regional development bureaus and offices, local
governments, expressway companies, and all else
concernedfor
theirconsistently
valuablecooperation, and humbly requests their continued
support and guidance in the future.
References
Doro Kotsu Deta no Shushu-Bunseki no Arata-na
Tenkai (published in Technical Note of NILIM No.
614)

‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

Thoughts on the debate over a
Building Fundamental Law– From a position of responsibility for technical standards
related to structural safety –NISHIYAMA Isao,
Director of the Building Department(Keywords)  Building Fundamental Law, technical standards
1. Introduction
Recently, trade journals have been busy with talk ofa “Building Fundamental Law”.
The “Review Group on the Revision of the BuildingStandards Law” (hereinafter “Review Group”), set up
in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport andTourism and chaired by Professor Seiichi Fukao ofTokyo Metropolitan University, met 11 times between
March and October 2010. At those meetings, theReview Group discussed the system of judging
compliance with structural calculations, statutory
periods of building confirmation checks, and ways of
imposing more rigorous penalties (Reference 1)).
Based on the conclusions of this Review Group, a“Study Group on Building Legislation” (hereinafter“Study Group”) (chaired by Professor Tetsuo Kubo,
University of Tokyo)” first met on February 2nd, 2011.
It immediately made a start on organizing the basic
directions to be sought in building legislation as awhole, including the Building Standards Law, with aview to ensuring or improving the quality of buildings(Reference 2)).
While it is impossible to predict the future directionof this debate on the Building Fundamental Law, froma position of some responsibility for technicalstandards related to the structural safety of buildings, I
would like to consider what bearing it will have ontechnical standards.
2. Proposal of a Building Fundamental Law Council
It was in August 2003 that a “Building Fundamental
Law Council” (hereinafter “Council”) was set up byaround 30 volunteers involved in the construction
business (now around 240 members). The first draft ofa Building Fundamental Law (Reference 3, August2010) has since then been proposed by the Council. The
following is a brief summary of sections concerning thestructural safety of buildings in the roles of the
Building Fundamental Law as stated there.
(1) Basic minimum requirements are essential as
minimum standards(2) Satisfying safety should be entrusted to professional
competence and private-sector standards
 Technical standards on the structural safety ofbuildings set specific methods of achieving minimum
standards determined in the Building Standards Law,but according to the above-mentioned proposal by theCouncil, these should be entrusted to professional
competence and private-sector standards; national
research institutions should not bear responsibility forthem.
The essence here, however, is surely not who should
create technical standards, but to specify whatever isnecessary in order to achieve good buildings.
3. Debate by the Council for Social Infrastructure Between September 2008 and February 2010,
measures for developing high-quality buildings weredebated by the Buildings Subcommittee of the Council
for Social Infrastructure, and its opinions weresummarized by the Basic System Working Group(Reference 4)). In this debate, opinions and proposals
were voiced from a variety of angles, including the
proposal of a Building Fundamental Law, and there
was no uniform direction. This could be said to reflect
the difficulty of this kind of basic debate. In this Study
Group, the aim is for the debate to include the BuildingStandards Law and others as actual regulations, and I
expect a more realistic debate to be pursued.
4. Formulation of building codes and standards (USexample)In February 2001, I attended a conference in San
Francisco, where I had the opportunity to hear apresentation by the American construction engineer
James Robert Harris. He was involved in formulating
design load guidelines for buildings (ASCE 7), and histalk was entitled “The development and application ofaseismic building codes and standards”. The
presentation was accompanied by 49 slides, and can besummarized very briefly as follows.
(1) It is not the federal government but State
governments (and others) that decide architectural
codes that have legal binding force. Normally, the IBC(International Building Code) is adopted as a model
code, this being re-determined every 3 to 6 years.
(2) IBC is revised every 3 years by the ICC(International Code Council). Anyone can propose a
draft amendment, and after receiving a hearing by ICC,
the change is decided by a ballot. The ICC is made up
of voluntary members including employees of State
governments.
(3) The standards form part of the Building Code, inthat the latter refer to them. There are 49 organizations‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

that provide standards referred to by the IBC. One ofthem is ASCE (the American Society of Civil
Engineers), and ASCE 7 (standards) are formulated andrevised every 6 years by volunteer members. There areabout 55 members connected with earthquake
resistance, and many of them are practicing engineers.
(4) NEHRP (the National Earthquake Hazards
Reduction Program) is a federal organization
established by Congress, and the NEHRP Provisions(standards) formulated by it are designed to beincorporated in revisions of ASCE 7.
5. Who should create technical standards?
 As stated in section 4 above, in America,
professional competence and private-sector standards
are adopted for building codes; even national
institutions prepare standards with the intention ofincorporating them in professional competence andprivate-sector standards. This is also consistent with thesystem envisaged in the proposal by the Council
mentioned in section 2.
What should not be forgotten here, however, is thatin the USA the standards are revised by volunteers, andmany of them are practicing engineers. Also, it is theState government that ultimately decides whether or
not to adopt a building code. In contrast, if we think ofprivate-sector standards in Japan’s building sector, thevarious design criteria and guidelines of theArchitectural Institution of Japan spring to mind.
However, the members involved in formulating these
are almost all academics (university). This iscompletely different to the situation in the USA.
In other words, the important point is how to create
the technical standards necessary for achieving goodquality buildings within an objective, impartial system.
6. What is expected of the Building Fundamental
Law?
One trade journal conducted a questionnaire under
the title “What sort of topics do you expect to be
discussed with a view to enacting a Building
Fundamental Law?” (Reference 5)).
Among the replies, the following were particularly
well supported: More rational and efficient application
procedures / Simplification of the Building Standards
Law / Clarification of the roles and responsibilities ofworks commissioners, the administration and experts /Revision of remuneration standards and otherimprovements to the working environment / Creationof a system of thorough quality checks all the way fromdesign to installation.
It is difficult to agree with a simplification of the
Building Standards Law if it would mean diluting thecontent of technical standards. To achieve structuralsafety in buildings, it goes without saying that safety
needs to be properly confirmed, and to this end, issues
that need to be studied must be studied properly. If
there is anything that could be simplified (omitted), it
would merely be to determine specifications in advanceso that structural safety is automatically assured, and tocreate buildings in a way that satisfies these.
Even with private-sector standards, there should beno thought of reducing the topics for which safety
needs to be confirmed (content remains undiluted).
7. Comprehensive approval (Article 38 of the oldlaw)With the amendment of the Building Standards Law
in 1998, the regulation of performance was promoted
and various verification routes were highlighted. On
the other hand, the provisions for comprehensive
approval under the former law (hereinafter “old Article38”) were removed.
The fact that base-isolated buildings have become so
diffused in Japan well ahead of other countries could
result from the system of ministerial approval under old
Article 38. The same is true of concrete-filled steel
tubular structures. In other countries, I hear that it took
a long time before building codes could be adopted.
Although old Article 38 used the phrase “recognize
as being equivalent”, it was often the case that theperformance requirements in provisions subject tocomparison were not specified, and the performancerequirements to be ensured for buildings as a whole
were not clear. On the other hand, when new materials,
construction methods and others are adopted for a
specific building, one may imagine a situation in which
they would be difficult to handle with the present
combination of individual verification routes. In thatsense, I can understand why the Review Group
proposed the creation of a system of comprehensive
technical approval similar to the Ministerial approval
based on the provisions of old Article 38.
8. Conclusion
The future direction of the debate on Japan’s
Building Fundamental Law remains unclear, but it goes
without saying that its objective should lie in raising thequality of buildings. With the recent amendment to the
Act on Architects and Building Engineers, ethicalprovisions were explicitly stated; but in a sense, it
should be a matter of course that anyone claiming to be
an expert in building, including ourselves, must
constantly strive to improve the quality of buildings
provided for the daily lives of many people, without
this having to be expressly stated in law.
From the standpoint of the safety of buildings, aswell as steadily pursuing technical reviews with a viewto promoting such objectives in future, I would like tobanish unpreparedness so that we can respond
appropriately, whatever the outcome of the review, byfirmly grasping the situations pertaining in othercountries, etc.
References
1) Review Group on the Revision of the BuildingStandards Law(http://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/build/k99_kench‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

ikukijunminaoshi01.html)
2) Study Group on Building Legislation(http://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/build/b99_kench
ikuhoutaikei01.html)
3) First draft of the Building Fundamental Law(http://www.kihonho.jp/pdf 2010/kihonho2010.pdf)
4) “Summary of views on measures for thedevelopment of high-quality buildings” (draft)(http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/000109585.pdf)
5) Nikkei Architecture “Special Feature: The Building
Fundamental Law Begins to Stir”, issued Feb. 25th,2011‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

Reconstructing residential spaces for an
aging society with a low birth rate anddeclining population
OTAKE Ryo,
Director of the Housing Department(Key words) Prolonging service lifetime of housing, existing stock renewal, environmental adaptation, stable housing
for the elderly
1. Population decline, falling birth rate, aging, andhousing Population decline, the falling birth rate, and aging
have brought Japanese society to a major turning point
as the twentieth century gives way to the twenty-first
century. Of course, these problems existed at the endof the previous century, but they are accelerating in
the new century, when their impact on housing
problems will be massive. Housing responds to its
occupants, and the housing situation is greatly
impacted by trends in population and household
numbers. The falling birth rate and aging of society
force us to respond to the shortage of housing suitedfor households with children and for elderly people.
We must take action to deal with a society which hastaken a sharp turn in a new direction since thetwentieth century.  To begin with population decline, the challenge
facing housing policies in the last half of the twentiethcentury was how to tackle a soaring population and its
concentration in the large metropolitan regions. And toensure that the required quantity of housing wasconstructed, a Five Year Plan for Housing
Construction was enacted eight times under the
Housing Construction Planning Law. In a society witha falling population which we are approaching, it will
be necessary to effectively utilize the existing housing
stock rather than construct new housing (the numberof new housing starts peaked in 1972 at 1.85 million,
but last year was down to 775,000). So the challenge
is to effectively use the growing number of empty
homes (13% of all dwellings in 2008) instead of
abandoning them.  With regard to the falling birth rate, regardless of
the improvement of the housing situation, the level of
housing for families with children remains low (thetargeted housing floor area level achievement rate isan average of 57% for all households, while it is 40%
for households with children.) Welfare facilities for
elderly people have been extensively provided, but the
supply of housing adapted for occupancy by elderly
people is still low, and far behind the levels in Europe
and North America (The percentage of all elderly
living in housing adapted to their needs is 8% in
Britain and in Denmark, but only 1% in Japan). As
these figures show, shortages of housing for families
with children and elderly people are now conspicuous.  And the falling birth rate and aging of society haverevealed problems with services necessary to support
people’s daily lives. The swing to nuclear family
households continues as single-person households andsmall households are still rising, and the ability offamilies to provide mutual support for all theirmembers as they did in the three-generation
households of the past has reached its limit. At thesame time, communities have been diluted, making it
difficult for people to satisfy their needs in theirneighborhoods. The mobility of elderly is now
restricted. In residential areas, not only housing, but
all functions and services needed for daily life must be
ensured. 
2. Recent trends in housing measures Housing policies have been transformed in response
to growing awareness of such circumstances whichappeared about 10 years ago. The Eighth Five Year
Plan for Housing Construction which started in 2001prioritized the stock and adopted a postureemphasizing the market place, in response to thetransition from a growing society to a mature society.
This has long been called the “switch from quantity toquality”, but in the past it promoted a good quality
flow. It has now switched to the formation of afull-scale housing stock. And to encourage effective
use through the smooth cycling of the housing stock,
the provision of an environment for the housing
market was considered necessary.  In 2006, the Basic Act for Housing was enacted,changing the planning system from the Five Year Planfor Housing Construction to Basic Plan for Residential
Life, further clarifying the policy of omitting new
housing construction from our targets. In 2001, theElderly Housing Law was enacted, positioning the
supply of elderly housing, and then revised in 2009,
establishing the Plan for Stable Housing for Elderly
People. Now, more than ten years into the twentieth century,
the population has begun to decline, bringing us
face-to-face with brand new circumstances. Housing
policies must include measures to deal fully with these
problems. The revision to the Basic Plan for
Residential Life enacted by the Cabinet in March ofthis year incorporates the following points. ձ A percentage of approved long-term superior‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

housing was set as a goal to form a good quality stock
which can be used into the future.
ղExpanding the scale of used home distribution andthe renovation market was set as a goal to effectively
use the existing stock.
ճ“The provision of services to support security” inliving environments was announced and a percentage
of homes for elderly was set as a goal.

3. Initiatives by the National Institute for Land andInfrastructure Management In response to new trends under such a housing
policy, the NILIM is undertaking research activities totackle challenges necessary to support the enactmentof plans under this policy.
(1) Prolonging service lifetime of housing andimproving its performance The service lifetimes of houses in Japan are short.
In recent years, the average age of demolished houses
has been only 27 years. A long-term superior housing
system to build good housing, maintain it scrupulously,
and use it carefully for a long time has established,
and in response to this, the NILIM has undertaken“Development of Multi-Generation Use Super
Long-Term
HousingandHousingLand
Formation/Management Technologies” (from 2009 to2011).  To ensure conditions necessary to maintainsoundness of housing for a long period of time, somesuccesses have been achieved including a method of
evaluating the variability of divisions between
dwellings in apartment buildings, a method ofplanning long-term management of condominium
apartment buildings, a collaboration method to ensure
good living environments, guidelines to the use ofhealth monitoring technologies to improve
management, guidelines to the design andmaintenance of wooden detached houses, safetymeasure technologies for housing ground, and amethod of evaluating the performance of the body inorder to improve existing apartment buildings. (2) Recreating and cycling the existing stock Japan’s used housing distribution and renovation
markets are not as mature as they are in Europe andNorth America. Used housing accounts for only 13.5
of housing distributed, and the percentage of funds
invested in housing directed to finance renovations isonly 27.2% (both are more than half of the levels in
the U.S. and Europe). In order to overcome one
problem behind this, namely people’s greater
uncertainty about their performance than about newly
built housing, a performance evaluation system anddefect insurance system for existing houses has been
established, and in response, we have begun“DevelopmentofPerformance
Evaluation
Technologies for Existing Houses for Used Housing
Distribution and Stock Reuse” (2011 to 2014). An
efficient performance evaluation method for existing
housing, including clarification of state ofdeterioration, has been established and is beingreflected in present inspection standards, etc. (3) Adapting to the environment surrounding theexisting housing stock As global environment measures, it is necessary tostop and reverse the increase of the cost of resident use
energy, which tends to rise faster than in other areas.
The environmental performance of new housing issteadily improving, but measures directed at thesoaring existing stock is needed. Thus, “Developmentof an Energy Consumption Evaluation Method
According to Category Of Housing” is in progress(2010 to 2012). The existing housing stock is
categorized by years since construction and the energy
consumption of each is evaluated, verifying theeffectiveness of measures taken to use less energy, andthis is reflected in energy saving standards for existinghouses. (4) Ensuring safe housing for elderly people
 In order to deal with the soaring number of
one-occupant elderly households and married couple
households (predicted to be 24.7% of all households in2020) and shortage of houses for elderly people, thesupply of housing with services linked to nursing andmedical care to support the lives of elderly people will
be encouraged. In response, the NILIM is undertaking“Research on Methods of Providing New Housing toIncrease Residential Security for Elderly People”(2011 to 2013). The aim is to establish guidelines toplanning housing for elderly people according to thediverse physical and emotional states of residents, andguidelines to the reduction of barriers inresident-owned homes according to the diverse
physical and mental states of the elderly, and measures
to deal with dementia.

4. Future challenges
 As we face an unprecedented age of declining
population, falling birth rates, and aging of society,there are many challenges which should be the objectof future research: reducing the scale of urbanneighborhoods, planning better residential districts,
and the role of the local community in child-rearing
and nursing care. (Reference document)
Housing Land Subcommittee, Panel on Infrastructure
Improvement   Documents No. 24 to 34  Basic Plan for Residential Life (National Plan)

‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

Data that supports urban planning and theirapplication
Toward building new urban visions
YAMASHITA Koichi,
Director of the Urban Planning Department
Keywords: Urban planning basic survey, geographical information system, geospatial data, aging society
1. Introduction
In a sense, urban planning is the work of creating a future
vision for a particular region. Thus, the conventional
approach to urban planning involves predicting the future
based on vast amounts of data, and then forming plans with
the intention of promoting or controlling urban and social
conditions that are drawn from this prediction.
So then, what kinds of data are required? Article 6 of
the City Planning Act sets forth stipulations concerning
urban planning basic surveys. The act establishes that
prefectures must conduct basic surveys for urban planningevery five years or so. These surveys must cover current
conditions and future estimations of population size,
employed workforce, urban area, land use, and traffic
volume among other items. Conducting such surveys
requires the collection of vast amounts of data. However,
because such data are usually available only in paper form,
their application can be problematic.
2. Maintaining and applying geospatial data
In urban planning, it is important to consider how to link
numerical information (e.g., number of enterprises, numberof households, etc.) with spatial information (e.g.,
topography, roads, administrative boundaries, etc.). It ishere that recent advancements in the geographicalinformation system (GIS) deserve attention. A survey on
how past geospatial data are maintained revealed that lessthan 40% of prefectures and municipalities operate GIS, andof these, only approximately 50% maintain geospatial datathat are linked to urban planning1.
This situation makes promoting the maintenance of urban
data (geospatial data) using GIS an urgent issue.
Particularly important in making geospatial data applicableto various aspects of urban planning is the incorporation ofbuilding attributes and land use attributes.
Building
attributes include use, structure, number of stories, and total
floor area.
Currently, these items must be inputted
individually on the basis of onsite surveys. Land use
attributes are land use classifications. They are categorized
as public land, commercial land, residential land, industrial
land, and agricultural land among others.
3. Steps toward realization of urban simulation
Even if population, traffic volume, and other information
are maintained as geospatial data, it remains unclear how
this alone can contribute to policy. Data must be further
processed and developed to serve policy objectives. The
following presents examples of geospatial data applicationthat are taken from the various research themes being
tackled by the Urban Planning Department. The results arein themselves urban data, and can be described as“secondary data” resulting from the processing of so-called“primary data” to meet policy objectives.
(1) Simulation of fire spread in an urban area2
A simulation program developed by a General
Technology Development Project titled “Development ofAssessment and Countermeasure Technologies for. Disaster
Prevention in Town Planning” (1998 to 2002) predicts the
spread of fire in buildings during a major post-earthquake
fire in an urban area (Figure 1). Fundamentally required
data are buildings’ locations, sizes, and structures as pertain
to fire resistance. In addition, the program can add datathat infer the locations and shapes of openings that areneeded to predict fire spread from general examples.
Once building data are established, the program can easily
conduct simulations that consider higher fire resistanceresulting from partial redevelopment of the relevant region
or the effect that building of roads or parks has. The
program can present the effects of urban development inboth quantitative and visual forms.

Fire’s origin

within 1 hourwithin 4-5 hours
䕔Start㻠䡚㻡᫬㛫䛷╔ⅆ䕔 Start㻝᫬㛫௨ෆ䛻╔ⅆwithin 1-2 hours
within 5-6 hours
䕔Start㻡䡚㻢᫬㛫䛷╔ⅆ䕔 Start㻝䡚㻞᫬㛫䛷╔ⅆwithin 2-3 hours
fire
䕕No
╔ⅆ䛫䛪
䕔 Start㻞䡚㻟᫬㛫䛷╔ⅆwithin 3-4 hours
䕔 Start㻟䡚㻠᫬㛫䛷╔ⅆFigure 1: Fire spread by time of fire start in areas around thefire’s origin(2) Heat island simulation2
This simulation program was developed through aGeneralTechnology
Development
Project
titled“Development of Synthetic Evaluation Technologies for
Improving Urban Thermal Environments” (2004 to 2006).
It presents temperature and wind direction and speed inexternal spaces that are influenced by the urban heat island
phenomenon in the form of a map (Figure 2). Datarequired here are building location and size as well asbuilding purpose and traffic flow, which are needed to input
exhaust heat volume.
Like the fire spread simulation, once building data areestablished, the program can calculate changes in heat islandeffect that arise from redevelopment, road construction, orother activity with relative ease. It is being used in studies
of redevelopment near Tokyo Station and construction of anurban plan-authorized road (Kanjo Route No. 2) near the
Shimbashi district.

‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM(General effect arising from planting of vegetation, use of water-retentive pavement, and application ofenergy-savingbuilding technologies in the district together with construction of an urban plan-authorized road)䠄ᆅ༊ෆ䛾⥳໬䞉ಖỈᛶ⯒⿦䞉ᘓ≀┬䜶䝛໬䛸㒔ᕷィ⏬㐨㊰ᩚഛ䛻䜘䜛⥲ྜຠᯝ䠅
TemperatureẼ ኚ໬change[ o C]

0

100m

2
1.6
1.2
0.8
0.4
-0.4
-0.8
-1.2
-1.6
-2

Figure 2: Temperature differences caused by execution ofheat island countermeasures (estimation of effects arisingfrom construction of an urban plan-authorized road, etc.)
4. New directions for data maintenance
The above-mentioned simulation programs are effective
in tackling individual concerns, such as fire prevention in
urban areas and urban environments. However, today thequestion of how cities should function for Japan’s aging
society is taking on increasing importance. Given this,
there is a need for comprehensive data to help in formulating
an accurate vision of how cities will look in the future andstudying necessary policies.
The Urban Planning Department is developing a programfor predicting urban structures from the standpoints of
population, traffic, land use, and other factors in a project
titled “Research on Assessing the Future of Urban and
Outlying Regions during a Period of Population Decline”(2008 to 2010). This program will perform simulations
predicating
population
distributioninindividualmunicipality zones (in general, neighborhood districts) bytreating various forms of data (traffic data, etc.) as variables.
As a result, a number of outputs—including costs that
correspond to urban policies—will be produced in visualform.

We are also about to start a study on methods for data
maintenance that will allow land use oriented toward morecompact urban areas as well as on methods for its evaluation.
This effort will part of a new research topic to start in
FY2011 called “Research on Technologies for Land
Suitability Evaluation for Strategic Land Use Managementin Urban Planning.” Here, we will be seeking to develop amethod for indicating latent land-use suitability as
quantitative data and, further, to conduct evaluations of thissuitability in line with policy objectives, based on various
forms of land attribute data.
5. Conclusion
Returning to the topic of urban planning basic surveys,
MLIT is proceeding with a review toward improving thesesurveys. The review is being conducted with focus onlinkage with personal information, use of geospatial
information, current conditions surrounding overseas urban
databases, and other related items. We know that greatamounts of time and labor are required to maintain data
pertaining to urban areas. Nonetheless, we believe that an
important mission of the Urban Planning Department is toclarify the process from data maintenance to data applicationin response to policy objectives through research, as thisrepresents a step forward in creating urban visions that will
satisfy the demands of the times.
References
1) “2009-nen 2-gatsu Jiten de no Chiho Kokyo Dantai no
Toshi Keikaku Bunya ni okeru Kukan Deta no Seibi
Jokyo”: Tomohiko Sakata and Akihiro Teraki, Reportsof the City Planning Institute of Japan, May 20092) Website of the Urban Planning Department, NILIM:
http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/bcg/busyoukai/pr-kakubu-ce
nter.html#toshi

●Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

New Era in Oceans and Wide-area Coastal
Zone Management
KOIZUKA Takashi, Head
Coast and Marine Department(Key words) EEZ, ocean, coastal zone management, disaster, ocean debris
1. Introduction
Perhaps because Japan is surrounded by the ocean
on four sides, we have not been particularly consciousof its importance. Conflict over undersea gas fielddevelopment in the East China Sea and the Senkaku
Island dispute are problems which have sounded a
loud alarm concerning Japan’s present situation. It is
impossible to ignore the contributing role in these
problems of Japan’s exclusive economic zones (EEZ)
which now spread across the ocean east of thecontinent.
Russian
Confederation

Contiguous zone
Etorofu Island

Territorial waters(including inner waters)

Sea of
Japan

Korea

International
watersTakeshima Island

Japan
China

continental shelf, Japan is counted on to resolve todevelop the ocean as a marine nation and to fulfill its
responsibility to apply the benefits of thisdevelopment to benefit the world. Until now, only afew politicians, academics, and administrators haveshared such consciousness. But in 2007, the Basic Act
on Ocean Policy was enacted and enforced, then lastyear, the Law Concerning Conservation of Low Tide
Lines and Provision of Base Facilities in order toPromote the Conservation and Utilization of the
Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf,
was enacted in order to position the role of the ocean
in the new growth strategy of 2010, and to conserve
the remote islands, which are vital for the maintenanceof the EEZ and the development of the continental
shelf. And as a result of low-profile enlightenment
activities, an awareness of Japan as a marine nation
has slowly spread among the people, a process which
the above-mentioned incidents are now spurring.

Pacific Ocean
Hachijojima
IslandEast China
Sea

Senkaku Islands

Ogasawara
Islands

TaiwanYonagumi
Islands

Iwo Jima
IslandOkidaito
IslandOkinotorishimaIslandMinamitorishima

Exclusive Economic Zones (theseinclude contiguous waters)

Figure 1. Map Showing Japan’s Territorial Waters Etc.
(Source: Web site of the Japan Coast Guard)
The EEZ are designated as ocean areas extending
Japan’s economic sovereignty for 200 nautical miles
from our coastline under the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea, but the ocean area
over which the EEZ extend Japan’s economic
sovereignty (EEZ + territorial waters) is the fourthlargest in the world at about 4.47 million km2, and thearea of these waters combined with our national landis the ninth largest in the world, making Japan one of
the world’s giant nations in fact as well as name.
As the great potential of the ocean as a frontier
region with growing unknown possibilities broadensalong with Japan’s predicted expansion on the

2. Various potentials of the ocean
It is said the following are direct or indirect
potentials of the oceans.
・ Food resources: fish, benthic organisms,
vegetation, etc.
・ Energy resources: wind power, ocean currents,tides, gas hydrates, biomass, etc.
・ Mineral resources: hydrothermal ore deposits,cobalt rich crusts, etc.
・ Environmental improvement: fixing CO2,
biodiversity, etc.
・ Other uses: disaster information (seismographnetworks), etc.
・ New technology development: oceanographic
survey technologies, undersea construction
equipment,
underseatransport
vessels,
meteorological and hydrographical prediction
technologies, etc.
・ New education: developing new human resources,etc.
3. Need for wide-area coastal zone management
The ocean possess many potentialities of thesekinds, but on the other hand, this also may create avariety of interests. Until now Japan has expended

●Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM
considerable time and effort to harmonize conflict
between parties with interests in the use of coastal
zones.
And such clashes of interests, confrontations
between large public projects and the fishing industry
for example, have occasionally been reported andassessed incorrectly as totally emotional disputes.
The benefits of the oceans must provide themaximum benefits for the people as a whole, and forthis reason, priority is not placed entirely on a specificfield. In order to maximize benefits by harmonizing
interests, we must conduct discussions throughscientific analysis based on objective data, develop
and agree on a rational process which can create themaximum benefits, and weight efficient investment.
And the oceans are not only the sources of blessings,
they are also the origin of typhoons, tsunami, storm
surges, earthquakes and other disasters. We alsopresume that if ocean development continues in the
future, its bases will spread throughout coastal regions
vulnerable to such disasters, but even under suchconditions, ensuring an adequate level of safety is
indispensable. And the EEZ etc. bear the duty toconserve ocean environments.
In fact, a perspective such as the above isincorporated in the Basic Act on Ocean Policy, the
NILIM is conducting research permitting its actual use,and part of this research is introduced below.
4. Related initiatives by the NILIM(1) Under the Basic Act on Ocean Policy, we must
comprehensively manage coastal zone development,
biodiversity, fisheries, recreation, and other conflicting
uses in coastal regions. To do so, we have to find ways
for various interests to share goals. With theenvironment selected from a variety of elements as its
key word, the NILIM is now conducting research on
the development of a process for policy setting by
diverse interests for Tokyo Bay and elsewhere,
unification or visualization of environmental data, andstudying easy-to-understand project evaluation indices.
We have to deepen the course of and the achievementsof studies possible in the future, at the same time as
we consider if it will be possible to widely apply theseto harmonizing various uses of the ocean by replacing
the key word or bringing concerned together.
Corporations and private
sectorCitizens
Expansion ofspace
Coastline

Expansion of
space
Regional
development/policies
MLITT headquarters, regional
development bureaus
Coastal Municipalities Environmental
Conference
Ocean Policy Research Foundation

RiversFresh waterareas

Port/Nature
Restoration
NILIM
Fisheries

Environment

National Institute forEnvironmental Studies

Government/administration

Urban port district· Hinterland

EnergyCentral Research Institute ofElectric Power Industry

National ResearchInstitute of Fisheries
Science

Port and Airport Research Institute
Universities and research institutes

Figure 2. Coastal Region Management System Outline Chart(2) On new coastal bases, preserving the safety ofhuman lives from disasters is one indispensablecondition, and to quickly develop bases, we have toeffectively take advantage of disaster reduction, notonly that based on physical structures which are
extremely expensive facilities, but also on evacuation
methods and other non-structural measures. We mustback up disaster reduction measures by providing
results of setting evacuation routes based on the resultsof inundation simulations or research on the effective
positioning of evacuation sites.
Evacuationsite A

Approx. 25 minutes after
earthquake

Evacuationsite B

Figure 3. Occurrence/non-occurrence ofDamage According to Evacuation Routefor Inundation by a Tsunami(3) Measures to deal with ocean debris are taken up by
coastal nations as a response to protect the ocean
environment. As a nation managing vast EEZ, Japan
must encourage measures including those governing
its own disposal of debris accompanied by measures torecover ocean debris and specify countries producing
debris. The NILIM is now conducting research on
methods of analyzing the drifting debris – beacheddebris balance, drift routes, and origins of debris inTokyo Bay and in the East China Sea, and must
expand its perspective to include ocean waters near
Japan.
5. Conclusion
In order to develop the ocean which is Japan’s
remaining frontier, we want to continue our researchwith our eyes fixed on the future, so that we canwidely and effectively apply the achievements ofresearch nurtured with the Japanese coastline coastalzone as its field.

‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

Asian economic growth and Japan’s ports
SUZUKI Takeshi,
Director of the Port and Harbor Department
Keywords: Asia, trade trends, international logistics, international ports, Japan’s economic growth
In the 1970s, container ships had a carrying capacity of
about 2,000 TEU; however, in the 1980s, 4,000-TEU
Panamax vessels—the largest vessels capable of passing
through the Panama Canal—made their appearance. In the
1990s, “over-Panamax” vessels that are incapable oftraversing the Panama Canal began to be built, with someattaining a capacity of 6,000 TEU. Given the growing sizeof these vessels, construction to expand the Panama Canal isunderway. And looking at the current state of ship
construction, it is anticipated that size of container ships thatply the world’s oceans will suddenly grow even larger in
response to the canal’s expanded capacity. At the sametime, however, there are some shipbuilders that are not
waiting for the canal’s expansion, and thus there are
expectations that container ships capable of carrying some
15,000 TEU—exceeding the canal’s post-construction
capacity—will be seen.
Bulk carriers that transport coal, iron ore, and grain are
also expected to grow larger. One reason for this isexpanding long-distance transport amid rapidly growing
demand for resources by newly developing countries.
Until now, 70,000-ton class Panamax vessels have been the
major mode of grain transport, while 170,000-ton class

1. Asian economic growth and Japan’s ports
During the 10 years from 1999 to 2009, the world’s GDP
expanded by 1.85 times. During this same period, the GDP
of North America grew by 1.55 times and that of Western
Europe grew by 1.71 times. In contrast, however, Japan’s
GDP grew by only 1.16 times, indicating that Japan’s
economy remained stagnant even as the global economy
grew. On the other hand, Japan’s neighbors, China among
them, expanded their economies significantly during thistime.
They also formulated various strategies leading tobold investments and institutional reforms, and thereby
expanded the influence of their ports. Looking at handledcontainer volume, Japan’s top port in 1980 (Kobe Port)ranked fifth in the world in handled volume; however, by
2009, Japan’s top port (Tokyo Port) ranked just 26th.
Conversely, East Asian ports dominate the top positions interms of handled volume, as eight of the top ten ports arelocated in East Asia.
2. Increasing size of international cargo vessels
Container vessels are being built larger and larger in order
to efficiently transport a growing amount of container goods
and to ensure that companies survive in market competition.

[Numberof containers䛾䝁䞁䝔䝘ྲྀᢅಶᩘ䛇
handled by major Asian ports]
䛆䜰䝆䜰୺せ[Worldranking‴ู䝁䞁䝔䝘ྲྀᢅಶᩘ䝷䞁䜻䞁䜾䛇of number of containers handled by port]䛆ୡ⏺䛾(Unit: 10,000 TEU)䠄༢఩䠖୓䠰䠡䠱䠅

䠍䠕䠔䠌ᖺ
1980
Port
䚷ྡ






㻝㻥㻡
㻝㻥㻜
㻝㻠㻢
㻝㻠㻢
㻥㻤
㻥㻞
㻤㻡
㻤㻟
㻣㻤
㻣㻤

㻝㻞

Yokohamaᶓ὾㻣㻞

No. of containers‴ྲྀᢅ㺘㺻㺡㺣ಶᩘ
handled by port
(unit: 10,000 TEU)㸦༢఩㸸୓㹒㹃㹓㸧

㻝㻢

Busan
㔩ᒣ

卫

Hong
㤶Kong

Rotterdam䝻䝑䝔䝹䝎䝮
Hong Kong㤶
Kobe⚄ᡞ
Kaohsiung㧗㞝Singapore䝅䞁䜺䝫䞊䝹San Juan䝃䞁䝣䜯䞁Long Beach䝻䞁䜾䝡䞊䝏
Hamburg䝝䞁䝤䝹䜽Oakland䜸䞊䜽䝷䞁䝗卫

New York/New Jersey䢂䡩䡬䢒䡬䡴㻛䢂䡩䡬䡸䢚䡨䡬䡸䢚䡬卫

Shanghai
ୖᾏ

㻢㻟

2009
(upper number)ᖺ㸦ୖẁ㸧

㻝㻤

Tokyo
ᮾி

Busan
㔩ᒣ



Tokyo
Port
ᮾி‴



Osaka Port
኱㜰‴



Kaohsiung
㧗㞝



Singapore㺚㺻㺔㺼㺬㺽㺎㺷



䡡

1980
(lower number)ᖺ㸦ୗẁ㸧

TEU(twentyͲfootequivalentunit)䠖
TEU(twenty-foot equivalentunit): An
International
Organization forᅜ㝿ᶆ‽つ᱁䠄䠥䠯䠫つ᱁䠅䛾Standardization
standard (ISO standard)20䝣䜱䞊䝖䞉䝁䞁䝔䝘䜢䠍䛸䛧䚸unit that
calculates a 20-foot container as40䝣䜱䞊䝖䞉䝁䞁䝔䝘䜢䠎䛸䛧䛶“1” anda 40-foot container as “2”.
ィ⟬䛩䜛༢఩䚹Handledྲྀᢅ㔞volume

㻝
㻞
㻟
㻠
㻡
㻢
㻣
㻤
㻥
㻝㻜

䠎䠌䠌䠕ᖺ㏿ሗ್2009(preliminary values)
Handled
Port

ྲྀᢅ㔞
䚷ྡ
volumeSingapore㻝㻌㻔㻝㻕 䝅䞁䜺䝫䞊䝹㻌㻞㻘㻡㻤㻣
Shanghai㻞㻌㻔㻞㻕 ୖᾏ㻞㻘㻡㻜㻜Hong Kong㻟㻌㻔㻟㻕 㤶㻞㻘㻜㻥㻤
Shenzhen㻠㻌㻔㻠㻕 ῝ᆆ㻝㻘㻤㻞㻡Busan
㻡㻌㻔㻡㻕 㔩ᒣ㻝㻘㻝㻥㻡Guangzhou㻢㻌㻔㻤㻕 ᗈᕞ㻝㻘㻝㻝㻥Dubai
㻣㻌㻔㻢㻕 䝗䝞䜲㻝㻘㻝㻝㻞Ningbo㻤㻌㻔㻣㻕 ᑀἼ㻝㻘㻜㻡㻜
Qingdao㻥㻌㻔㻝㻜㻕 㟷ᓥ㻝㻘㻜㻞㻢
Rotterdam㻝㻜㻌㻔㻥㻕 䝻䝑䝔䝹䝎䝮㻥㻣㻠* 䈜ᮾி‴䛿ᮾி“Tokyo Port” includes Tokyo䞉ᶓ὾Port䚸and Yokohama Port.
“Osaka Port” includes Osaka Port and Kobe Port.
኱㜰‴䛿኱㜰
䚹 is for 2008.
However,the figure for䞉⚄ᡞ
Osaka Port

㻢㻟
䡡
䡡

䡡

Tokyo
㻞㻢㻔㻞㻠㻕 ᮾி㻟㻣㻠Yokohama㻟㻢㻔㻞㻥㻕 ᶓ὾㻞㻤㻜Nagoya䠉㻔㻟㻥㻕 ྡྂᒇ

䈜㻞㻤㻞

㻟㻥

Osaka
኱㜰

㻞㻡

Kobe
䠉㻔㻠㻠㻕 ⚄ᡞ䈜㻞㻡㻢㻠㻢Nagoyaྡྂᒇ㻞㻝

Osaka
䠉㻔㻡㻜㻕 ኱㜰䈜㻞㻞㻠䛯䛰䛧䚸኱㜰‴䛿㻞㻜㻜㻤ᖺ䛾ᩘᏐ䚹㼇ὀ㼉 እෆ㈠䜢ྵ䜐ᩘᏐNote: Figures
include both domestic and overseas trade.
Source: Prepared by the Ports and 䠥䠪䠰䠡䠮䠪䠝䠰䠥䠫䠪䠝䠨
Harbors Bureau, MLIT, basedon Containerisation
International
Figuresparenthesis show rank in 2008.
䠄 in䠅ෆ䛿䠎䠌䠌䠔ᖺ䛾㡰఩ฟ඾䠖䠟䠫䠪䠰䠝䠥䠪䠡䠮䠥䠯䠝䠰䠥䠫䠪䠵䠡䠝䠮䠞䠫䠫䠧㻝㻥㻤㻞㻌㻘㻌㻞㻜㻝㻜
Handledvolume figures marked with an asterisk (*)
䈜䛾ྲྀᢅ㔞䛿䠎䠌䠌䠔ᖺ䛾ᩘᏐYearbook
1982
and
2010
and
March
2010
Containerisation
International㻹㼍㼞㼏㼔㻌㻞㻜㻝㻜㻌䠟䠫䠪䠰䠝䠥䠪䠡䠮䠥䠯䠝䠰䠥䠫䠪 䠥䠪䠰䠡䠮䠪䠝䠰䠥䠫䠪䠝䠨䜢䜒䛸䛻ᅜᅵ஺㏻┬ ‴ᒁసᡂare for 2008.

‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIMCapesize vessels have been the main player in iron ore
transport. However, more and more vessels that are evenlarger than these ships are coming into service. Transport
by 300,000-ton class VLOC (Very Large Ore Carrier) is
beginning between ironworks in China and Brazil. And amajor Brazilian iron ore company is reportedly building a
400,000-ton Chinamax vessel.
3. Response to changing international cargo demand andlarger vessels
Domestically, Japan faces severe economic, financial, andemployment circumstances brought about by its aging
society, declining population, the strong yen, and shifting ofbusinesses
tooverseas
locations.
Moreover,antigovernment protests in the Middle East and Africa fromthe end of last year present the danger of rising petroleum
prices. On the other hand, other Asian countries quickly
bounced back from the Lehman Brothers’ crisis and are now
enjoying strong economic growth.
As other East Asian ports prosper and vessel sizes growlarger, Japan’s ports are falling behind in responding to thelarger vessels and could even lose major container routes asa result. Moreover, companies are leaving Japan in searchof lower production costs and strong foreign demand.
Japan must raise the competitiveness of its ports and, by
doing so, raise its domestic economic competitiveness andlower import costs for consumer goods. At the same time,
it must link Asia’s vitality to revitalization of its domestic
economy. Achieving these goals will require immediate
steps to give ports the ability to handle larger vessels andimprove corresponding services. In light of Japan’s severe
financial situation, it will be necessary to carefully selectports having high potential here and then to pour intensive
investment into them. It is with these objectives in mind
that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport andTourism selected two regions as “international container
strategic ports” in August 2010. MLIT is also taking steps
toward selecting “international bulk strategic ports.”1970s:2,100TEU
1970s:2,100TEU

To formulate such practical and highly effective port
policies and then to effectively implement them, it will benecessary to analyze and draw up forecasts concerning how
flow of goods between ports, vessel size and function,
frequency of port calls, and volume of cargo handled byeach port change in response to economic conditions inconcerned countries, barriers to international transport andtrade, fuel costs, the management strategies of shipping
companies, vessel specifications and performance, andconditions surrounding the development of port, land, andmarine infrastructure. Such analyses and forecast mustalso focus on the kinds of facilities and equipment needed torespond to the above-mentioned conditions as well as thesize, structure, and function they must have. Taking thesesteps will require continuous accumulation and analysis ofvarious forms of information, including data on trade,transport, vessels, and port development. Then, survey
research on model theory, survey analysis techniques,
statistical theory, and other fields must take place, followedby the creation of a highly reliable international marine
logistics model capable of evaluating the various elementsthat influence trade and logistics. Moreover, this model
must be constantly upgraded to ensure that it has maximum
practicality. On top of this, survey analyses must takeplace that cover not only results obtained from theinternational marine logistics model but also operation ofvessels, cargo-handling equipment, and storage facilities aswell as structure function, usability, durability, energy
efficiency, and technical development trends. From here, itwill be necessary to establish methods for setting thespecifications, use conditions, and other factors for port
facilities and equipment that will be needed as conditions
require.
As the policy for establishing international container
strategic ports and international bulk strategic ports moves
forward based on the activities described above, the Port andHarbor Department intends to help evaluate various
measures within the policy and to contribute to forecasts andanalyses for the planning and formulation of new measures.

Panamax:70,000Ͳtonclass
Capesize:170,000Ͳtonclass1980s:4,400TEU
1980s:4,400TEU

VLOC:200,000Ͳtonclass1990s:6,400TEU
1990s:6,400TEU

VLOC:300,000Ͳtonclass2000s:14,800TEU
2000s:14,800TEU

Chinamax:400,000Ͳtonclass

0

100

200
300
400(m)
PreparedbasedonDNVmaterials 

Changes in lengths of container ships

0

100

200
300
400(m)
PreparedbasedonValematerials

Changes in the lengths of bulk carriers‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM Support by the infrastructure for aviation
growth strategies

HASEGAWA Kou,
Director of the Airport Department(Key words) growth strategies, policy simulation, regional stimulation by an airport,
stock management
1. State of and growth strategies for aviation andairports
On October 2010, at Haneda Airport, the fourth
runway and new international terminal building began
service, initiating full-scale service on internationalroutes. At almost the same time, local approval forincreasing the number of flights at Narita Airport was
obtained, greatly expanding the airport capacity of theTokyo region. It has been assumed that the long period
when both Narita and Haneda were operated at full
capacity, and hence, unable to satisfy airport demand,
had a severe impact on the economy of Japan. With
nearby Asian countries completing large international
airports and vigorously ensuring their competitive
strength, resolving this problem has been an urgent
challenge. But we believe that we must prepare for thetime when, as a consequence of the size of Japan’s
economy and the further growth predicted to occur in
Asia, capacity again exceeds demand, by studying thefurther expansion of our aviation capacity by all
possible means. On the other hand, critics havepointed out that we have many unprofitable regional
airports. 
In May, the growth strategy of the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism was completed
and released. Aviation is included among growthstrategy fields, including (1) promoting athoroughgoing open-sky policy, (2) strengthening
Haneda and Narita to increase the inter-citycompetitiveness of the Tokyo region, (3) taking
radical measures to achieve more efficient airport
operation by taking advantage of the wisdom andcapital of the private sector, (4) aggressively
strengthening airports by improving their balance
sheets, (5) promoting truly necessary aviation
networks, and (6) expanding benefits for users byencouraging participation in LCC. 
In this regard, the proposed budget for 2011 was
prepared incorporating the reduction of the aviationfuel tax and introducing measures to unify the
management of the Kansai Airport and Osaka
International Airport. At the same time, project costs
were sharply cut and maintenance regulations
stiffened. And in parallel, we have conducted open sky
negotiations with the member countries of the ASEAN,
and have formed a committee to study ways toimprove airport operation and proposed specificmethods such as integrating airport management(runways and other basic facilities, terminal buildings
and other related facilities which are now separately
managed in airports managed by the national
government,) and privatizing airports. Our mission is to use the infrastructure to support
aviation growth strategies. In the infrastructure field,
the age of priority on new infrastructure has given
away to an era when operation of infrastructure isemphasized, so we now focus on developing methods
which we can apply throughout the aviation field totackle challenges such as finding ways to effectively
use existing airports or to effectively maintain existing
facilities. An outline of these follows. 
2. To expand benefits for users by promoting open
skies and LCC and enhancing the competitivenessof cities—Improving precision of demand simulation
methods—
The advance of open skies is counted on to promotefrequent flights by smaller aircraft at airports inJapan’s large metropolitan regions and also tostrengthen hub functions of multiple airports in aregion, but the problem is to decide how to use
multiple airports to maximize convenience for users.
Cost reductions achieved by promoting LCC now
offer the possibility of creating brand new regionalroutes. There is also a growing need for policy
simulations capable of showing what demand will
emerge under what kinds of rules and policies. Our
department has been developing and improving amethod of predicting demand for air transport, and is
now working to improve this method by accounting
for the actions of airlines, and we are counting onthese playing roles as policy simulation tools. We
hope that developing these technologies will result inopen skies and in concrete measures to promote LCC
based on open skies, providing benefits for users. 
We are also conducting research on ways to quickly
ensure an alternate route when an international airport
transport center or domestic trunk aviation routecenter cannot function as a result of an earthquake orvolcanic eruption. When there are shortcomings inactual circumstances, an immediate response isnecessary. To ensure international competitiveness, it
is very important to resolve this problem. ‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

3. To maintain aviation networks which are truly
necessary—Aiming to create airports that stimulate regions andto measure their stimulation effects—
This concerns regional routes which seem to havebeen maintained with internal support by the airline,
but judging that regions should take the lead in
ensuring air transport services, efforts should be madeto maintain services, develop tourism, or stimulate theregion, through cooperation, including grants, etc.,with airlines. Our department is conducting research toclarify characteristics of use in order to be able toobtain support taking advantage of the properties of
airports to introduce measures to stimulate the region
through tourism etc. And transparency is needed toobtain the understanding of the local residents
regarding support measures by the region. It is also
necessary to quantify the impact of airports on local
economies, and to clarify other non-economic effects.
We are studying methods of measuring effects which
are not accounted for in past cost-effects manuals. We
hope these will contribute to the maintenance of
aviation networks. 
4. Towards radically more efficient airport
management
—Stock management of airport facilities—
Integrating the management of airports andprivatizing airports in order to benefit from thewisdom and capital of the private sector has beensuggested, but there are many airports which failed to
become profitable even after unification. Overall
strategies must be studied, but more efficientmaintenance and operation are also required. As
facilities have aged, increasing the need for repairs
and reconstruction, the questions we must answer are
how should we conduct day-to-day management tominimize these tasks, or how can we carry them out
using the least possible labor. It is essential to improve
efficiency, while ensuring safety and security, which
are issues with priority over growth strategies. 
One characteristic of an airport is that it possesses avast paved area without obstacles, or in other words,
without any targets. We have developed amaintenanceinspection
systemusing
GPSsupplemented with information from a multifunctionaltransport satellite in order to quickly identify defective
locations, repair them, and manage them continually.

Site

DGPS receivePortable terminal
Airport coordinates
X2500.000
Y430.000
One challenge is improving the efficiency of grass

cutting, a task which accounts for a large part ofmaintenance costs. Specialized technologies are skillfully used andprovided because in Japan, it has been necessary toconstruct hub airports in particular on locations withpoor ground conditions and to expand their paved
areas. In addition to enacting design standards for new
facilities as we already have, we have prepared draft
instructions for repair work, which will be the major
issue in the future. It incorporates measures tostrengthen the weak points, which are joints and edges,
and which have been studied experimentally. To perform design according to the way paving isused, we have established a theoretical design method
based on the degree of fatigue of facilities, and alsostudied a design method based on probability inresponse to the trend towards performance design. 
It is necessary to fly aircraft according to schedule,
and to maintain and repair facilities without impacting
this activity. Non-destructive inspection methods are
one way to achieve this, so we have applied the FWD
based inspection method to a new design method, andhave developed an infrared beam based separation
detection method. We are also studying the possibilityof using optical fibers as sensors. 
Example of monitoring using infrared beam images

Range of infrared image

Separated part‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

On the subject of probe data
FUJIMOTO Satoshi,
Director of the Research Center for Advanced Information Technology(Key words) Probe, probe data, ITS spots
1. Introduction
Recently, we often hear talk of “probes”. The
dictionary definition of a “probe” is “a slender, flexible
surgical instrument used to explore a wound or body
cavity”, or “a vehicle equipped to obtain scientificinformation (space probe) ” (extracts from Collins
English Dictionary). In the field of electronic devices,
meanwhile, a probe can also be a lead connecting to or
containing a measuring or monitoring circuit used fortesting.
In the field of road traffic, a traveling vehicle fittedwith sensors is called a “probe car”, and the datacollected by those sensors are called “probe data”.
Moves are afoot to take these data and subject them toprocessing and analysis, making them available forbroad use in services in the road traffic sector.
2. What is a probe?
While the term “probe” is still somewhat unfamiliarin the field of civil engineering, it has long been incommon use in other fields. To quote a recent case, forexample, when the unmanned spacecraft Hayabusa
returned to earth with microparticles from the asteroid
Itokawa, the BBC reported the news with the headline“Japan probe collected particles from Itokawa asteroid”.
It is also used with frequency in a social or politicalsense, and is often seen in English-language news (forexample, in connection with ‘spy probes’ orinvestigations of contagious diseases).
In the road traffic sector, the use of probe data was
first considered in the second half of the 1990s. In 1999,
for example, the Japan Automobile Research Institute(JARI) led an initiative for a “Feasibility study on thedevelopment of an ITS probe car system”, while ataround the same time the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism started studying
the use of probe cars in highway administration. An
example of this was a study on the creation of a probe
car system by the Chugoku Regional Development
Bureau. Monitoring devices fitted with functions for
obtaining positional and other data using GPS (global
positioning systems) and functions for communication
were attached to vehicles constantly in use, such as
official vehicles and buses. Existing communication
networks were then used to gather positional data fromeach vehicle with the passage of time.
3. Probe data
Probe data that can be obtained from a motor vehicle

include data obtainable from navigation systems, suchas the time and position (longitude and latitude), i.e.
data on the vehicle’s running history, and front-rearacceleration or right-left acceleration, i.e. data on thevehicle’s performance history. Since these probe data
can be obtained continuously over time from eachsingle vehicle, if a system could be constructed
whereby data could be acquired from a considerable
number of vehicles, it would allow us to monitor thestate of road traffic at any chosen location or point intime.
Probe data on the running history mentioned above isobtained by aggregating compound technologies
consisting of GPS technology, map matching
technology, and digital road maps. Of these, positional
measurement by GPS can take two forms, namely
single point measurement and relative positional
measurement, the former of which is used for car
navigation systems. With this method, the position of
one’s own vehicle and the time of that position are
obtained by calculating the longitude, latitude,
elevation and time (i.e. the time on a nuclear clock
mounted on GPS satellites) by receiving transmission
signal data from four GPS satellites. The data received
here, however, are inconsistent in their precision,owing to ionospheric delay in the radiowave
propagation pathway, the state of the earth’s
atmosphere, and other factors. GPS receivers incommon use are set to a standard allowing them toreceive positional identification to within 10 metersfrom the correct longitude and latitude to a probabilityof 95%. In future, this inconsistency is expected to be
vastly improved through the use of quasi-zenithsatellites. However, it will probably be some time
before quasi-zenith satellites are operating 24 hours a
day over Japan; only one (“Michibiki”) is in orbit at the
moment, and two more are still needed.
Map matching technology is a corrective method
whereby, since cars basically only drive on roads, thelongitude and latitude obtained by GPS positional
measurement are plotted on the links on a digital road
map. While this method has been used by various
navigation system manufacturers to improve precisionusing their own technology, there are somecomplications with patents. As a result, eachmanufacturer uses a different specific techniqueproducing a different level of precision, and the method
is not yet in the public domain.
As shown above, probe data on a vehicle’s running‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

history obtained from car navigation systems currently
present some problems over the inconsistency of
precision when in use.
4. Verification of probe data
With a view to starting a nationwide service using
ITS spots between January and March 2011, theMinistry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport andTourism has installed about 1,600 ITS spots, mainly on
expressways all over the country, in a public-private
collaboration. The spot communication used in these
ITS spot services has the characteristic of facilitatinglarge-volume communication in both directions.
Car navigation systems compatible with ITS spots
are fitted with GPS receivers, acceleration sensors,
gyrosensors and other devices, allowing them to obtainand accumulate the vehicle’s running history data andperformance history data. The probe data accumulated
here are up-linked every time the vehicle passes an ITS
spot, and are also aggregated in the probe server. The
data thus gathered are called “road probe data”, todistinguish them from other probe data.
The use of road probe data is being considered in avariety of situations, but for the time being, the aim is toprocess them into average traveling time and average
traveling speed per unit of links on digital road maps.
This will make it possible to capture the daily changing
state of road traffic at any time.  However, while a variety of devices are being
developed and gradually starting to be used to gather

road probe data, before that, as stated in the previous
section, I think the gathered data will need to beverified. Specifically, this system has been given
parameters that can be set as appropriate by theadministrator (for example, when calculating average
traveling time and producing data on a given vehicle
traveling significantly faster or slower than the average,
the threshold value for removing or retaining thosedata). Nevertheless, I think it will be necessary to tune
these to appropriate values, having verified therelevance of these parameter values using actual data.
Also, it will be essential to verify whether or not thedata are being processed in the sequence specified in
the equipment specifications, or whether or not the data
are being uplinked in accordance with the format ofroad probe data determined in advance.
5. Conclusion
 In this modern age of advanced car electronics,
many other types of data exist as probe data related to
motor vehicles, besides those mentioned here. One
direction for research in the ITS field in future could beto study how effective use can be made of these probe
data, but verifying the data themselves will be
indispensable as a prerequisite to that.
Reference
Traffic Engineering2003 No.4 Vol.38Japan Societyof Traffic Engineers‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

Actions which should be taken to reducethe damage caused by natural disasters

YAMASHITA Masaru,
Director of the Research Center for Disaster Risk Management(Key words) Natural disaster, disaster risk, warning and evacuation, technical guidance, Sediment Disaster
Prevention Act
1. Introduction The history of the postwar growth of Japan has also
been a history of a battle with natural disasters. An
examination of changing numbers of fatalities andmissing from natural disasters 1) shows that from 1945
to 1960, earthquake disasters such as the Fukui
Earthquake and wind and flood disasters such as theIse Bay Typhoon struck the national land while coredisaster facilities were being constructed, claiming
between about a thousand to several thousand victims
each year.  After later progress in the construction of levees on
major rivers, by about 1983, the numbers of fatalities
and missing was down to a few hundred each year.
During this period, damage caused by large-scale
flooding fell, while a relative increase was seen in thepercentage of fatalities and missing as a result of
sediment disasters caused by torrential rainfall,volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.  Since that time, the numbers of fatalities andmissing persons has fluctuated between several tens ofpeople to between 100 and 200 as a result of
aggressive implementation of non-structural measures
such as the establishment of warning and evacuation
systems in addition to the construction of disasterprevention structures. But, during the same years, the
Hokkaido Southwest Offshore Earthquake, the Kobe
Earthquake, and the Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake andother sudden large-scale disasters caused severe
damage, while responding to disasters caused byguerilla type concentrated torrential rainfall triggeredby climate change and supporting elderly people andothers requiring protection during a disaster are now
urgent challenges. 
2. Natural disasters and their changing
environments As stated above, natural disasters and theenvironment surrounding them are changing
constantly. 
Sediment disasters which occurred in July 2010 in
Shobara City in Hiroshima Prefecture caused severe
damage including one fatality in a range limited toabout 5km square where rainfall was concentrated in
an extremely short time. A rainfall gauge at the site
recorded 173mm in 3 hours, but it is assumed thateven heavier rainfall fell at the actual disaster location.

In recent years, floods and sediment disasters causedby such extreme climate phenomena have tended toincrease, and it is vital that in the future, we takeaction in response to rising disaster risk accompanying
the decline of regional disaster prevention capabilities
caused by depopulation and aging etc. in addition tothis climate change.  When the Central Chili Coastal Earthquake
occurred on February 27, 2010, tsunami warnings
were issued over a wide area centered on the Pacificcoastline. More than 24 hours passed between theannouncement of a warning at 9:33 a.m. on February
28, and the cancellation of all precautionary warnings,
while on trunk highways along the Pacific Ocean
coastline, travel restrictions were enforced over long
distances for long periods, causing confusion
including severe congestion.  Evacuation advisories were issued to about 1.69
million people living in a total of 189 cities, towns,
and villages throughout Chili, but fewer than about
40% of the people actually evacuated, even in regions
warned of a large tsunami 2), leaving problems
concerning the people’s evacuation awareness andinformation dissemination including that performed at
normal times. 
On January 26, 2011, full-scale volcanic activity
began after about 300 years of inactivity at Mt.
Kirishima (Shinmoedake), spewing vast quantities of
volcanic ash during repeated eruptions. In regions
where ash fell heavily, the danger that future rainfall
will trigger debris flows has increased, so in addition
to physical measures such as emergency removal ofrock from existing sabo dams, it is vital to clarify andto provide information directly relevant to theevacuation of the residents: critical rainfall for
warnings and evacuation, hypothetical debris flow
inundation areas and so on. 

3. Initiatives by the Research Center for Disaster
Risk Management Below, characteristics of natural disasters in recent
years and initiatives taken to resolve challenges are
introduced.
(1) Response to rising risk of disasters accompanying
climate change It is difficult for conventional observation systems
to clarify the actual state of recent guerilla type‫ە‬Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

concentrated torrential rainfall, posing a major
obstacle to implementing measures. So in upstream
regions where this has delayed river improvements
and the installation of observation equipment, and incities where severe disasters are predicted, X-bandradar will be used to boost the precision of rainfall
forecasts and water level predictions.  And technologies to provide real time information
revealing the state of inundation of cities by both outerwaters and inner waters is being developed as theconstruction of a framework for the sharing of
information among concerned organizations is being
studied. (2) Support for damage mitigation by reliablewarnings and evacuation  At the same time as public investment falls andsocial infrastructure facilities deteriorate, theestablishment of reliable warning and evacuation
systems is an important pillar of disaster prevention
and mitigation measures. A review of proper procedures for restricting traffic
in anticipation of tsunami has been initiated in
response to the earthquake tsunami which struck Chile,
but technical knowledge related to traffic restriction
measures to prepare for tsunami which should be
included in this review, and general knowledge
necessary for employees to take appropriate action in
the field will be compiled to ensure road users’ safety
and improve their response.
 In order to urge appropriate evacuation activities toprevent human loss when runoff or other disasters
occur, the most appropriate evacuation methods foreach form of residence and disaster situation will be
studied along with methods of transmitting
information based on residents’ acceptance of disasterprevention information. And by focusing on social capital in each region,
methods of continually improving regional disasterprevention capacity according to its characteristics arebeing studied.
(3) Technical guidance at disaster scenes Technical guidance on the sites of large-scaledisasters is one of the major roles of the National
Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management. The
NILIM dispatched an employee as a member of
TEC-FORCE, an emergency disaster countermeasureteam, to Shobara City in Hiroshima Prefecture in
response to the torrential rainfall disaster of July 16,
2010 caused by the early summer seasonal rain front,
and another employee as a member of the same teamto Amami in Kagoshima Prefecture in response to therainfall disaster of October 18, to survey the state ofdamage and provide technical support and advice
concerning restoration policies, etc.  The NILIM sent one more employee as part of agovernment support team to the eruption of Mt.
Kirishima (Shinmoedake) which started in January

2011 to provide technical advice concerning the
preparation of measures which need to be taken
quickly, the enactment of an evacuation plan in
anticipation of predicted debris flows for example. 
4. ConclusionsThe Sediment Disaster Prevention Act (Act on
Sediment Disaster Countermeasures for Sediment
Disaster Prone Areas) was revised and enforced in
May 1, 2011. Under this revision, when a large scale
sediment disaster is imminent, the national
government or prefecture provides information about
districts and time periods when a disaster is predicted
to cities, towns, and villages in order that theirofficials can make correct judgments concerning theissuance of evacuation orders appropriate to theirresidents.  Providing information which is directly linked to
the lives of residents requires advanced technical skills
and superior judgment at the same time as it is a heavy
responsibility.
 The Research Center for Disaster Risk Management
has, in order to prevent or lighten natural disasters,
helped promote facility provision under the revision of
the standards, develop disaster mitigation support
technologies for use during disasters, and researchdisaster information which will contribute toappropriate evacuation and methods of providing thisinformation. In the future, we must accompany these
activities by actively working to improve technicalcapabilities so that employees of the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism can makesuitable judgments at disaster sites and to do all in
their power to respond to increasingly diverse andsevere natural disasters. [Sources]
1) 2010 White Paper on Disasters: Cabinet Office2) Emergency questionnaire survey of residents
concerning tsunami evacuation following theearthquake with its hypocenter on the coast of central
Chile: Cabinet Office, Fire and Disaster Management
Agency٨Research Trends and ResultsLevee Management
Project
—To clarify effectiveness of vegetation
management in maintaining flood control
functions of levees and reflect the findings inlevee management—
HATTORI Atsushi, Head FUKUHARA Naoki, Researcher
NOBUTSUNE Hirotsugu, Researcher
River Division, River Department

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Levee vegetation management, flood control functions of levees
1. Introduction
To more effectively and efficiently manage riverlevees in the future, it will probably be important to
set the maintenance level according to external force
conditions, conditions of the hinterland, etc. While theeffectiveness of mowing, inspections, river patrols andother maintenance activities in maintaining the levee’s
flood control functions have been partly studied 1),
their effectiveness is still inadequately clarified, socompleting technologies to assess the relationship ofmaintenance activities with maintaining flood control
functions remains a challenge.
2. Levee Management Project
The Levee Management Project is a framework forthe joint surveying of levees and development oftechnologies by the head office of the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, National
Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management, thePublic Works Institute, and the regional development
bureaus in order to clarify the effects of levee slope
vegetation management on erosion resistance to flood
flow and on slip stability under seepage, and to
proposenecessary
maintenancelevelsandmaintenance intervals.
 The project was planned to meet the following threechallenges.
Challenge 1: Clarifying change over time ofvegetation transition (flourishing of tall herbaceous
plants), thickness of the loose layer of the surface soil,
and strength or permeability inside the loose layer oflevee slopes according to mowing frequency
Challenge 2: Quantitatively clarifying the bearing
strength (erosion resistance, seepage resistance,
resistance to slope sliding) of levees according to thequality of the levee (loose level, types of vegetation
flourishing)
Challenge 3: Setting the management level at theminimum necessary based on the above.
Studying the frequency of mowing and removing
and replacing the loose soil layer of the slope in orderto maintain flood control functions by quantitatively
evaluating the levee’s bearing strength (challenge 2)
according to change over time (challenge 1) of a levee
according to differences in the management level(frequency of mowing). And also studying how toreflect the indices for plant communities or loose layer
thickness etc. in levee inspection items (Challenge 3).
3. Towards reflection in the field
As an example of the project, the following areinterim results of a large-scale water channel
experiment using specimens taken in undisturbed statefrom an actual levee (Challenge 2). Assuming thaterosion resistance capacity is mainly impacted by root
hairs on roots of vegetation, the roots were classified
as “vegetation consisting mainly of root hairs(Japanese lawn grass, cogon grass)”, “vegetationconsisting mainly of tap roots (thick roots) (tallgoldenrod)”, “vegetation consisting of mixed root
hairs and tap roots (nezasa (2NGKQDNCUVWUEJKPQXCTXKTKFKU))” and then compared, and based on the
results, it was concluded that the erosion resistancecapacity of “vegetation consisting mainly of root
hairs” was greater than that of the other types 2).
The achievements of this project will be reflected insetting the maintenance level, and we wish to continue
this study in order to contribute to more efficientmaintenance and to the improvement of the quality ofriver levees.
[Sources]
1) Uta et al.: Hydraulic stability and erodibility ofrich-in-nature-type bank protection works, cohesive
soil and short vegetation., Technical Note of PWRI,
No. 3489, 1997
2) S. Ochiai, A. Hattori, H. Nobutsune, N. Fukuhara:
Test of erosion resistance according to differences invegetation, No. 65 Proceedings of annual conferenceof the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, 2010٨Research Trends and Results

Systematic initiatives to linkdisaster case studies to theimprovement of rivertechnologies



HATTORI Atsushi, Head NOBUTSUNE Kouji, Researcher
FUKUHARA Naoki, Researcher
River Division, River Department

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Disaster case study, technological improvement, database
1.Maintaining technologies Needless to say, river improvement and river course
management play a role in maintaining and improving
safety from flooding, but recent large-scale disasters
have been sharp reminders of the importance of
maintaining the technologies which support these
activities 1). A Levee Research Committee and River
Structure Technology Council established by the River
Bureau last year have presented a framework for
performing field surveys of disaster cases toaccumulate technical knowledge and revise technicalstandards etc. Under this framework, the NILIM is
conducting the following three research projects
related to the above technological maintenance. 

2. Analysis information concerning disaster cases
are the touchstone of river technologies
A disaster case survey diverges from theconventional perspective by, based on a variety ofactually measured values, connecting the processes
resulting in damage one at a time to mechanicallyverify the appropriateness of its findings. Based on
knowledge obtained from such meticulous analyses,
reviews and improvements of design methods are
made continually. In order to put the above ideas into
practice, the NILIM conducts disaster case studies
jointly with regional development bureaus, and taking
the disaster study of the weir and its adjoining leveeson the Angagawa River System 2) as an example, theimpact of the previous year’s fluctuation of the rivercourse downstream from the weir on the water leveland on riverbed scouring near the disaster location was
analyzed.

3. Discovering technological information in
inspection and patrol records
 Records of inspections and patrols of levees andpast disasters and repairs are checked to abstract thetypes of deformation, members deformed, and degreeof their deformation which are linked to decline offunctions at the same time as all conditions forinspections and patrols done to accurately grasp suchdeformations (walking, driving or other travelingmethod, implementation frequency, state of vegetation,etc.) are clarified. To establish such an analysis
method, records of inspections and patrols, etc.
performed during the previous five years are used toanalyze data. Even initial organization by
superimposing locations where deformation is
confirmed and locations repaired on a plane map of
the river course provide clues drawing out informationof use for inspections by, for example, permitting
sections where deformation was concentrated andconfirmed to be distinguished. 
4. Need for mechanisms to continue disaster casestudies
For the NILIM and regional development bureaus
to continue to jointly survey disaster cases etc. in suchdetail, considerable labor is required and the numberof surveys performed each year is probably naturally
limited. Consequently, it is important to also provide amechanism to strengthen motivation to continue
studies. The NILIM is constructing a database as ameans for river managers to share cases in which they
have been involved with river managers throughout
Japan, and to obtain hints for solutions to challenges
they face. The River Bureau has established an
implementation system to contact the NILIM after adisaster, to perform joint studies to obtain moredetailed results, and to record the results in the
database. The NILIM intends to take initiatives inorder to apply information which has been
accumulated in the database to improve technologies.
[Sources]
1) Report by Hurricane Katrina External Review Panelof the American Society of Civil Engineers (Japanesetranslation):
http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/bbg/saigai-gaikoku/asce.pdf
2) Survey of Causes of Levee Disaster on the
Agagawa River and Future Policies: Journal, River,February, 2013 ٨Research Trends and Results

Concept and specific methods for management which
provides a flow
capacity margin
HATTORI Atsushi, Head
TAKEUCHI Yoshinori, Researcher; River Division, River
Department
FUJITA Koichi, Research Coordinator for Watershed Management, River Department
ONUMA Katsuhiro, Senior Researcher
River Environment Division, Environment Department

Research Trends and Results(Key words) River course change, flow capacity, river course management, fine soil sedimentation, river narrowing,high water channel formation
1. Management of flow capacity anticipating rivercourse change
The enactment of basic policies for river
improvement and river improvement plans isaccompanied by the planning and implementation ofriver course excavation and tree cutting etc. to expand
flow capacity. When doing this, it is important tocarefully watch for change of river courses to study
the optimization of the management labor, but
sufficient knowledge is not always obtained. As one
method of ensuring the specified flow capacity in rivercourse sections prone to sedimentation, in addition to
the river cross-section necessary to transport a flood
flow, installing cross-section space for sedimentation(a margin) is also considered. This means that flow
capacity is managed by (1) as part of river course
design, predicting fluctuation of future flow capacity
according to sedimentation and, for example, setting
the optimum margin to balance the annual averagequantity of soil re-excavated and the maintenancelabor force, and (2) as part of river course
management, observing the state of sedimentation bysectional surveying to set judgment standards toreliably implement maintenance excavation before themargin is filled in by deposited sediment.

2. Incorporating the optimum margin in rivercourse designOn a river course with a gravel riverbed, if the
low-water channel is widened across a series ofsections, in areas where vegetation flourishes on slightelevations of the riverbed, every time fine sediment,
which is almost non-existent in the riverbed material,is deposited by a run-off, a high water channel forms,
returning the low-water channel to its original width1),and cases where this occurred in the relatively shortperiod of less than 10 years 2) are known. A rivercourse design which provides a margin was tested fora case where it is necessary to devise a way to quickly
reduce the size of the river section to maintain flow

capacity in this way. First, we constructed a simple
prediction model for high water channel reformation
radically simplified to a range where the essential
mechanism of fine soil deposition in flourishingvegetation areas is not harmed 2). This model wasapplied to the Sendaigawa River, confirming that themodel provides a certain degree of reproducibility of
the form and height of sedimentation, and that it can
predict and evaluate the river cross-section reduction.
This model can be used to study the form of
excavation or margin of the river section, etc. whichslow the river section reduction rate to optimize themaintenance labor. 
3. Inspection technologies to more reliably manage
flow capacityWe proposed the Basic River Course Management
Sheet as a tool to inspect flow capacity in cooperation
with the Kyushu Regional Development Bureau’sRiver Management Research Committee. It was
prepared by organizing data of various categories inorder to be able to longitudinally compare change overyears of the water level calculated for the time whenthe management target flow rate is flowing (twoversions: present situation and when the trees havebeen cut) and the average riverbed height. Sections
where, for example, the calculated water levelapproximates the design high water level (eliminating
leeway in the flow capacity) and the average riverbed
height has tended to rise in recent years, arereorganized so that they can be interpreted as sections
where there is danger of the flow rate being
insufficient. Using this sheet, it is possible to evaluate
the degree of reduction of the margin of the designedriver section in the present river course and to morereliably manage the flow capacity by, for example,
performing maintenance excavation before the margin
is filled by deposited sediment. We are counting on rational river course design andflow capacity maintenance being implemented in the٨Research Trends and Results

field in this way, further improving the level of rivercourse management technology.
[Sources]
1) Fujita et al.: Collected Reports of the Japan Societyof Civil Engineers, No. 551/II-37, pp. 47-62, 1996
2) Takeuchi et al.: Civil Engineering Journal, Vol. 52,
No. 7, pp. 26-29, 2010

٨Research Trends and Results

Tsunami Inundation Estimation System to Improve
Reliability of Evacuation Information


SUWA Yoshio, Head
KATO Fuminori, Senior Researcher
Coast Division, River Department

Database might be too high. It is now possible toimprove the precision of inundation estimations byentering the state of opening/closing of sluice gates to
the Tsunami Inundation Calculation System toperform an inundation calculation. This system caneven be used in the case of a far-field earthquake,when tsunamis arrive a long time after the earthquake.
The Tsunami Inundation Estimation System formedby supplementing these with the Tsunami Inundation
Attenuation Prediction Model has the potential for
application not only to disaster responses by facility
managers, but also to the evacuation of residents.

Inundation
estimationහᤨᶐ᳓ᗐቯ
At riskᶐ᳓䈱ᕟ䉏
of inundation

Closureof sluice gates᳓㐷㐽㎮䈏⏕⹺䈘䉏
confirmed,
preventing䈢䈱䈪ᶐ᳓䈚䈭䈇
inundation

Disaster
response systemෂ㒾ᕈ䈮ᔕ䈛䈢ἴኂaccordingኻᔕ૕೙to danger

Time
ᤨ㑆

Inundation estimation
based
on tsunamiᵤᵄᶐ᳓⸘▚ࠪࠬ࠹
inundation
calculationࡓߦࠃࠆᶐ᳓ᗐቯ
systemᣉ⸳ታᘒߦහߒߚ
ᶐ᳓ᗐቯߩᦝᣂ

Inundation estimationᵤᵄᶐ᳓࠺࡯࠲ࡌ࡯
based
on a tsunamiࠬߦࠃࠆᶐ᳓ᗐቯ
inundation
database

Revision of inundation
estimation according to actual
status of facilities

Tsunamiwarning
ᵤᵄ⼊ႎ

ᶐ᳓ᷓ


1. Introduction
When the Chilean earthquake tsunami struck Japan
at the end of February 2010, many residents did notevacuate despite the tsunami warnings, evacuation
directives and recommendations which were issued,
and the tsunami formed tidal bores which flowed
upstream in several rivers, forcing the long-term
closure of roads along the coastline, which was theregion targeted by the tsunami warning. In order thatfrom immediately after an earthquake until the dangerof inundation by a tsunami has ended, river managers
and other facility managers make appropriate
decisions to send out patrols and to set the range ofthese patrols and take other disaster response measures
such as restricting access to areas at risk, it is essential
to predict the range and depth of inundation according
to the predicted tsunami height announced in tsunami
warnings instead of the largest predicted inundation
range of tsunami shown on tsunami hazard maps.
 This research is intended to improve facility
managers’ disaster response to tsunami warnings bybuilding the Tsunami Inundation Database, which canreflect the most recent progress in the seismic
retrofitting of coastal dikes etc. to rapidly estimate therange and depth of a tsunami inundation according to
the predicted tsunami height announced in a tsunami
warning, and at the same time, the Tsunami
Inundation Calculation System, which can accurately
revise the inundation estimation range at an
appropriate time by reflecting the state of
opening/closing of sluice gates, and the Tsunami
Inundation Attenuation Prediction Model, which canpredict the duration of the tsunami inundation.

2. Outline of the systems
The Tsunami Inundation Database is a database ofinundation estimations calculated in advance bytsunami height in line with the state of seismic
retrofitting of coastal dikes etc. In the case of anear-field earthquake, the predicted tsunami heightannounced immediately after the earthquake is entered
to the database, which can then confirm the range anddepth of inundation estimated according to thetsunami height. If it is later confirmed that the sluicegates are closed and the dikes are not damaged, theinundation estimated by the Tsunami Inundation

Inundation depth

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Tsunami, inundation prediction, disaster response, evacuation

Tsunami inundationᵤᵄᶐ᳓ᷫ⴮ᗐቯ
attenuation prediction

Figure 1. Outline of the Tsunami Inundation
Estimation System
3. Future plans
This research is scheduled to continue for three
years beginning in 2011.
[Reference]
F. Kato, Y. Suwa: Survey of evacuation from the
Chilean Tsunami of 2010, Technical Note of NILIM
622





٨Research Trends and Results

Simple method of Identifying Sources ofSupply of Beach Sand by Chemical
Analysis of Sand Grains


SUWA Yoshio, HeadWATANABE Kunihiro, Researcher
Coast Division, River Department

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Beach sand, sand supply, mineral analysis, whole-rock analysis 
1. Where did this sand come from?
“Tiny particles were discovered in the capsule!”
The world swung from joy to despair over a few
grains of sand carried from the Itokawa Asteroid by
the Hayabusa spacecraft. The question, “where did
this sand come from?” is an important challenge for
the Coast Division.
 Beach sand is maintained by a balance between
sand washed away by the action of waves and windand newly supplied sand. At locations where
insufficient sand is supplied, coastline erosion occurs,
exposing the hinterland to danger, so identifying thesources of sand is indispensable for coastline
management.
The Coast Division is working cooperatively with
Tokyo City University to develop methods of identifying
the supply sources of sand. This report introduces
research carried out along Kujukurihama Beach.

2. How is the source of supply of sand identified?
There are cases where coastal sand consists of avariety of different minerals, permitting researchers tohypothesize the sources of its supply by examining its
mineral constituents under a microscope. But
identifying minerals requires experience, andidentifying minerals in more than 100 grains in asingle sample is a labor-intensive task. One method of
more easily identifying the constituents of sand is touse fluorescent X ray analysis to perform whole-rockanalysis which quantifies the 10 major elements and 9
trace elements found in all sand.

Arakawa River

Tonegawa River

3. Differences of sand supply sources revealed bychemical analysis
The results of analysis of sand and rock sampledfrom Kujukurihama Beach, the nearby coastline,
inflowing rivers, and sea cliffs (Fig. 1) confirm thatthe quantities of Nb in the minerals (Nb/TiO2) arecompletely different on the coastline north of theTokawa Fishing Port and on Kujukurihama Beach,with Byobugaura as the northern boundary (Fig. 2).
Most of the Nb/TiO2 on Kujukurihama Beach isalmost equal to that at Byobugaura, and there are also
points with low Nb/TiO2 on Chojagahama Beach at
the mouth of the Isumikawa River, suggesting thatsand is also supplied from south of Cape Taito-misaki.
According to the results of analysis of other elements,
origins vary according to minerals, and pyroxene on
Kujukurihama Beach for example, originated in thesame Kanto Loam as that on the Shonan Coast.
This reveals that it is possible to clarify differencesin the origins of sand on coastlines by examining theirchemical composition. In the future, more sandsamples will be obtained from the hinterland andinflowing rivers, bringing us closer to finding theorigins of the sand on Kujukurihama Beach.
North from the Tokawa Fishing Harbor
Kujukurihma Beach
Byobugaura
Chojagahama Beach

North from the Tokawa
Fishing HarborSiO2(wt%)Figure 2. Example of the Results of Whole-rockAnalysis of Coastline Sand

Byobugaura

Sagami River

Tokawa Fishing Harbor
Kujukurihama Beach
Cape Taito-misaki
Isumikawa River

Shonan Coast
Figure 1. Coast where Whole-rock Analysis of Sand
was Performed

[Source]
A. Ishii, H. Hagiya, K. Watanabe (2010): Study of theorigin of beach sediment based on the chemicalcomposition of beach sand on the Kujukuri Coast,
Annual Journal of Civil Engineering in the Ocean,
JSCE, Vol. 26, 1125-1130㩷
㩷

٨Research Trends and Results

Evaluation of degree of tolerationof drought by a social experiment

MITSUISHI Shinya, HeadTOYODA Tadahiro, Researcher
Water Management and Dam Division, River Department
1. Introduction
In Japan, normal responses in drought periods are
restrictions on water intake according to river flowrate or dam reservoir storage percentage from thestandpoint of managers, but responses from theperspective of water users considering their toleranceof droughts are rare. Therefore, the author’s performed
a water stoppage social experiment to survey andanalyze drought damage to clarify tolerance ofdrought in order to more rationally perform drought
adjustments including the perspective of the water
users in the future.
2. Outline of the water stoppage social experiment
The water stoppage social experiment was
performed with the cooperation of Hirakata City inOsaka Prefecture. Artificial water stoppages todeliberately prevent water use by 60 households with153 members were performed for a total of 8 days,
with the water stopped for 6 hours for 3 days, 9 hours
for 3 days, and 12 hours for 2 days. The water
stoppage social experiment was short, so aquestionnaire survey based on the premise the drought
continued for a long period was carried out.
3. Analysis of the results of the survey
The results of the survey were analyzed in order tospecify the attributes with high impact on droughttolerance and to abstract attributes of weak toleranceof droughts. This analysis was performed using
quantification II type as the statistical method in orderto handle data which cannot be quantified, which is
the level of tolerance. Tolerance/non-tolerance was set
as the objective variable and the attribute as the
explanatory variable and a model formula shown as
formula (1) was prepared by stoppage time and by
restricted period.
Y: objective variable (tolerance/non-tolerance)
Xij: explanatory variable (each attribute)
X1j: sex, X2j: family constitutionai, bi, ci ---: category score (degree of impact onobjective variable)
A relational formula was prepared by treating theobjective variable Y as tolerance/non-tolerance, andthe explanatory variable Xij as monitor attribute, andsetting 1 in a case where each corresponds, and 0 in acase where each does not correspond. A simultaneous
equation was solved to maximize the correlation ratio,
and if the category score obtained was positive it was
judged to be a factor working tolerably, and if it was
negative, a factor working intolerably. As a result of
the analysis, “household with many members” and“household with all members 65 or older” were seen
to be factors acting intolerably.
4. Drought tolerance level
Next, in order to evaluate the level of tolerance fordroughts, water stoppage period and water stoppage
hours were organized based on a matrix. In responses
to the questionnaire survey, a regression curve on
which the percentage of “harsh” and the percentageof “harsh” and “a little harsh” are over 50% was
obtained based on the interpolation method, and set as
the boundary of each tolerance level. Figure 1 shows
the tolerance level curve. Tolerancelevel 3: unbearable (overฃᔋ䊧䊔䊦㪊䋺ᚒᘟ䈪䈐䈭䈇
toleration
boundary) ㆊ䋩 [Z
䇭䋨ฃᔋ㒢⇇⿥ 
4 
 
Tolerancelevel 2: suffers fromฃᔋ䊧䊔䊦㪉䋺ਇଢ⧰∩䉕
the inconveniencebut bearableᗵ䈛䉎䈏ᚒᘟ䈪䈐䉎  [Z
4 
 
Tolerancelevel 1: normal life 䈇↢ᵴฃᔋ䊧䊔䊦㪈䋺᥉Ბ䈫ᄌ䉒䉌䈭 “Littleharsh”‫ޟ‬߿߿෩ ߒ answer޿ ‫ ޠ‬࿁ rate:╵ Ყ50%₸ 㧑
“Harsh”
answer
rate
‫ޟ‬
෩ߒ޿
‫ޠ‬࿁╵
Ყ50%
₸ 㧑

 






ᢿ᳓ᦼ㑆㧔ᣣ㧕
Water stoppage
period (days)

Figure 1. Tolerance Level Curve
5. ConclusionBased on the results of analysis performed in thisresearch, persons requiring protection during a disaster
caused by a drought were specified, and tolerance
levels for droughts were set. We are counting on thefacts learned from this research being the basis for a
proposal for a study of a drought adjustment method
Water stoppage
time (hr/day)
ᢿ᳓ᤨ㑆㧔JTᣣ㧕

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Water stoppage social experiment, drought disaster, drought toleration level 㪈㪈㩼 㪉㪌㩼㪍㪋㩼 㪐㪇㩼

㪍㪈㩼
㪐㪎㩼

㪉㩼 㪌㩼

㪈㪐㩼

㪊㪐㩼

㪉㪉㩼 㪌㪉㩼

㪏㪊㩼

㪏㪎㩼

㪈㩼 㪈㩼
㪊㩼 㪈㪈㩼

㪌㩼㪊㪊㩼



㪎㪉㩼
㪐㪎㩼

㪈㪊㩼
㪋㪌㩼


including the perspective of water users to be applied
when future droughts occur.
http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/fdg/index.htm (Water
Management and Dam Division)

٨⎇ⓥേะ࡮ᚑᨐ

٨Research Trends and Results

Using rainfall predictions toimprove dam flood control
methods


MITSUISHI Shinya, HeadOZEKI Toshihisa, Researcher
Water Management and Dam Division, River Department

Flow
rate
ᵹ㊂

Flow
rate
ᵹ㊂

Inflow
ᵹ౉㊂
quantity

Inflow
ᵹ౉㊂
quantity

Quantity
discharged䉎ᠲ૞ⷙೣ䈮䉋
under operating rules

᡼ᵹ㊂

Increaseof dam’s 䉍੐೨᡼ᵹ䈮䉋
free
capacityኈ㊂
by
䉻䊛ⓨ䈐
prior
discharge䉕 Ⴧᄢ

䈢䈣䈚 theᦠ䈐ᠲ૞䉕
Avoiding
normaloperatingmethod
to
࿁ㆱ䈚 䇮
ᦨᄢ᡼ᵹ
reducemaximum㊂䉕 ૐᷫdischarge

Quantityᧄ⎇ⓥ䈮discharged
for this䉋 䉎 ᡼ᵹ㊂researchFlowrate
to start floodᵩ᳓⺞▵㐿ᆎᵹ㊂
control

Quantity
discharged䉎ᠲ૞ⷙೣ䈮䉋
underoperating rules
᡼ᵹ㊂

Flow
rate to start
ᵩ᳓⺞▵
flood
control㐿ᆎᵹ㊂Quantity discharged for thisᧄ⎇ⓥ䈮䉋 䉎 ᡼ᵹ㊂
research

Figure 1. Comparison of Flood Control Effectiveness
ᤨೞ
Time

Super large flood



㪌㪇㪇㪇
㪋㪌㪇㪇

ታ❣ᵹ
ၞ
Measuredactualdrainage basin
average rainfall (mm)ᐔဋ㔎㊂㪲㫄㫄㪴
3 䊮䉲䊚䊠䊧䊷䉲
Simulation
discharge (m䊢/s)᡼ᵹ㊂㪲㫄㪊㪆㫊㪴ታ❣䉻䊛quantity (m3/s)
Actualdam inflow
ᵹ౉㊂㪲㫄㪊㪆㫊㪴
Actualdam dischargeታ❣䉻䊛quantity(m3/s)
 ᡼ᵹ㊂㪲㫄㪊㪆㫊㪴

㪋㪇㪇㪇
㪊㪌㪇㪇
㪊㪇 㪇㪇
㪉㪌 㪇㪇
㪉㪇㪇㪇
㪈㪌㪇㪇
㪈㪇㪇㪇

ᤨೞ
Time

Medium-small flood

Design maximum
discharge⸘↹ᦨᄢ᡼ᵹ㊂㪈㪊㪇㪇㩷㪲㫄㪊㪆㫊㪴 ήኂ᡼ᵹ㊂
Harmless discharge㪌㪇㪇㪇
Sept./10
㪐㪆 㪈㪇

㪋㪇
㪍㪇
㪏㪇
㪈㪇㪇
㪈㪉㪇
㪈㪋㪇
㪈㪍㪇

㪏㪇㪇㩷㪲㫄㪊㪆㫊㪴

Sept./11
㪐㪆㪈㪈

㪇
㪉㪇

Rainfall (mm/hr)
㔎㊂㪲㫄㫄㪆㪿㫉
㪴
1. Introduction
It has been pointed out that under the effects ofglobal warming, it is highly probable that extreme
rainfall phenomena will continue to occur withincreasing frequency. On the other hand, the Ministryof Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has
been constructing fewer dams in Japan in recent years,
so it must enhance the functions of its existing stock ofdams in the future.
This research project was undertaken in order tominimize flood damage downstream from dams by
predicting rainfall with high spatial resolution suitableto manage dams in dam catchment areas wherelarge-scale flooding has occurred in the past, by
studying a more effective flood control method (Fig.
1) which maximizes the full capacity of dams, and by
verifying the applicability of this new method under
actual floods including super large floods. 
2. Rainfall prediction and rational dam operating
methods 
Rainfall was predicted by performing prediction
calculations in 2km meshes through down-scaling by ameteorological model developed and released in the
United States, and based on predictions by theMeteorological Agency (20km meshes) at the time ofactual floods with reference to the occurrence of local
torrential rainfall and the dam’s catchment basin area.
The predicted inflow was obtained by calculating theinitial loss in the area upstream from the dam, theprimary runoff, and rainfall loss based on the
maximum underground water holding capacity and its
reduction curve, then finding the effective rainfall by
reducing the hourly rainfall by the rainfall loss, andthen obtaining the product of this value and thecatchment area.
The total inflow during the predicted period which
has been calculated and the dam’s free capacity at thetime of the prediction were compared to perform aflood control simulation which performs operating
judgments every hour.

Flowrate (m3㫊㪴/s)
ᵹ㊂㪲㫄㪊㪆

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Rainfall prediction, flood control, prior discharge 

Sept./12㪐㪆㪈㪉

Sept./13
㪐㪆㪈㪊

㪈㪏㪇
㪉㪇㪇
Sept./14
㪐㪆㪈㪋

Figure 2. Results of Simulation of the Flood of
September 2000 at the Yahagi Dam
3. Simulation results
Even when a super large flood has occurred, as
shown in Figure 2., prompt adjustment operations
sharply reduce the maximum discharge more thanwhen normal operation based on the operating rules isperformed, and it is possible to restrict inundation
damage by many floods. And damage to downstream
regions by many medium and small floods can beprevented by holding the discharge below theharmless discharge level. 
4. Conclusion
While flood control effectiveness can be enhanced
by using rainfall predictions, prediction errors may
endanger flood control or water use. In the future, theDivision will conduct research to accurately clarify
characteristics including errors in rainfall predictions
and reflect them in flood control operation judgments
in order to minimize these risks. [Sources]
1) S. Mitsuishi, T. Sumi, T. Ozeki: Dam Operations
Using Precipitation Forecast by Weather Research andForecasting Model, Journal of Japan Society of Dam
Engineers, 20(2), p94-104, 2010

2) S. Mitsuishi, T. Ozeki, T. Sumi: Applicability of a
New Flood Control Method utilizing Rainfall
Prediction by WRF, Journal of Japan Society ofHydrology and Water Resources, Vol. 24, No. 2,
p21-31, 2011HP㧦http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/fdg/page/ronbunn_1.htm

٨Research Trends and Results٨Research Trends and Results

A method of using rubberpoles to control speed onresidential roads



KANEKO Masahiro, Head ITO Katsuhiro, Guest Researcher
HONDA Hajime, Senior Researcher
Advanced Road Design and Safety Division, Road Department

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Residential road, speed control, rubber poles, chicane, narrowing 
1. Introduction
As a traffic safety measure for residential roads,
speed control measures have been taken using humps,
narrowings, or other structures which control thetraveling speed of automobiles (below called,“devices”). But, many humps or narrowings executedin the past are expensive, because they often requireroad reconstruction. So while many people are calling
for traffic safety measures on nearby residential roads,
with the finances of local governments restricted, theywish to implement simpler measures at many locations,even though these may be somewhat less effective.
This research included a survey to clarify the degreeof speed control effectiveness of constructing chicanes
or narrowings using simple devices (rubber poles) on
actual roads and a study of effective and simple speed
control measures.
2. Implementing a social experiment using rubberpoles
In 2009, at the locations of 15 narrowings, 10
chicanes, and 5 slaloms, the relationships of theirshapes with the speeds of automobiles travelingthrough them were surveyed and analyzed. The results
show that in order to lower the 85th percentile speed
to below 30km/h, the slowing effects of the chicane isgreater than that of the narrowing, and that regarding
the shape of the chicane, the relationship F/W҇0.37
should be established between vehicle lane width W
and fault width F.


L0:Chicane length㪣㪇䋺䉲䉬䉟䊮ᑧ㐳

F:
Fault width㪝䋺䊐䉤䊦䊃᏷O:
lateral displacement㪦䋺ᮮᣇะ䈱䈝䉏

D:
vehicle lane width㪛䋺ゞ㆏᏷ຬ
W: total width㪮䋺✚᏷ຬBut, the chicane is LO (chicane length) = L1 (curve length) + L2 (Fault length)

Figure: Example of the Shape of a Chicane (Slalom)
And in 2010, in cooperation with Kumagaya City in
Saitama Prefecture, the division used rubber poles toPhoto View of the Social Experiment (Chicane)construct a chicane (fault width of about 2m) which
maintained the above F/W҇0.37 relationship on aone-way street with vehicle lane width of about 5.5m,
and performed a social experiment with a total of threepatterns of chicanes and narrowings with varying
intervals and measured automobile traveling speed toclarify whether or not speed reduction effects wereobtained and to undertake simple measures while
maintaining this effectiveness.
The 85th percentile speed which was about 39km/h
without the rubber poles, fell to about 35km/h in two
patterns with chicane interval of 35m and 50m, which
was speed reduction effects of about 4km/h. At thesame time, about half of the automobiles traveled at
speeds of 30km/h or less in a section of about 100m or
more in an observation section of 180m.
At narrowings at 50m intervals, the 85th percentile
speed fell only slightly, by about 2km/h toapproximately 36km/h, with benefits obtained by all
patterns. And among these, as imagined, the chicanes
were more effective, and in the chicane cases, somepedestrians complained that they feel they are
dangerous, revealing that it is necessary to separately
study ways to improve the feeling of security they
provide.3. Future developments
We are considering summarizing the results of thissocial experiment and precautions concerning the
installation of existing devices (installation interval,
distance required from frontage, etc.) as a technicaldocument, and to give support enabling local
governments to introduce speed control measures alittle more easily.

٨Research Trends and Results

Method of making an early
verification of the effectiveness of atraffic accident measure using video
image data etc.


OZAKI Yuta, Researcher
HASHIMOTO Hiroki, Guest Researcher
KANEKO Masahiro, Head
Advanced Road Design and Safety Division
1. IntroductionTraffic safety measure projects should be
implemented based on the PDCA cycle, which
includes the steps—analyze causes of accidents, study
countermeasures, implement them, evaluate theireffectiveness, and study and implement supplementary
countermeasures—in order to carry out more effective
countermeasures. And in order to quickly discover
their effectiveness, this PDCA cycle must be
implemented as efficiently as possible. And theeffectiveness evaluation step in the PDCA cycle has
been done by collecting accident data before and after
the countermeasure. But to perform an accurate
evaluation based on accidents, it is necessary to collectdata representing several years, so it takes a long time
to make a reliable evaluation.
So the NILIM has developed a method of
evaluating the effectiveness of a countermeasure basedon speed data obtained from video images etc. andconflict behavior of automobiles to supplement
methods of evaluating effectiveness based on accident
data.

2. Effectiveness evaluations by analyzing vehicle
behavior images
Figure 1 shows the distributions of speeds ofautomobiles passing the experiment locations before
and after taking temporary countermeasures. The
speed is interpreted from video images. The temporary
countermeasures taken for this experiment were laying
a simple Mat with a level difference on the road inorder to alert drivers to the road ahead and slow themdown, and at the same time, installing
attention-getting signs to warn drivers to control their
speed and alert them to the danger of rear-end
collisions if they change lanes.
It is confirmed that the temporary countermeasures
reduced speed. Although it will be necessary tocontinue to verify the relationship between speed andaccidents, it is possible to evaluate the degree ofachievement of the targets of the countermeasures (for100%

Cumulative frequency(%)

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Conflict phenomenon, video image, traffic accident measure effectiveness 

80%
60%
40%

Averagespeed before measure:ኻ╷೨ᐔဋㅦᐲ䋺㪌㪊㪅㪏㫂㫄㪆㪿
53.8km/hኻ╷ᓟᐔဋㅦᐲ䋺㪋㪐㪅㪈㫂㫄㪆㪿
Average speed after measure: 49.1km/h㸢㪋㪅㪎㫂㫄㪆㪿ૐਅ
p4.7km/h
reduction

Beforethe measure
ኻ╷೨
After
the measureኻ╷ᓟ
Dotted line is cumulate rate̪᛬✢䈲⚥ⓍᲧ₸

20%0%
䌾20 䌾25 䌾30䌾35 䌾40䌾45 䌾50 䌾55䌾60 䌾65 䌾70䌾75 䌾80 䋨km/h䋩

Figure 1. Change of Driving Speed Distribution After
Countermeasure
Table 1. Change of Conflict Phenomena
Occurrence Frequency After Measure
Conflict phenomenon pattern

Occurrence frequency (times/24 hours)
Before measure
After measure

Abruptly changes lanes
Rapidly nears leading vehicle
Total

21
1
22

1
0
1

this experiment, reducing speed) based on the
countermeasure work methods which we selected (forthe experiment, simple Mat, etc.).
Table 1 organizes changes of the frequency of
conflict phenomena. It treats dangerous phenomena
accompanying avoidance actions such as emergency
braking or emergency steering as conflict phenomena.
The frequency of conflict phenomena is totaled by thesame survey personnel visually confirming video
images both before and after temporary measures aretaken.
It revealed that conflict phenomena fell sharply
after the measure. But with the correlation of accidents
with conflict phenomena not fully confirmed, in order
to apply this method to verify the effectiveness ofcountermeasures, it is still necessary to analyze theaccident – conflict phenomena correlation. At theexperiment locations, 17 rear-end collisions occurred
during the four years that was the criterion for
accident data collection periods. If correlation withaccident data is confirmed, it will be possible toperform evaluations using the same quantity of data asaccident data based on 24 hour video image data.

3. Summing up and future challenges
As explained above, by interpreting speed and other
aspects of vehicle behavior based on image dataobtained before and after countermeasures, it will bepossible to confirm whether or not the selected
countermeasure works are fully effective. And byorganizing the correlation of accidents and conflictphenomena it will be possible to quickly evaluate theeffectiveness of traffic safety measures.  ٨Research Trends and Results٨Research Trends and Results

For measures against massive disasters
exceeding the design force—Research on low- frequency/mega-risk coastal disasters—

NEGI Takashi, Head
Coastal Disaster Prevention Division, Coastal and Marine Department(Key words) Storm surge and tsunami, design external force, non-regret policy
1. Introduction
Interest in low-frequency/mega-risk coastal
disasters (below called “mega-risk disasters”), whichcause massive disasters when they do occur has been
increasing, because of large-scale disasters such as the
Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster and Hurricane Katrina
which have occurred in succession around the world.
The National Institute for Land and InfrastructureManagement has studied how to deal with suchdisasters, defining “mega-risk disasters” as “massive
disasters exceeding the design force”.

2. Study of disaster reduction effects of structuresother than shore protection facilities and a methodof evaluating their effectiveness
A simple simulation model constructed considering
its use for administrative purposes is proposed as amethod of evaluating disaster reduction effects ofbuildings etc. against tsunamis and storm surges. Thismodel uses a simple “combined ground height model”
which can be prepared using a residential map when
aerial survey photographs are not available.
Accounting for effectiveness at normal times,
adding to the conventional B/C (cost-benefits) analysis
reveals that there are cases where it is possible toenlarge the investment limit several times. This meansthat there are cases where accounting for effectivenessat normal times ensures B/C in projects with a scale
many times larger, even among cases where B/C are
not obtained only from effectiveness during disasters.

3. Study of consensus formation methods
However,countingondisasterreduction
performance of buildings, parks, etc. against seawater
overflowing dikes means that a certain amount ofdamage should be accepted. It is vital to form a
consensus regarding to what extent it is acceptable.
And in addition to ordinary residents, there are also
business offices, factories, and numerous lifelines,
thus the quantity of entities located in a coastal area
limits an administrative body’s authority. So aconsensus formation process model is proposed forcases adapted for “mega-risk disasters”, and the needfor an integrated management system incorporating

Reducing harmful
impacts on theregional economy

Reducing the decline oflogistical and daily living
functions etc.

When a disastercomes

Reducing the decline ofcoastal city infrastructure
functions

Lowering the flow
speed of tsunamis or
storm surges

Reducing material
and human loss

Reducing damage byinundation of coastal
city infrastructure
facilities

Improvement ofregional economy
Stimulation of local
industrial activities

Reducing disaster risk
Lowering disasterprotection expenditures

At normal times
Increasing visitors
Boosting profits oflocal industry
Expanding work
opportunities

Expanding opportunities forexchanges

Creating bustlingspacesFigure. Effectiveness of Facilities (During Disasters
and at Normal Time)
infrastructure information other than shore protection
facilities is pointed out.
4. Conclusion
This research proposes a policy of preparing for“mega-risk disasters”, specifically countermeasureswhile providing facilities with social benefits, because
they not only reduce damage during a disaster, but
provide benefits at normal times, or in other words,
the “No-Regret Policy”.
This survey was worked out to the extent ofcreating the basic conceptual material to discuss a
policy of avoiding catastrophic destruction while
accepting a certain degree of damage, but in the future,
initiatives to show the way to reach a consensus will
be required.

٨A Case of Utilizing Results

Trial distribution of
X-band MP radar
rainfall information



TSUCHIYA Shuichi, Researcher
KATO Takuma, Researcher
Water and Management and Dam Division

KIKUMORI Yoshito, Senior Researcher
River Division
River Department
1. Introduction
Flood disasters caused by so-called guerrilla rainfall,the 2008 flood on the Togagawa River in Kobe City,
Hyogo Prefecture, or the water accident on the mainline of the Zoshigaya Sewer System in Toshima Wardin Tokyo for example, have occurred frequently inrecent years. The River Bureau of the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism isintroducing X-band Multi-Parameter radar (below
called X-MP radar), a type with high special andtemporal resolution, in order to perform refinedobservations and monitoring of guerrilla radar.
2. Characteristics of conventional radar andnewly-installed X-MP radar
The conventional MLIT C-band radar (radius ofquantitative observation range: 120km, 1km mesh),which provides wide observation range and is installed
to cover the entire nation, is a large riverflood-management tool useful in observing theseasonal rain front or typhoons, but its observation
mesh is too large to allow its use for precise
observation of local and sudden guerrilla rainfall. In
contrast, the newly installed X-MP radar (radius ofquantitative observation range: 60km, 250m mesh)uses small observation meshes which permit highresolution rainfall observations, allowing users to
temporospatially clarify the constantly changing stateof rainfall (Fig. 1).
Rainfall legend

Rainfall legendNo data

No dataObservation᷹ⷰ㑆㓒5୚
interval:
5Xಽ⸃⢻16୚
Resolution:
16X

[C-bandradar (conventional radar)]䇼䌃䊋䊮䊄䊧䊷䉻䋨ᣢሽ䊧䊷䉻䋩䇽
Spatialresolution: 1km × 1km square meshesⓨ㑆ಽ⸃⢻䋺1km㬍1km䈱⋥ⴕ䊜䉾䉲䊠
Radiusof quantitative observation range: 120km
ቯ㊂᷹ⷰ▸࿐ඨᓘ䋺120䌫䌭᷹ⷰ㑆㓒䋺5ಽ
Observationinterval: 5 min.
Time
until observation data transmission: 5 to 10 min.
᷹ⷰ䊂䊷䉺㈩ା䉁䈪䈱ᤨ㑆䋺5䌾10ಽ

[X-bandMP radar (From July 2010)]
䇼䌘䊋䊮䊄䌍䌐䊧䊷䉻䋨2010ᐕ7᦬䌾䋩䇽Spatialresolution: 250m × 250m square meshesⓨ㑆ಽ⸃⢻䋺250m㬍250䌭䈱⋥ⴕ䊜䉾䉲䊠
Radiusof quantitative observation range: 60km
ቯ㊂᷹ⷰ▸࿐ඨᓘ䋺60䌫䌭᷹ⷰ㑆㓒:1ಽObservationinterval: 1 min.
Time
until observation data transmission: 1 to 2 min.
᷹ⷰ䊂䊷䉺㈩ା䉁䈪䈱ᤨ㑆䋺1䌾2ಽ

Figure 1. Images of C Band Radar and X-MP Radar

3. Trial operation of X-MP radar
The River Bureau of the MLIT installed 11 X-MP
radar bases in the three large metropolitan regions(Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Hokuriku) in 2009, thenconducted trial transmissions beginning in July 2010.
The NILIM provided technical support for the
introduction of X-MP radar by, for example, building
the rainfall information transmission system.
Because the quality of radar observations is reducedby, for example, noise signals etc. received as a resultof mountains, buildings, and other obstructions in theobservation direction, to mitigate this problem, the
NILIM set appropriate observation methods for X-MP
radar and adjusted patterns, improving the precisionand quality of rainfall observations. Considering thatguerrilla rainfall occurs unexpectedly, we also
constructed an integrated system able to rapidlycollect data from rainfall observations, process theinformation, and transmit it to a web site in order tomeet the challenge of real-time information provision. For these reasons, on the X-band MP radar rainfall
information web site published by the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, users canview images of rainfall distribution occurring from 30
minutes earlier to the present moment (updated at 1
minute intervals). 

4. Future initiatives
Plans for X-MP radar installations in 2010 call for 4
bases in Chugoku, 5 in Kyushu, 3 in Chubu, 2 in
Tohoku, and 1 in Hokuriku. Beginning in 2011, trial
operations intended to improve observation precision
and advance torrential rainfall observations of a totalof 26 X-MP radar installations will begin, withfull-scale operation scheduled to begin in 2013. 
[X-band MP radar rainfall information web site] http://www.river.go.jp/xbandradar/

A Case of Utilizing Results(Key words) Guerilla rainfall, flood disaster, X-band MP radar٨A Case of Utilizing Results

Inspecting road accessories (roadsigns, lighting facilities, etc.)


TAMAKOSHI Takashi, HeadHOSHINO Makoto, Senior Researcher
Bridge and Structures Division, Road Department(Key words) Inspection, road sign, lighting facilities, corrosion, crack 

1. Introduction
Road signs, lighting facilities, and othercolumn-shaped accessories installed on roadsides havebeen damaged in various ways including broken
columns, fallen bolts or lamps, and so on. These may
harm third parties such as passing pedestrians orvehicles, so it is vital that these problems are reliably
found by inspections. Many defects are generated atplaces where they are difficult to see such as corrosion
at invisible locations, underground for example (Photo1), or loose bolts high on the structure or cracked
welds, etc. In addition there are a huge number ofthese column-shaped accessories, so it is now
necessary to introduce a rational easy inspection
method which prevents overlooking of defects. The
Bridge and Structures Division has, with thecooperation of the regional development bureaus,
conducted research on the actual state of maintenanceof these accessories and analyzed the results, topropose a draft of a periodical inspection manual forcolumn-shaped accessories equipment.

Photo 1. Column Base
Corrosion Covered by
Paving

Photo 2.
Match-mark
2. Outline of accessory inspection
The research results clearly show that amongaccessories with relatively simple structures, a severe
accident such as collapse of the structure or a bolt
falling to the ground or similar accident which
threatens harm to third parties, can be limited to welds,
joints, or specified members, and that corrosion or
cracks of such specified parts can develop extremely
rapidly in some installation conditions. On the other
hand, a characteristic of column-shaped accessories isthat it is possible to set patterns of typical structuraldetails and forms of joints since many of them havethe same or similar structures. Based on the above,aninspection manual has been proposed. This manual
provides for general visual inspection and checking
and recording of abnormalities at all specified

locations which are known in advance as relatively
weak points in every structure. In order to accurately
detect whether or not there are corrosion or cracks
which can deteriorate extremely rapidly, and to find any
loose bolts or other problems, it is usually essential toclosely inspect welds, bolts, etc. using a mobile lift orsimilar device. To reduce the labor requirements ofinspections, bolted joints can also be inspected visuallyfrom a distance by placing match-marks, which aremarks made on each bolt (Photo 2), so that any
abnormality of the joint can be accurately identified. Byclarifying the level of certainty which should beachieved by inspections in the inspection manual in thisway, inspections by a method appropriate to conditions
can be ensured. In addition, by taking care to minimize
weak points in advance when setting or replacing
structures, reliable and economical inspections, and the
reduction of future maintenance cost can be counted on.
Methods of inspecting for corrosion of column
foundations include non-destructive residual thickness
inspections using the ultrasonic pulse reflection
method and a safety evaluation method based on its
results. To look for corrosion of invisible parts under
the road surface, based on research on the actual stateof maintenance, priority inspections in cases of suchcorrosion which can be visually confirmed near theboundary of the road surface and parts buried inasphalt pavement for more than 20 years since
installation have been suggested.
3. Conclusions
The results of this research were reported to eachregional development bureau by the National Highway
and Risk Management Division of the MLIT as
Inspection Manual for Accessories (Road Signs,
Lighting Facilities, etc.) (Draft)” in December 2010.
In the future, studies of the rationalization ofmaintenance, including analysis of inspection data
which is collected will be conducted.٨A Case of Utilizing Results

Use of draft technicalspecifications forthe mobility support system



KANEKO Masahiro, Head KOZUKA Kiyoshi, Senior Researcher
ITO Katsuhiro, Guest Researcher
Advanced Road Design and Safety Division, Road Department

1. NILIM’s role in the mobility support system
By developing ubiquitous information infrastructureusing IC tags, etc., the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism is promoting a project formobility support. The aim of this is to build anenvironment in which anyone, at any time and in any
place, can access information needed in various
situations (e.g. transit routes, means of transport,
destinations, nearby facilities, etc). Following
demonstration trials all over the country since FY2004,
a model project has been in progress since FY2009, theultimate goal being a transition to a permanent service.
 To achieve this transition, it will be important toensure the compatibility of equipment between
different districts, and to set rules for uniformly
gathering and accumulating the data needed forservices. The National Institute for Land andInfrastructure Management (NILIM) is responsible forstudying various technical issues in this project, in
collaboration with a variety of members including
academic and professional experts, private companies,
NPOs, the central government and local authorities. In
May 2008 NILIM published its findings in the form of“Technical specifications for the mobility support
system (draft)”.

for the basic data composition, content, etc.
At the same time, based on user opinions of the data
actually produced, we constantly need to update thedata content while confirming the usefulness of the data,
reflecting user needs in the data content, ranking theinformation provided in order of priority, and so on.
To this end, we conducted a monitor survey in which
we enlisted the help of wheelchair users, visually
impaired and other volunteers in the area around Ueno
Station, where the development of data was at a moreadvanced stage. We provided the monitors with
network data on the pedestrian area as they actually
made their way around it, and asked them to complete aquestionnaire during and after their tour.
Based on the results, we identified issues in the draft
technical
specifications,while also proposing data
content that would allow
more useful information for
the users to be provided at
low cost. We plan to refer tothese survey results to
produceevenmoreadvanced
technical
specifications in future.

2. Outline of the mobility support system The mobility support system consists of equipment
fitted with geopositional identification codes andcommunication functions installed in various places,
configured so that users can use mobile terminals toaccess information managed separately by a server, etc.
The system is characterized by the speed with which it
updates constantly changing information, since theinformation is managed separately by a server, etc.

Table: Examples of Data items that should be added, based on
the survey results

3. Development of pedestrian network data andimplementation of monitor survey
From FY2010, we started developing pedestrian
network data including information on barriers inpedestrian spaces, an indispensable element of themobility support system, in the centers of the three big
urban spheres (Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya). Data weredeveloped by the various regional development
bureaus in line with technical specifications prescribed

Level of pedestrian traffic
Level of obstacles on road
Number of dropped kerbs
Structural format ofsidewalks

Taxi stands
Information boards
Time duration of green traffic
signals
Length of sections with longgradient of 5% or more

(References)
1) NILIM journal 532, Technical specifications for themobility support system (draft), May 20092) Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport andTourism: Draft specifications for the development ofpedestrian network data, Sept. 2010

A Case of Utilizing Results

(Keywords) Mobility support, ubiquitous, technical specifications, pedestrian space network data٨A Case of Utilizing Results

Nationwide deployment of
ITS Spots
KANAZAWA Fumihiko, Head SAWA Junpei, Senior Researcher
SUZUKI Shoichi, Researcher
Intelligent Transport Systems Division, Research Center for Advanced Information Technology

1. Background
Since 2005, the National Institute for Land andInfrastructure Management (NILIM) has been
conducting cross-sector joint research and other R&D
aimed at achieving in-car environments in which VICS,
ETC and other services provided individually until now,
as well as diverse other services, can be provided by asingle on-board-unit. Demonstration trials on
expressways were held in FY2007 and large-scaledemonstration trials by a group of related ministries in
FY2008. In January 2010, based on the results to thatpoint, NILIM published “Technical Specification for
the Spot Communications Services (DSRC Services)”
concerning roadside units, the Center’s devices,interfaces between devices, and so on.
2. Developing ITS Spots
In line with these trials and publication of
specifications, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism gradually installed roadsideequipment (ITS Spots) in about 1,600 locations in
FY2010, mainly on expressways throughout Japan. In
advance of this, from autumn 2009 private
manufacturers started marketing car navigation
systems corresponding to ITS Spots that can use
services provided by ITS Spots.

3. ITS Spot services
Between January and March 2011, the provision of
the following basic services and Internet connection
services (available with some models only) will startnationwide. The collection of probe data will also start.
(1) Dynamic route guidance
A service using new high-speed, large-capacity
road-vehicle communications to distribute wide-arearoad traffic information exceeding prefectural
boundaries (maximum about 1,000km in extended road
length) in real time, enabling car navigation systems tochoose the optimum route.
(2) Assisting safe driving
A service providing caution in emergencies, using
ITS Spots that provide road traffic information innormal circumstances. The service can alert drivers by
notifying them not only of fallen obstacles ahead but
also traffic jams beyond curves, in other words, at blind
spots on the road ahead, preventing them from being
startled, causing accidents.
“Caution –Congestion
ahead”

Fig. 2 Example of assisting safety driving
4. Future challenges
In the future, it is expected that the development andexpansion of services using ITS Spots will continue tobe promoted through collaboration between the public
and private sectors.

ಠ଀

100km

Fig. 1 Scheduled locations of ITS Spots(Reference: URL of related website)
http://www.mlit.go.jp/road/ITS/j-html/spot_dsrc/index.html

A Case of Utilizing Results

(Keywords) Intelligent transport systems (ITS), ITS Spot services

Topics㩷Field Survey of earthquake and tsunami of Sumatra
Mentawai Islands in 2010



KUMAGAI Kentaro, Senior Researcher
Coastal and Marine Department(Key words) Tsunami, Field survey, Indonesia, Mentawai Islands, Remote island
1. Introduction
On October 25, 2010, at 23:42 JST (21:42 on thesame day in local time), an M7.7 earthquake
occurred under the seabed, west of Sumatra Islandin Indonesia. It caused a tsunami disaster centeredon the Mentawai Islands (Fig. 1). From November
10 to 13, 2010, a joint survey team of NILIM and
the Port and Airport Research Institute (PARI)
conducted a field survey of the damage of theearthquake and tsunami in cooperation with the
Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries(MMAF) of Indonesia. 
2. Outline of the survey
Measurements of trace heights of the tsunami
clarified the tsunami height on North Pagai andSouth Pagai Islands, which are part of Mentawai
Islands. And interviews with residents clarified thestate of inundation and the way the residents
evacuated. The only way to reach Mentawai Island
is a ferry service and it takes 10 hours under thenormal conditions. The ferry service, however, wassuspended because of the disaster. The team wasable to access Pagai Islands with the help of MMAF.
There were difficult conditions not only the ferry
service but also the mobile phone service.
Tsunami with height of about 6m above sea levelstruck North Pagai and South Pagai Islands, anddamaged buildings. Brick houses were completely
destroyed. At several villages, the tsunami reached
between 7 and 8m in height (Fig. 2).
The human damage varied greatly between
communities. For example, no human damage
occurred at one village of the South Pagai, because
one villager, who is the first witness of tsunami in
the village, instructed the other residents to evacuate
to the safe place by screaming in loud voice.
䉴䊙䊃䊤ፉSumatra
Padang䊌䉻䊮NIndonesia䉟䊮䊄䊈䉲䉝

Hypocenter
5GKUOKEUQWTEG㔡Ḯ䊛Mentawai䊮䉺䊪䉟Islands⻉ፉ

500 km䉳Jakarta䊞䉦䊦䉺Figure 1. Location of the Mentawai Islands
Photo 1. Measuring trace height (white line shows
trace height)

Inundation
Inundation
ᶐ᳓㜞
depth
heightRunup
Inflow height㆚਄㜞Latitude✲ᐲNheight⊕䋺࿖✚⎇䊶᷼ⓨ⎇⺞䈼
White:NILIM, PARI Investigation
Black: MMAF Investigation

North Pagaiർ䊌䉧䉟ፉ㤥䋺ᶏᵗ᳓↥⋭╬⺞䈼

2o40'S

19

Mentawai Islands䊛䊮䉺䊪䉟⻉ፉ

7,8,20Sikakap

䉲䉦䉦䉾䊒

5,6

1-4, 12-16

3o00'S

11

SouthPagai
ධ䊌䉧䉟ፉ
9,10
17,18

3o20'S
8

6

4

2

Trace
height (m)∥〔㜞䋨m䋩

00

10 20 km
100o00'E

100o30'E⚻ ᐲ
Longitude

1-4,Malakopa
12-16䋺䊙䊤䉮䊌5, 6䋺䊛䊮䉺䉟䊋䊦䊋䊦7, 8,8,20䋺䉰䊔䉫䊮䉫䊮
1-4, 12-16:
5, 6:
Muntebarubaru 7,
20: Sabeugunkgung
9, 10䋺䉰䉡䊙䊮䉫 11䋺䊋䉬 17, 18䋺䊑䊤䉰䉾䊃 19䋺䉲䊤䊑
9,10: Saumang, 11: Bake, 17, 18: Bulasat, 19: Silabu

Figure 2. Distribution of Trace Height of Tsunami
3. Supplement
The region surveyed was a remote island, isolated
from the country’s major land areas. Performing thesurvey in circumstances in which the transportationand communication services were almost suspended,
it was found to be difficult to supply materials andtransmit information to restore disaster damage inthe remote islands. Risks similar to the remoteisland disaster will be found in case an earthquake
disaster strikes Japanese remote islands. We wish to
thank everyone who helped us with this survey. [Sources]
T. Tomita, T. Arikawa, K. Kumagai, D. Tatsumi, G.
S. Yeom: Field survey of the 2010 Mentawai
tsunami disaster, Technical Note of the Port andAirport Research Institute, 2011. ٨Research Trends and Results

Management of Sewers
YOKOTA Toshihiro, Head
FUKATANI Wataru, Researcher
MIYAMOTO Toyohisa, Researcher
Wastewater System Division, Water Quality Control Department

2. Predicting Survival Ratio of sewers
To predict future works volume in the medium tolong term, it is necessary to have a survival ratio
prediction formula to predict change over years of thepercentage of pipes which are reconstructed. Survival
ratio is a value obtained by dividing total length ateach deterioration rank by total surveyed length ofpipes surveyed after any number of years of service.
The survival ratio prediction formula indicates thiswith an approximate line.
The NILIM improves the precision of the survival
ratio prediction formula by conducting a nationwide
survey of pipe length by year of installation. And the

NILIM updates the soundness prediction formulaannually (Fig. 1).
Emergency level II – no deterioration
Emergency level III – no deterioration
No deterioration

Survival Ratio

1. Introduction
At the end of 2009, the sewerage coverage ratio
reached about 73%, and the vast stock of pipes
providing this coverage reached approximately
420,000km. It is predicted that sewerage facilities will
deteriorate, pushing up the cost of their maintenancein the future, resulting in the need for systematic andefficient facility management to ensure that thesefacilities continuously provide their specified
functions. One way to achieve this is stock
management (SM).
To develop and implement the SM method, rational
operation plans must be drawn up based on theprediction of the medium to long term quantity ofwork considering the soundness of the facilities. This
will permit maintenance of good quality sewerage
services under harsh financial restraints.
And a sewerage service contributes to improving
the living environment and conserving water quality inpublic bodies of water. At the same time, theconsumption of energy resources and emission ofgreen house gases by the construction and operation of
its facilities create a variety of environmental loads.
Therefore, to operate a service, it is necessary toevaluate its environmental load from the medium tolong term perspectives.
The NILIM is contributing to the promotion anddevelopment of the SM by carrying out research on avariety of basic technologies such as facility
soundness (survival) evaluation and prediction,
standardization of future works volume, and theevaluation of the impact of sewerage system operationon the global environment as Life Cycle Assessment(LCA).

Ages of Sewer Pipes

Figure 1.Survival ratio prediction formula
3. Application of LCA to sewers
To establish concepts to guide cases where LCA isapplied to calculate the environmental load of sewers,
we collected information about environmental load
basic units by pipe material and by work method, etc.
at each stage—pipe manufacture and installation,
operation, and disposal—to prepare an environmentalload calculation function (Fig. 2). This simplifies
environmental load calculations, permitting its use as
material to select work methods when installing newpipes or reconstructing existing pipes.

4. Conclusion
Initiatives to develop SM in the sewerage field havebarely begun, and even local governments are at thetrial and error stage. Under such circumstances, wehope that the SM method established by the NILIM
will further promote the introduction of SM.
Centrifugal reinforced concrete pipe (JSWASA-1 external pressure pipe, class 1)

Quantity of CO2 produced per unit length(kg-CO2/m)

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Sewers, stock management, Survival Ratio, LCACompany A
Company B
Company C

Nominal diameter (mm)Figure 2. Environmental Load Calculation Function Graph(Example)٨Research Trends and Results

Towards theEstablishment of AssetManagement Methods forRoad Bridges

TAMAKOSHI Takashi, Head OKUBO Masanori, Senior Researcher
SEKIYA Mitsuaki, Senior Researche
Bridge and Structures Division, Road Department
1. Introduction During this period when road structures are steadily
aging, considering the degree of damage and thepredicted decline of investment capacity, maintenancemust become more efficient, requiring the creation ofdata based scientific maintenance to advance roadasset management. Road bridges managed by thenational government are, under the provisions ofManual for Periodic Inspections of Bridges (Draft)(March 2004), given a direct visual inspection for the
first time within 2 years after the beginning of service
and periodically every five years afterwards. The
second inspections will soon be carried out. The
NILIM is conducting research based on detailed andmulti-faceted analysis using vast data which has been
accumulated from these inspections.

2. Optimization of the inspection system Periodic inspections are performed by directly
examining the entire bridge and all of its members
every five years. If the correlation of thecharacteristics of the occurrence and progress ofdamage and related factors can be clarified, it will bepossible to do these inspections more efficiently by
optimally combining inspection items and frequency
for the bridge and each of its members. Changes of
two inspection results performed on the same locationof the same bridge will be analyzed by damage, bymember, by type of bridge, and by bridge erection
environment in order to achieve this greater efficiency.
 Inspections are primarily visual, so the state insidemembers cannot be clarified unless symptoms appear
on the surface. Specified inspections including
non-destructive inspection methods are required tocompensate for this weakness. In order to narrow thelocations and the time of the specified inspections, thecorrelation between the characteristics of steel
member fatigue cracking etc. and related factors andthe relationship between the damage and the bridge’s
performance are being researched.
 Inspections are intermittent and there are limits totheir ability to catch sudden malfunctions, so thedepartment is studying methods of detecting fatal
damage by constant monitoring of change of position
and risk management methods to introduce these into
inspection systems.

3. Establishing road bridge management methods The foundation of management is reducing the life
cycle costs (below, “LCC”) by clarifying the present
state of a bridge by the above inspections, predicting
its future condition, and repairing damage orretrofitting at appropriate times. The deterioration of abridge encompasses a wide variety of forms ofdeterioration or damage according to the condition ofeach bridge, so the results of deterioration prediction
are always scattered. This is an important point toremember when trial calculating LCC, so thedepartment is developing deterioration prediction
equations which provide LCC matched to the degreeof reliability (see Fig. 1).Degree of damage

Research Trends and Results(Key words) road bridge, periodic inspection, inspection system, asset management

㪈㪅㪇㩷

End
of girder
ᩴ┵ㇱ

㪇㪅㪏㩷

Middleof girderᩴਛ㑆ㇱy Average+ǻᐔဋ+ʍ
y Average
ᐔဋy Average – ǻ

ᐔဋͲʍ

㪇㪅㪍㩷

Large
ᄢ

㪻
㪺
㪹
None
ή

㪇㪅㪋㩷
㪇㪅㪉㩷
㪇㪅㪇㩷
㪇 㪌 㪈㪇 㪈㪌 㪉㪇 㪉㪌 㪊㪇 㪊㪌 㪋㪇 㪋㪌 㪌㪇

Elapsed years㪇 㪌 㪈㪇 㪈㪌 㪉㪇 㪉㪌 㪊㪇 㪊㪌 㪋㪇 㪋㪌 㪌㪇 ⚻ㆊᐕ

The Markov transition probability is obtained and degree of damage
weighted based on changes of the results between two inspection (none 1.0
to large 0.0), and the mean value and standard deviation are calculated foreach number of elapsed years (tentative value by damaged member).

Figure 1. Example of Deterioration Curve of Main
Girder Corrosion on a Steel Girder Bridge
4. Future research policies The department will link a variety of research
activities with related organizations in order thatengineers skillfully employ information processing
technologies and other most advanced scientificmethods to perform inspections optimized for eachbridge, that smart maintenance systems capable ofminimizing the LCC of overall road resources andminimizing risk to road users are created, and that
required performances are established for new bridges
to control durability and reduce scattering in order toenhance maintainability.
[Reference] Web site of the Bridge and Structures
Division (with access to related reports)
 http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/gcg/index.htm

٨Research Trends and Results

٨A Case of Utilizing Results

Release of CommonMP(Common Modeling Platform for watermaterial circulation analysis)
KIKUMORI Yoshito, Senior Researcher
HATTORI Atsushi, Head of River Div. YAMAMOTO Akira, Director of River Dept.

㧔Keywords㧕 Hydraulic and hydrological analysis, software, consortium
1. Introduction
River Dept. has been developing the CommonMP,
general-purpose platform for hydraulic and hydrologicalanalysis since 2007. The CommonMP (Common
Modeling Platform for water-material circulation
analysis) is a software platform for analysis models suchas river channel models and rain runoff models
established to analyze water-material circulation in river
basins and permit plural analysis models to mutuallyinteract. CommonMP Ver1.0 was released in March2010.
2. Utilization of CommonMP
The purpose of CommonMP is to stimulate R&D of
hydraulic and hydrological analysis models. It is also
intended to improve the skills of river engineers as they
personally use it for flood forecasting in order to upgraderiver management. Regional development bureaus andthe Japan Civil Engineering Consultants Association

jointly hold training sessions to learn to disseminate
CommonMP, while RDBs develop analysis models of
the CommonMP. Handout documents are provided on
the CommonMP web site for your reference. Regarding
university activities, books*1 for lectures in universities
were issued in March 2011.
3. Future Activities
River sectors and sewage sector organizations
establishedtheindustry-government-academia
consortium in July 2009. The consortium will promote
all future CommonMP development and dissemination
activities.
(Reference)*1 Michiharu SHIIBA, Yasuto TACHIKAWA,
Introduction of the CommonMP
CommonMP HP: http://framework.nilim.go.jp

Image of a CommonMP screen‫ە‬Research Trends and Results 

Characteristics of roads
traveled by international
marine container trucks



SEKIYA Hirotaka, Senior Researcher UESAKA Katsumi, Head
MATSUMOTO Shunsuke, Researcher FURUKAWA Makoto, Guest Researcher
Traffic Engineering Division, Road Department(Keyword) International logistics, international marine container, truck, route selection

Research Trends and Results
1. Introduction
Our division conducts survey research on thecharacteristics of actual routes traveled and of routeselection activity by international marine container
trucks in order to accumulate knowledge of use instudying measures to smooth international logistics.
Below, an outline of the survey and analysis and partof the knowledge already obtained are introduced.

empty containers from the shipper to the container
terminal) of the import container transport (firsttransport run of the day) (Fig. 3) shows that ahigher percentage travel on expressways for theirreturn run than their outward runs (1% is significant,t-value =4.3). The reasons were confirmed asfollows by interviews with transport companies. On
the outward runs, departure times are adjusted sothat they can arrive at the designated time, andmore economical routes are used. Its merit is thaton the return runs, it is possible to increase thequantity of work done in a single day by shortening
the transport time (the next transport is performed
or the next days’ loaded containers are picked up in
advance, etc.). So, on return runs, there is a stronger
incentive to shorten the time than on outward runs
which means a high percentage use expressways for
return runs.

2. Outline of survey and analysis of routes actually
traveled
(1) Surveyors visited 83 container transportcompanies in the Kanto Region to survey thetransport routes they usually use (routes actually
traveled), departure/arrival times, and whether or
not arrival times are designated. As a result, we
obtained information regarding 890 container
truck routes and 112 ordinary truck routes.
(2) Road network data was built with informationsuch as road widths or intersection standards etc.
which are included in the Road Information
Manual as its link attributes.
(3) The routes actually traveled information obtainedin (1) was applied to the road network dataobtained in (2) and various analyses are
performed.


3. Knowledge concerning routes traveled bycontainer trucks
The following is knowledge we obtained from theanalysis.
‫ۑ‬The percentage distance traveled on national
highways and higher level roads is 88% forcontainer trucks 54% for passenger cars, showingthat a high percentage of container trucks travel onhigh standard roads (Fig. 1). ‫ۑ‬The turning percentage at the highest standard Rank
A intersection (a vehicle less than 20m in length
can turn without intruding on the opposing vehiclelane) is 77% for container trucks and 65% for small
trucks, showing that a high percentage of container
trucks turn at high standard intersections (Fig. 2). ‫ۑ‬A comparison of the outward run (transport routefor loaded containers from the container terminal to
the shipper) and return run (transport route of

4. Conclusion
In the future, we want to model container truck
route selection actions based on knowledge obtainedin the past and apply it to study international logistics
smoothing measures etc. 

Related research is available on the Traffic Engineering Division
web site KWWSZZZQLOLPJRMSODEJEJLQGH[KWP
National expressway
㧗㏿⮬ື㌴ᅜ㐨Road network length㐨㊰䝛䝑䝖䝽䞊䜽ᘏ㛗

Metropolitan
expressway
㤳㒔㧗㏿㐨㊰୍⯡ᅜ㐨Regionalroadᆅ᪉㐨National highway

37%

Container truck
vehicle-kilometers䝁䞁䝔䝘㌴㉮⾜ྎ䜻䝻

88%

Passenger
car vehicle kilometers஌⏝㌴㉮⾜ྎ䜻䝻

54%

0%

20%

65% 40%

60%

80%

100%



Figure 1. Vehicle-kilometer Percentage
つ᱁㧗䛔
High
standard
䝷䞁䜽A
Rank
A
Total
number of road network intersection links㐨㊰䝛䝑䝖䝽䞊䜽஺ᕪⅬ䝸䞁䜽⥲ᩘ
Numberof container truck turning intersection links
䝁䞁䝔䝘㌴ᢡ㐍஺ᕪⅬ䝸䞁䜽ᩘ

Numberof small truck turning intersection linksᑠᆺ䝖䝷䝑䜽ᢡ㐍஺ᕪⅬ䝸䞁䜽ᩘ

0%

䝷䞁䜽B
Rank
B

䝷䞁䜽C
Rank
C

Low つ᱁ప䛔standard
䝷䞁䜽D
Rank
D

60%

80%

48%
77%
65%
20%65% 40%

Figure 2. Standards for turning Intersections

100%



‫ە‬Research Trends and Results





Re
tu

rn
R

un

Ou
t

wa
rd

Ru

n

ShipperⲴ୺

National expressway
㧗㏿⮬ື㌴ᅜ㐨
Metropolitan expressway
㤳㒔㧗㏿㐨㊰National highway୍⯡ᅜ㐨ᆅ᪉㐨Regional road䝁䞁䝔䝘䝍䞊䝭䝘䝹Container
terminal

Figure 3. Outward Run and Return Run Routes ofImport Containers (Example)
‫ە‬Research Trends and Results

Do container ships cruising between East
Asia and North America cruise through theJapan Sea or the Pacific Ocean?
TAKEMURA Shinji, Researcher
Port Planning Division, Port and Harbor DepartmentNumber 㞘of shipsᩘEastboundᮾ ⯟Port of arrival

฿╔

Korea
㡑ᅜ

2,000

Westbound
す ⯟

2,500

PortฟⓎof departure

Korea
㡑ᅜ

2,000

North
China
୰ᅜ໭㒊

North
China
୰ᅜ໭㒊

South
China
୰ᅜ༡㒊

1,500

South
China
୰ᅜ༡㒊

1,500

Taiwanྎ‴

Taiwan
ྎ‴

Japan
᪥ᮏ

Japan
᪥ᮏ

Offshore Osumi
Peninsula

Kanmon Strait

Passage㏻⯟ᾏᇦPassage㏻⯟ᾏᇦTsugaru Strait

0

኱㝮༙ᓥἈ

0

㛵㛛ᾏᓙ

500

ὠ㍍ᾏᓙ

500

኱㝮༙ᓥἈ

1,000

㛵㛛ᾏᓙ

1,000

Offshore Osumi
Peninsula

㞘 ᩘ
2,500

Kanmon Strait

Number of ships

ὠ㍍ᾏᓙ


1. Introduction
In recent years, the rapid growth of the Asian
economies has increased the number of container
ships traveling between East Asia and North America.
Japan is located on this shipping route, but thecircumstances governing whether they travel on theJapan Sea side or Pacific Ocean side of Japan have notbeen analyzed. So we combined Lloyd’s ship
movement data with AIS data to analyze the passageof these ships.

2. Analyzed data
Past analysis of the movement of ships has been
done using Lloyd’s ship movement data, but thesedata are ships’ port clearance data, which can notclarify ocean waters where ships cruise. So for thisresearch, we performed analysis combining Lloyd’s
data with AIS data obtained at the Hakodate and Moji
receiving stations. AIS stands for Automatic
Identification System which, since the 9/11 terrorist
incident, all ships above a certain size are obligated tocarry.
3. Analysis of ocean areas used by the shipping
Figure 1 shows the results of analysis of the passage
data for the single year, 2009.
Overall, 3,140 ships traveled eastward and 2,972
ships traveled westward, almost identical quantities
traveling in the two directions, but when the results are
viewed by ocean area cruised by the ships, eastbound,
1/3 used the Tsugaru Strait and 2/3 cruised offshore
from Osumi Peninsula, while westbound, more than
70% of the ships cruised in the water offshore from
Osumi Peninsula. These numbers reflect the fact thatin many cases, container ships stopped at ports on the
Pacific side of Japan.

4. Change of numbers of ships over time
Assuming that judgment standards for selecting
passage through each ocean area are constant, 1999
and 2004 were estimated based on the results obtainedfor 2009. In the Tsugaru Strait (Sea of Japan),eastbound ships have doubled, while westbound ships
have declined in number slightly since 2004.

Tsugaru Strait

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Container ship, North-American shipping route, AIS, Tsugaru Strait, Osumi Peninsula Figure 1. Number of Ships by Ocean Area
Numberships
㞘of ᩘ

Westboundす ⯟Numberships
㞘 ofᩘ

Eastbound
ᮾ ⯟

2,500

2,500

2,000

2,000

1,500

1,500

Tsugaru
Straitὠ㍍ᾏᓙ
KanmonStrait㛵㛛ᾏᓙOffshore Osumi
Peninsula
኱㝮༙ᓥἈ

1,000

1,000

500

500

0

0
㻝㻥㻥㻥

㻞㻜㻜㻠

㻞㻜㻜㻥

㻝㻥㻥㻥

㻞㻜㻜㻠

㻞㻜㻜㻥

Figure 2. Time Series Change (Estimated) of Ship
Numbers
5. Conclusion
These results will be basic materials for the study ofport facilities including ports on the Japan Sea side,
and we wish to continue this analysis.
[References]
NILIM document NO. 610 http://www.nilim.go.jp/‫ە‬Research Trends and ResultsAnalysis of impact of the cooperation
policy between ports on container shipcallings
SEMA Motohiro, Researcher
Port Planning Division, Port and Harbor Department

2. Calculation of the percentage of ships calling
successively at multiple ports
This analysis used Lloyd’s data for port calls aroundthe world throughout the year to calculate thepercentage of ships which called successively at
multiple ports from among all ships visiting the bays
studied. Figure 1 shows changes of the percentage ofships calling successively at multiple ports from 2003
to 2009. The objects of the analysis were Osaka Bay
and Tokyo Bay, where the cooperation policy had
been implemented, and for comparison purposes, Ise
Bay and Northern Kyushu. Three of the bays with the
exemption of Ise Bay had tended to grow to 2006.
Between 2006 and 2008, there was no increase inTokyo Bay and Northern Kyushu, but Osaka Bay,
where the cooperation policy between ports had been
adopted, increased, and passing Tokyo Bay in 2008 to
take first place. 
To clarify the effectiveness of cooperation between
ports in greater detail for Osaka Bay and Tokyo Bay,the percentages of ships calling successively at
multiple ports before and after the policy was
introduced, are shown in Table 1 by type of route. The
three route categories were all routes, routes in East
Asia (EA), and near-sea routes (calling only at ports inJapan, Korea, and Northern China (from Zhejiang
1. Introduction
In December 2007, the ports of Osaka Bay, which
had been divided into three ports, were integrated as
the Hanshin Port, and for foreign trading ships thatcall at two or more of these ports, the tonnage duescharged for each port call were reduced to an amountfor one port call. And prior to the unification of theports, a policy of halving the port dues for container
ships calling successively at 2 or more ports in the bay
was introduced in April of the same year. And in April
2009, Keihin Port also reduced the port dues forcontainer ships calling successively at 2 or more ports
within the bay to the dues for one port call.
This research calculated and analyzed thepercentage of ships calling successively at multiple
ports in a single bay in order to clarify theeffectiveness of the cooperation policy between ports.

Percentageof ships㐃⥆ᐤ
calling successively
at multiple ports」ᩘ๭ྜ

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Cooperation between ports, percentage of ships calling successively at multiple ports,
container ship ኱㜰‴ධᩱῶච(2007.04䡚)Reduction of port due in Osaka Bay㻢㻜㻑

Unificationof Osaka Bay໬
኱㜰‴୍㛤(from December 2007)

(2007.12䡚)

㻡㻜㻑
㻠㻜㻑

Reduction of port due in Tokyo Bay
ᮾி‴ධ ᩱῶච
(from April 2009)

(2009.04䡚)

㻟㻜㻑

Osaka
Bay
኱㜰‴

㻞㻜㻑

Tokyo Bay

ᮾி‴

㻝㻜㻑

Ise
Bay
ఀໃ‴
Northern Kyushu

໭㒊஑ᕞ

㻜㻑
㻓㻜㻟

㻓㻜㻠

㻓㻜㻡

㻓㻜㻢

㻓㻜㻣

㻓㻜㻤

㻓㻜㻥 (Year)㻔ᖺ㻕 

Figure 1. Changes of Percentage of Ships Calling
Successively at Multiple Ports
Table 1. Percentage of Ships Calling Successively at
Multiple Ports Before and after Wide Area
Cooperation Policy
Nopolicy at
Reductionof port
Unification
Reductionof port
኱㜰‴
኱㜰‴
኱㜰‴of
ᮾி‴
due in Osaka Bay
Osaka Baydue in Tokyo Bay
Osaka Bay᪋⟇↓䛧 ධ ᩱῶච
୍㛤
໬
ධ
ᩱῶච


06.04䡚07.03 07.04䡚07.11 07.12䡚09.03 09.04䡚09.12

Allroutes ኱㜰‴඲⯟㊰Osaka Bay

Tokyo Bayᮾி‴
Osaka Bay኱㜰‴EAᇦ
EA areaTokyo Bayෆ⯟㊰ ᮾி‴Near-sea
Osaka Bay
㏆ᾏ ኱㜰‴
routes⯟㊰ ᮾி‴
Tokyo Bay

49.3%
49.3%
71.4%
82.8%
78.9%
73.0%

49.4%
49.7%
71.2%
83.7%
81.8%
78.2%

51.5%
49.2%
73.3%
83.9%
83.7%
77.6%

50.7%
50.5%
69.5%
83.2%
72.0%
78.0%

Province north)). In Osaka Bay, only ships on thenear-sea routes increased after the reduction of port
dues, but after the unification, ships on all routes
increased, then in 2009, the percentages on all routes
began to decline. It is assumed that this was caused by
the world economic slump in the last half of 2008, but
in Tokyo Bay, the percentage of ships calling
successively at multiple ports was maintained after the
reduction of port dues.
3. Closing RemarkIn the future, we want to continue the analysis tocalculate the results of the reduction of port costs by
the cooperation policy between ports.
[Source]
Japan Society of Civil Engineers 2010 Annual Meeting
Proceedings, IV-068, September 2010 ‫ە‬Research Trends and Results 

Construction of an APEC edition of a Tradeand Logistics Prediction System

SHIBASAKI Ryuichi, Senior Researcher
Port and Harbor Department

Research Trends and Results(keywords) Trade prediction, international logistics model, APEC
1. Outline of research
The authors have entered future social andeconomic variables and international economic andtransport policies to construct the Trade and Logistics
Prediction System, which predicts the future value ofinternational trade and quantity of cargo logistics incountries around the world. Last year, we constructed
the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)
edition model, which is an expanded and modified
version of this system, and expect that we will receive
approval very soon from the Transportation Working
Group
Maritime
Security
ExpertsGroup(TPTWG-MEG) of APEC. This report present anoutline of this system.

2. The model Figure 1 is an overall image of the system. Thissystem is broadly divided into two parts, the Trade
Prediction Model and the Cargo Logistics Model(International Logistics Model). To apply the trademodel, social and economic variables such as
population, capital, etc. plus future values of tariff
rates and other international economy and trade
policies are input to separate scenarios based on theauthors’ own surveys, and the future values of trade bycommodity in participating countries and regions are
estimated based on the GTAP (Global Trade Analysis
Project) model. Using the International Logistics
Model, a trade statistics database etc. is used toconvert future values of trade in various countries
obtained above to cargo transport demand by zones
more detailed than countries, then the multi-modebalanced allocation model which permits simultaneousconsideration of marine and land transport networks,
which the authors independently constructed, isapplied to obtain the quantity of cargo transport bytransportation systems under future internationaltransport infrastructure policies.

3. Examples of results of estimation
As examples of results of estimation, results oftrade value predictions by scenario in 21 nations andregions participating in APEC (specific names omitted
due to space limitations) are shown in Figure 2, andresults of the allotment by international trade models
based on trade prediction amounts of the 2015 middle
case from among these (including numbers ofcontainers and transshipments handled by major ports,
but excluding containers carried by air) are shown in
Figure 3.
The final report presents not only results of such
future predictions, but the results of changes of future
numbers of containers handled depending on whether
or not future investment is made in ports and of asimulation of the impacts of detouring when the Straitof Malacca is closed.
Future scenarios of social and economic trends♫఍⤒῭ືྥ䛻㛵䛩䜛ᑗ᮶䝅䝘䝸䜸1) Trade and international economic
policies

1.㻝㻚㻌㈠᫆ண
Trade prediction
model
䝰䝕䝹

㻝㻕㻌㈠᫆䞉ᅜ㝿⤒῭ᨻ⟇

ධຊ
Input

Futurevalue of trade
ᑗ᮶㈠᫆㢠
Trade unit price, economic indices etc. by region㈌≀༢౯䠈ᆅᇦู⤒῭ᣦᶆ➼
Inter-zone international trade transport demand䝌䞊䞁㛫ᅜ㝿㈌≀㍺㏦㟂せ䠄㻻㻰㈌≀㔞䠅(OD cargoes)㻞㻚㻌㈌≀ὶື䝰䝕䝹
2.
Cargo logistics model(international
logistics model)䠄ᅜ㝿≀ὶ䝰䝕䝹䠅

Input
ධຊ

㻞㻕㻌ᅜ㝿஺㏻ᨻ⟇䠄 ‴ᢞ㈨䛺䛹䠅

2) International Transport Policies(port investment etc.)

Input
㍺㏦㈝⏝
ฟຊ

Figure 1. Overall Structure of the Trade and Logistics
Prediction System
Cargo flow by link, quantity of cargo‴ྲྀᢅ㔞➼
handled by ports䝸䞁䜽ู㈌≀䝣䝻䞊䞉

Transportation cost

[Reference documents]
NILIM, MLIT, Japan Impacts of Trade and Transport Policy
on International Cargo Shipping and Economic Activities(Final Report), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation,
Transportation Working Group


















‫ە‬Research Trends and Results2008 (values reproduced by model)
2008ᖺ䠄䝰䝕䝹෌⌧್䠅

2010

2015

2020

2025

Figure 2. Results of Predictionsof Future Trade by Scenario

Sydney (Australia)

Seattle (U.S.)

Los Angeles (U.S.)

Vancouver (Canada)

Singapore

TJ Perak (Indonesia)

Port Kelang (Malaysia)

Manila (Philippines)

Ho Chi Min (Vietnam)

Hong Kong

Shenzhen (China)

Ningbo (China)

New York/New Jersey (U.S.)

2005

Laem Chabang (Thailand)100

Kaohsiung (Taiwan)

150
501502000

Shanghai (China)

䢑
㼒 200

Tianjin (China)

2015 (predicted್䠅values)2015ᖺ䠄ண

Qingdao (China)

䝻
䞊䜿䞊
䝇
Low
case

(1
millionTEU/year)
䠄ⓒ୓TEU/ᖺ䠅

Kobe

WORLD
䝝䜲䜿䞊䝇
䝧
䞊䝇䝷䜲䞁
Baseline䝭䝗䝹䜿䞊䝇
High䝝䜲䜿䞊case
䝇
䝻
䞊
䜿䞊䝇
䝭䝗
䝹䜿䞊䝇case
Middle

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

)

Pusan (Korea)

450
㼖 500
0
0
400
1250
=450
㼖㻺
0
0
350
400
11
200
=0
㻺
0
㼕2
䡢 300
1
0䡷350
0
㼕2䢋150
䡢
300
䡷
㼦 250
䢋䢑
250
㼦㼒100
200

(䞁
䝧 g䝇䝷䜲

Tokyo

300

Trade value change rate (2001 = 100)
























Figure 3. Predicted Quantities of Cargo Handled in Major Ports
in the 2015 Middle Case‫ە‬Research Trends and Results

EMV Payment in Vehicle: New Type ofCashless Payment Using ITS SPOTKANAZAWA Fumihiko, Head
MOTOMIZU Shota, Researcher
MAEDA Takeyori, Guest Researcher



Research Center for Advanced Information Technology, Intelligent Transport System Division

Research Trend and Results(Key words) EMV, joint research, ITS 
1. Introduction
The NILIM conducted Research on “Systems toProvide Next-Generation Road Services” in March
2006, and has been developing information provision
services, an internet connection service, and apayment service. This report introduces an outline of
the cashless payment service.

2. EMV Payment in Vehicle 
The NILIM promotes the research and developmentof a cashless payment system called “EMV Payment
in Vehicle”. It will allow drivers to make cashless
payments through ITS SPOTs from within their cars
by using an IC credit card in the car’s On-Board
Equipment (OBE). EMV is an international standard
for IC credit card settlements.
Figure 1 shows the system configuration. The
system manages vehicles’ parking period through ITS
Spots installed at both the entrance gate and exit gateof a parking lot, while settlement is done at the exit.
Joint Research on “EMV Payment in Vehicle Using
DSRC Communications” was organized to conduct
this research by five private companies and the NILIM
in November 2009. Each company developed its
corresponding devices and interfaces, then the group
installed and tested the whole system.










Figure 1. System Configuration

3. Proving testA proving test was conducted at the Hibiya Parking
Lot in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, from October 2010 to
IC Credit Card
Credit CardBRAND

ITS Spot

Hibiya parking lot facility

ITS SPOT
corresponding car
navigation system
Navigation
systemRadio Control
Unit

ITS
OBE

Point of Sales
SystemFee computer

Communication
Line

Card
company

February 2011. The operation of the system wastested.
The whole system and each device operated as
expected, confirming that each device and interface isappropriate in terms of its technical aspects.
Vehicles passed smoothly through the entrance gate,confirming that the entrance gate system isoperationally feasible. But it takes longer to pass theexit gate than the entrance gate because the of the longtime needed to settle the parking charge . To deploy
the system operationally, it is necessary to shorten thesettlement time at the exit gate.






Figure 2. View of the Test and Car Navigation
Operating Screen

4. Conclusion
The EMV Payment in Vehicle system is expected
to reduce traffic congestion on roads caused by
vehicles queuing to enter parking lots. It is also
expected to contribute to removing barriers to taking
parking tickets at entrance gates and paying parking
fees at exit gates, especially for elderly andhandicapped drivers whose numbers have been
recently increasing.
‫ە‬A Case of Utilizing Results

Effects of Cutting Transport Costs by
Enlarging Bulk Carriers㻌
—Promoting International Strategic Bulk Port
Policies—㻌
AKAKURA Yasuhiro, HeadPort Planning Division, Part and Harbor Department(Keywords) Bulk carrier, iron ore, coal, grains, international strategic bulk port Berths
䝞䞊䝇ᩘ

㻝㻜㻜㻑

㻼㻹㼄
㻺㻼㼄

㻢

㻣㻡㻑

㻠

㻡㻜㻑

Ship percentage

Numberof Berths
䝞䞊䝇ᩘ

㻤

⯪⯧๭ྜ

㻞㻡㻑

㻞
Existing᪤Ꮡ
Newly built
᪂㐀

㻜㻑
㻝㻟
㻝㻠
㻝㻡
㻝㻢
Draught
(m)
ႚỈ䠄㼙䠅

Figure 1. Draught of Steam Coal Berths in Japan and
Coal Carriers

㻜

㻟㻜㻚㻜
Transport cost per MT (USD/MT)

㻹㼀ᙜ䛯䜚㍺㏦䝁䝇䝖䠄㼁㻿㻰㻛㻹㼀䠅
1. Enlarging bulk carriers
Strong demand for resources by China and India
and the expanded Panama Canal scheduled to begin
service in 2014 are spurring the enlargement of bulk
carriers which transport coal, iron ore, grains, etc.
Many ultra large bulk carriers capable of transportingfrom 300,000 to 400,000 tons of iron ore or 90,000 to
120,000 tons of grain or steam coal to power thermal
electric generation plants are scheduled to go into
service. Many of the facilities constructed to handle bulk
cargoes in Japan’s ports were constructed during theperiod of high speed growth so that because ofshallow depth etc., their capacity is now inadequate.
For example, comparisons of the allowed draught ofberths for ships handling steam coal in Japan and thefully loaded draught of coal carriers (PMX: Panamax(70,000 to 80,000 tons), and NPX (New Panamax(90,000 to 120,000 tons)) are shown in Figure 1,
showing clearly that the depth at these berths is
insufficient. Korea and Taiwan are transporting steamcoal by even larger Capesize (170,000 to 180,000
tons) ships, showing that international gaps intransport efficiency are now extremely wide.
2. Clarifying and analyzing the transport cost
reduction effects
In order to quantify the cost reduction effects ofusing ultra large bulk carriers which will enter service
in the future, a method of calculating transport costs
based on ship costs, fuel costs, and port costs incurredrunning ships has been established. Figure 2 shows theresults of the applying this method to calculate theeffects of using ultra large bulk carriers to transportcoal. The figure shows the results of the calculation
for three cases: Case 0: ships are simply enlarged,
Case 1: a new open yard is required in order toincrease the quantity of cargo transported each time,and Case 2: feeder transport is necessary because thewater depth in the berth in the second port isinsufficient. But in all three cases, transport costs fallfrom the present shipping cost (PMX) as a result of theenlargement of ships (NPX/CPS: Casesize). 

㻞㻡㻚㻜

㻝㻝

㻝㻞

㻯㼍㼟㼑㻌㻜

㻯㼍㼟㼑㻌㻝

㻯㼍㼟㼑㻌㻞

Simpleenlargement
༢⣧኱ᆺ໬

Rent
an open yard㔝✚ሙ೉ୖ

Feeder஧ transport┠䜈tosecond port
஧ḟ㍺㏦


㻞㻜㻚㻜
㻝㻡㻚㻜
㻝㻜㻚㻜
㻡㻚㻜
㻜㻚㻜
㻼㻹㼄 㻺㻼㼄 㻯㻼㻿 㻺㻼㼄 㻯㻼㻿 㻺㻼㼄 㻯㻼㻿
Figure 2. Example of the Results of Cost Calculation
by Enlarging Coal Carriers
3. Application of results
The Ports and Harbours Bureau of the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism hasformed the International Strategic Bulk Port Study
Committee which is conducting deliberations in orderto strengthen the international competitiveness of ports
which handle bulk cargoes through selection andconcentration of development. The results of thisresearch have been prepared as study documents to be
used by the committee for its deliberations.
[Source] Technical Note of the National Institute for Land andInfrastructure Management, No. 560
Journal of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers: Vol.
66, No. 3, pp. 369-382 ‫ە‬A Case of Utilizing Results‫ە‬Research Trends and Results

Trial of riverine estuary environment
classification on first class rivers throughout
Japan


AMANO Kunihiko, HeadONUMA Katsuhiro, Senior Researcher
ENDO Maremi, Researcher
River Environment Division, Environment Department
Research Trends and Results(Key words) Riverine estuary, environment, classification 
1. Aims of the researchAt river mouths where rivers reach the ocean,riverine estuaries are formed by the mixing of fresh
water with salt water. In riverine estuaries, complex
physical and chemical phenomena occur as a result of
external forces including tides, waves, floods,
sediment supply, and addition of pollutants from boththe sea and from the river, and the combinations ofthese external forces produce diverse environmental
properties. Living organisms adapted to thisenvironment inhabit these waters.
These complex and diverse riverine estuary
environments are often strongly impacted byman-made disruptions, so it is difficult to set goals
when planning the conservation of their environments.
If riverine estuaries can be classified according toenvironmental properties, it will be possible toevaluate the environmental impacts of specified
man-made changes by selecting and comparing rivers
with different degrees of man-made change fromamong multiple rivers in the same classification. And
if we select a river where relatively little man-madechange occurs as a reference, it might be possible toset environmental conservation goals for riverine
estuaries on rivers in the same class with considerable
objectivity. For these motivates, we classified riverine
estuaries on rivers nationwide by abstracting naturalenvironment elements presumed to determine theproperties of riverine estuary environments. 
2. Physical environment classification of riverine
estuaries on 109 first class river systems
throughout Japan
Riverine estuary environments were classified using
the river flow rate, riverbed gradient, tidal range, andwave height, as the physical environmental indiceswhich determine riverine estuary environments. For
the concept guiding the selection of indices, wereferred to a past report 1). Riverine estuaries wereclassified by performing principal component analysisof the above indices, obtaining the principal
components and principal component scores, thenperforming cluster analysis of principal componentscores for principal components with an eigenvalue of
1 or more. 

Figure 1 shows the distribution of riverine estuaries
classified into five classes based on indices values atnormal time. It established five classifications: a groupwhere the tidal range is a little large distributed widelyon the Pacific Ocean side (Tide Class I), Flow RateClass I where the river flow rate is a little highdistributed widely throughout Japan, Tide Class II
where the tidal range is extremely large and which is
distributed on part of the Ariake and Seto Inland Seas,
Gradient Class where the riverbed gradient is steep
distributed on the Hokuriku Tokai coast, and Flow RateClass II where the gradient is mild and flow rate is highlocated mainly at large rivers on the Japan Sea side.
ClusterNameྡ⛠ࢡࣛࢫࢱ࣮
1₻ộϨᆺ
Tide
Class I
Flow Rateὶ㔞Ϩᆺ 2Class I
Tide
Class II₻ộϩᆺ
 3
Gradient
 4໙㓄ᆺSea of JapanClass
Flow Rate 5ὶ㔞ϩᆺClass II
Pacific

Ocean




Figure 1. National Distribution of Classification Basedon Indices at Normal Time
3. SummaryThis classification clearly demonstrated for the firsttime relationships showing that in tidal type riverine
estuaries strongly impacted by the sea, salt-water andbrackish water fish species are numerous, and that inflow rate type riverine estuaries strongly impacted byrivers, fresh water fish species are numerous 1). In the
future, we will do further study of environmental
classifications and their properties to contribute to theconservation of riverine estuary environments.
[Reference]

1) Kishida, Amano, Onuma, Endo: Riverine estuary
classification for the sake of environmental
conservation, Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, JSCE,
Vol. 55, 2011. (in Japanese with English abstract)

‫࣭ྥື✲◊ە‬ᡂᯝ‫ە‬Research Trends and Results

Field Research to Evaluate the Environmentof Rivers Downstream from Dams

AMANO Kunihiko, HeadHARANO Takashi, Senior Researcher
ENDO Maremi, Researcher
ITO Kanako, Researcher
River Environment Division, Environment Department
1. Introduction
Little past progress has been made in the evaluationof the impact of dams on the environments of therivers downstream from the dams, because the impact
manifestation mechanisms are complex and theimpacts themselves are not easy to abstract.
This research was undertaken to evaluate the impactof a dam on the riverbed of the river downstream fromthe dam. The impact of a dam on the riverbed
downstream from the dam is assumed to be a result of
the dam varying the downstream river’s flow regime
and the change of the flux of materials flowing
downstream, typified by the flux of sediment transport,
so dam quantities related to these were collected andevaluated at 79 dams nationwide. The riverbed
materials (soil forming the riverbed) and the benthic
organisms which inhabit this material were selected as
the indices used to evaluate the manifest impacts, anda field survey of these was carried out. 
2. Survey of dams nationwide and theirsurrounding rivers
In order to evaluate the quantities of sedimenttransport at 79 dams selected from all dams managed
by the national government throughout Japan, theannual average specific sedimentation was calculatedby dividing the annual average dam sedimentation byits drainage basin area, and at the same time, toevaluate the degree that dams change flow regimes,
the annual average maximum cut rate was calculatedby dividing the annual maximum difference between
the dam inflow and discharge by the annual maximum
inflow, and using these two indices, the dams wereclassified (Fig. 1; dams not suitable for the purpose,
those constructed separately upstream for example,
were omitted.)
In rivers downstream from dams with large specificsedimentation (Group 2), the supply of sediment ought
to be sharply reduced. And downstream from dams
with small annual average maximum cut rate (Group 1
and 3), the sediment flushing force is not reduced verymuch. Therefore, it is hypothesized that in rivers
downstream from dams in these groups (on the left
side of Fig. 1), the riverbed material will be coarser
grained or the riverbed will be degraded, and that

inversely, in downstream rivers in Group 4 where theflood cut is large, according to circumstances, theriverbed material can be fine-grained.
㻝㻜Group 1: flood cut – medium➨㻝䜾䝹䞊䝥䠖ὥỈ䜹䝑䝖䞉୰

Average 10-year
specific sedimentation (1,000m3/km2/y)
㻝㻜䜹ᖺᖹᆒẚሁ◁㔞㻔༓㼙㻟㻛㼗㼙㻞㻛㼥㻕Research Trends and Results(Key words) Dam, environment, field survey

Group 2: sedimentation – large➨㻞䜾䝹䞊䝥䠖ሁ◁䞉኱Group 3: flood cut – small➨㻟䜾䝹䞊䝥䠖ὥỈ䜹䝑䝖䞉ᑠ
Group 4. flood cut – large➨㻠䜾䝹䞊䝥䠖ὥỈ䜹䝑䝖䞉኱

㻝

㻜㻚㻝

㻜㻚㻜㻝
㻙㻜㻚㻞㻌

㻜㻚㻜㻌

㻜㻚㻞㻌

㻜㻚㻠㻌

㻜㻚㻢㻌

㻜㻚㻤㻌


Figure 1. Classification Based on Specific
Sedimentation Rate and Peak Cut
Averageannual maximum cut rateᖹᆒᖺ᭱኱䜹䝑䝖⋡㻝㻚㻜㻌

A field survey was carried out longitudinally on
rivers upstream and downstream from dams. A
comparison of the 60% grain size of the riverbed
material and the shear stress at the riverbed calculated
based on the flow regime and shape of the river
channel revealed that in all groups, the 60% grain size
was relatively larger just downstream than it was in
the river upstream from the dams. This result suggeststhat just downstream from many dams, the possibilityof the riverbed becoming coarse-grained is high. 
The examination of results of the survey of benthic
organisms has confirmed that in addition to the damsin Groups 1 and 3, where it is assumed there is astrong tendency for the riverbed material of thedownstream river to be coarse-grained material, atdams in Group 2, downstream from the dams, species
which prefer a stable environment with riverbed
material somewhat larger than that upstream areincreasing.
3. Summary
In the future, we plan to interpret the data obtainedby a quantitative method such as hydraulic analysis to
study revealed patterns of the environment impact onrivers downstream from dams according to theproperties of the dams and countermeasure methods. ‫ە‬Research Trends and Results

Simple method of investigating CO2
emissions from vehicles on actualroads


DOHI Manabu, Senior Researcher
TAKIMOTO Masamichi, Researcher
SONE Shinri, HeadRoad Environment Division, Environment Department

Research Trends and Results(Key words) CO2 emissions, road traffic, road survey 
1. Background and purpose of the research
CO2 emissions by the transportation sector haveshown a falling trend in recent years, but account for
about 20% of all CO2 emissions in Japan. To reducethese emissions, it is essential to take an integrated
approach applying measures in many areas including
improving fuel performance of individual automobiles
and using alternative energy, eco-driving, switching to
public transportation, smoothing road traffic flow, andtransforming the structures of cities. In order to accurately clarify the effectiveness ofthese measures, it is necessary to make a detailed
assessment of CO2 emitted from automobiles travelingon actual roads, but because a rational survey method
to do so is not fully established, traffic volume andaverage driving speed data and CO2 emission
coefficients by speed are used to estimate CO2
emissions from road traffic in specified sections. 
Under such circumstances, a method using
store-bought fuel gauges to perform simple anddetailed surveys of CO2 emissions by an automobile
traveling on an actual road was established. 
2. Outline of the simple CO2 emission survey
method using fuel gauges
The fuel gauges used for this survey were connectedto the diagnosis use connector in each automobile asshown in Photo 1, permitting the date and time,
vehicle speed, engine revolutions, fuel injection time,
GPS, and other data stored in the vehicle’s ECU to berecorded on a memory card. Based on the datacollected by this instrument, the instantaneous fuelconsumption per second and CO2 emissions were
estimated. 
The instantaneous fuel consumption is proportional
to the engine revolutions and fuel injection time. The
total fuel consumption, which is the total of theinstantaneous fuel consumptions, was corrected using
the quantity of actual fuel supplied to eachautomobile’s fuel tank before and after the survey as
the positive value. The CO2 emissions were converted
from the quantity of fuel consumption, a technique
identical to the method used to calculate thegreenhouse effect gas national inventory.

 Figure 1 shows an example of survey results. Thissurvey method can clarify behavior of automobile CO2
emission behavior before and after an intersection. In
this case, the CO2 emissions were high during idlingwhile the vehicle was stopped in front of theintersection and during acceleration after passing
through the intersection.
 We aim to continue to accumulate results of surveys
using various vehicles and under various driving
conditions to provide this survey method for generaluse.

Fuel gauge/GPS

Connected to diagnosis use connector 

Photo 1. View of Installation of Fuel Gauge in an
Automobile
Connected to the diagnosis use connector at the driver’s seat to collectvehicle data
CO2 emissions (unit: g)ͤ Emissions per second
except when shut off.

Figure 1. Distribution of CO2 Emissions Turning
Right at an Intersection

CO2 emissions are large during idling and while accelerating after aright turn[Sources]
M. Dohi, S. Sone, M. Takimoto: Simple investigationof CO2 emissions from road traffic and its variationaccording to differences of road structure, Selected
Papers on Environmental Systems Research, vol. 38,
2010‫ە‬Research Trends and Results‫ە‬Research Trends and Results

Fully considering the care of thenatural environment at the roadproject concept stage

YAMAMOTO Yuichiro, Researcher
INOUE Ryuji, Senior Researcher
SONE Shinri, HeadRoad Environment Division, Environment Department

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Environmental impact assessment technology, road project, animals, plants, ecosystem
1. Background and Purpose
Under the recently revised Environmental Impact
Assessment Law (refer to, Topics: “Proposed
Amendment of Environmental Assessment Law andResponse to the SEA (Strategic Environmental
Assessment)” for an outline of the revision proposal),the Strategic Environmental Assessment (below,“SEA”) which considers care for the environment
from the earliest stage before the project begins, isstipulated. SEA was established in response to theinsistence that it was needed to prevent loss of thenatural environment, and in response to its
codification, early concern for the natural environment
may attract attention in the future.
From the practical perspective, presumably, there
will many restrictions on the study of ways to care forthe environment, because it is predicted that at thestage where the location and scale etc. of a project towhich SEA will be applied (below, “concept stage”) is
decided, the project plan will still be in preliminary
form, and information concerning the local naturalenvironment will be limited.
This research is intended to establish methods ofeffectively and efficiently caring for the naturalenvironment at the road project concept stage.
2. Conservation effectiveness according todifferences in route and road structure
—For future discussion which must be consideredat the road project concept stage—
Road projects, as shown by Eco-roads 1) for
example, have included bridges, tunnels, and otherstructures, and initiatives to install facilities allowing
animals to cross roads, in order to select routes which
are in harmony and compatible with nature and tominimize change to the topography and vegetation.
These often permit concrete studies at the stage whereroad structures are designed. To apply SEA, it isnecessary to not only simply speed up the study period,
but to also clarify the study range, conduct surveys
according to the study stage, and search for effective
ways to care for the environment.
In 2010, which was the first year of the project, toprepare for future discussion of “items which must be
considered at the concept stage”, we conducted a basic
case study of the relationship between theeffectiveness of conserving the environment andconstruction costs according to differences in route
location and road structures. Five proposals for theroad studied were hypothesized (Fig. 1), and existing
documents were used to classify the degree to which
each one would change vegetation and divide routes
traveled by animals. The results have shown that the
impact of each would vary according to differences in
the location of route several hundred meters in lengthand selection of the road structure (Table 1), andsuggested that it is possible to obtain various measures
to care for environment.

500m(1) Cutting of䐟ᒣഃษᅵ᱌
mountain side(2)Cutting/embankment䐠ษᅵ䞉┒ᅵ᱌

(3)
Cutting along river䐡ᕝἢ䛔ษᅵ᱌

(4)
Large tunnel䐢㛗኱䝖䞁䝛䝹᱌(5)
Partial bridge䐣୍㒊ᶫᱱ᱌



Figure 1. Hypothetical Proposals
Table1. Conservation Effects of each Proposal andConstruction Cost

Degree of alteration of existing
vegetation
Degree of change of growth of valuablespecies and their habitat environments
Degree of division of routes traveled byanimals(1)
Cutting ofmountainside(2) Cutting/embankment(3) Cutting
along river(4) Large
tunnel(5)Partialbridge

‫ڹ‬

‫ۑ‬





‫۔‬

‫ڹ‬

‫ۑ‬





‫ۑ‬

‫ۑ‬

‫ڹ‬





‫۔‬

Construction cost (rough calculation)

‫ۑ‬
‫۔‬

‫ڹ‬
N o t e ) ‫ ۔‬, ‫ ۑ‬, ‫ ڹ‬,  b e g i n n i n g wi t h s m a l l e s t d e g r e e o f i m p a c t a n d c o n s t r u c t i o n c o s t s .


3. Contents of future studiesThe following studies are planned in response to theamendment of the law and trends in later discussionsof the amendment of related cabinet orders andministerial orders. Clarification of the range of studies under SEA
based on past cases
Past cases considering environment are analyzed toclassify effective ways to care for environment whichshould be studied according to the stage of the project.(2) Collecting information about the naturalenvironment and studying the evaluation method Effectively implementing SEA depends to a great
extent on the quantity and quality of information
concerning the natural environment of a region.
Survey and research on animals and plants and theadvance of IT are accompanied by the provision ofvarious kinds of information, so methods of using
SEA in a road project and methods of evaluatingconservation effects are studied.
[Reference]
1) A. Kameyama: Eco-roads —creating roads kind tolife—, Soft Science, 1997‫࣭ྥື✲◊ە‬ᡂᯝ‫ە‬Research Trends and Results

CO2 Uptake through Recycling ofConcrete Rubbles

KANDA Taro, Researcher
SONE Shinri, HeadRoad Environment Division, Environment Department(Key words) Construction byproducts, concrete rubble (demolished and crushed concrete), recycled concrete
1. Introduction
 The recycling level of concrete rubbles following
demolition of civil engineering structures has been
kept at about 98 percent in Japan, since the“Construction Material Recycling Law” came into
effect. Almost all the concrete rubbles are recycled as
aggregates. Recently, some researchers report that
CO2 uptake to concrete structures during their life
cycle is not negligible. The process of CO2 uptake is
known as carbonation (or neutralization), the reactionof Ca ions in cement ( pH is high) with carbonate ionsin the atmosphere. The uptake rate probably becomes
higher in a recycling process because the surface areaof the cement is increased by the demolition andcrushing processes.
The amount of the CO2 uptake should be subtracted
from the amount of CO2 emissions due to the energy
consumption etc. in the calculation of the net CO2
emission during the recycling process. In the present
paper, we introduce our nation-wide investigation todetermine the amount of the CO2 uptake throughrecycling of concrete rubbles.
2. Mechanism of CO2 uptakeLimestone is a main raw material of cement, which isdecomposed into CaO and CO2 in the calcination process.
During the hydrate process, CaO in cement pastetransmutes into Ca(OH)2 which absorbs the atmosphericCO2. The CO2 behavior through life cycle of concrete
structure can be written as follows. In addition to
Ca(OH)2, calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) also absorbs
CO2.
(i) Cement manufacturing: CaCO3ĺCaO+CO2(ii) Hydration (concrete mixing): CaO+H2OĺCa(OH)2(iii) Use (service)-: Ca(OH)2+CO2ĺCaCO3+H2O

3. Overview of nation-wide investigation
 We collected 46 specimens of concrete rubbles
around the nation. Each specimen was divided into
two parts. The amount of CO2 was measured
immediately for one part (denoting uptake duringservice period of concrete structures), and after 28-day
exposure to the environment for the other. Figure 1

shows the result. The amount of CO2 in theimmediately analyzed specimens was 14kg- CO2/t on
average. That increased to 23 kg- CO2/t after 28-day
exposure. The amount of CO2 uptake throughrecycling was about 9kg- CO2/t on average (minimum:
3, maximum 17), calculated as the increment between
28-day exposures. The smaller the grain size was, themore CO2 the specimen absorbed. This amount iscomparable with the amount emitted to produce therecycled concrete aggregates.
4. Future work
 We will determine the amount of CO2 uptake whichshould be considered in the calculation of the net CO2
emission due to manufacturing of recycled concrete
aggregates. We will identify the influential factors on
the CO2 uptake to propose easy and effective
techniques for increasing the amount of CO2 uptake.

References:
1) Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport andTourism:
http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/000121183.pdf
2) Y. Kuroda, T. Kikuchi: Concrete Research andTechnology (in Japanese), Vol. 20(1), Jan. 2009
Grain size
⢏ᚄ'
(D)

㻞㻡

Amount of CO2 uptake (kg-CO2/t)
㻯㻻㻞ᅛᐃ㔞㻌㼕㼚㻌㼗㼓㻙㻯㻻㻞㻛㼠Research Trends and Results

aggregate, recycling, CO2 uptake 

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
PD[


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㻢㻚㻤
㻝㻟㻚㻤

㻡
㻜

PLQ

Increments

෌㈨※໬
during



㻥㻚㻜



㻝㻡
㻝㻜

㻡㻙㻞㻜㼙㼙
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recycling㻣㻚㻜“Immediately””after 28-day౪⏝  ౪⏝෌㈨※໬exposure”



Figure 1. Amount of CO2 in Concrete Rubbles (tentative)

3) T. Kanda, S. Sone, H. Kishida: Meeting of The
Institute of Life Cycle Assessment (in Japanese),
vol. 6, 2011‫ە‬Research Trends and Results‫ە‬Research trends and results

Developing environmental loadfactors for construction
materials used in social
infrastructure LCASONE Shinri, Head
TAKIMOTO Masamichi, Researcher KANDA Taro, Researcher
Road Environment Division, Environment Department

Research trends and results(Keywords) Life cycle assessment, environmental load factor, construction materials

1. BackgroundIf we are to introduce life cycle assessment (LCA)
into the development of social infrastructure, we willneed to establish a method of calculating
environmental load arising throughout all processes
from the extraction of resources to the manufacture,
installation, commissioning, demolition and disposal ofmaterials. Since environmental load is calculated as thevolume of a material multiplied by its environmentalload factor, we will need to develop environmental loadfactors covering all construction materials and energies,
etc., used when developing social infrastructure.
We have prepared environmental load factors
concerning CO2 emissions and others for both generalproducts and individual products. The aim is that theseshould enable construction industry operators tocompare ordinary products (ordinary construction
materials as pre-manufactured products) withindividual products (specific products produced byindividual factories and companies, special products),
and to choose materials with a lower load byintroducing LCA to social infrastructure.
2. Developing a list of environmental load factors
for ordinary products
We calculated the environmental load factors ofordinary products using a method that combines thesummation method with the input-output method. Thatis, we used the summation method to calculate loadfactors for “principal construction materials”, based on
official statistics and others from which physical data
can be obtained in categories of specific commodities.
For other items, we complemented this with the
input-output method. We selected steel, cement,asphalt blend, rubble, and others as elasticity markers
for “principal construction materials”1). We thencalculated their load factors and arranged them in a list
(Fig. 1)2).
By complementing this with the input-output method,
we standardized system parameters (the range forcalculating environmental load) into a range based on
domestic economic activity. This enabled us tocalculate load factors for different materials under thesame conditions. For principal construction materials,
meanwhile, load factors can easily be updated by
inputting the latest aggregated data.
3. Method of creating environmental load factors
for individual products
We calculate environmental load factors forindividual products using the summation method,which aggregates environmental load in individual
manufacturing processes. To do this, we need to set a
method of distributing system parameters andenvironmental loads common to materials. For
principal construction materials, we studied and set
system parameter and environmental load distribution
methods, together with academics and professional
experts in the field of materials and the environment(Fig. 2)3).
Also, since the summation method involves anelement of discretion in setting system parameters, forloads other than those subject to aggregated calculation,
we made it possible to compare them with ordinary
products by adding sector input-output tables andheadings as “Estimates of unaggregated values”.
CO2 emissions load factor
Name of commodity
Freshly mixed concrete, ordinary
Freshly mixed concrete, earlystrength
Freshly mixed concrete, blast
furnace
Concrete products
Asphalt blend or mixture
Recycled asphalt blend or mixture
RubbleRecycled rubble

Unit

Total

Production

Shipment

Fuel used

m3
m3
m3
t
t
t
t
t

Fig. 1 Example of commodities on an ordinary productenvironmental load factor list
CO2 emissions load factor
Name of commodity

Light oil
Blast furnace slag
Steel plate
Steel sheet pile
Portland cement, ordinary
Portland cement, earlystrength
Blast furnace cement
Fly ash cement

Unit

Total

Production

m3
m3
m3
t
t
t
t
t

Fig. 2 Example of system parameters

Shipment

Fuel used‫ە‬Research trends and results

y System parameters of asphalt blend
Final disposal
siteConstruction site
Demolition,etc.

Transportation

This range is calculated as the environmental load throughout
the lifecycle of asphalt blendDisposal

CO2 (kg-CO2/t)
Stone quarry
Rubble

Item
Transportation

Power station

Product
manufactureusing newmaterials

Transportation

Electricpower

Oil refineryTransportation

Heavy oilTransportation

Asphalt

RecyclingQuantityElectric power

Load factor

Power consumption

Quarrying site A,(1)

Aggregate

Load factor

Light oil consumption

Oil refinery (3), (4)Asphalt

Load factor

Light oil consumption

Heavy oil

Load factor

Light oil consumption

Recycling plant
Transportation



Load factor

Equipment
usedElectric power (2)Commodity /Consumption
item

Construction site
Transportation

Product
manufactureusing recycledmaterials

Transportation

Product
acceptance

Installation

Demolition, etc.

Transportation

Disposal
Recycling plant

System parameters

Transportation

Disposal

4. Publication of results
The environmental load factors of construction
materials used in social infrastructure will first be
examined and verified by academic experts in the fields
of materials and the environment, in a committee set up
within the Japan Society of Civil Engineers. They willthen be compiled into a Comprehensive TechnicalDevelopment Project Report.
References
1) M. Takimoto, S. Sone, H. Kishida, T. Fujita: Studyon screening of target commodities for an inventory
database used in social infrastructure, Environmental
System Research Papers, Vol. 38, pp. 203-211

Transportation

Recycling2) S. Sone, M. Takimoto, H. Kishida, T. Fujita:
Development of an inventory database used in social
infrastructure, 65th Annual Scientific Lecture Series
Lecture Summaries
3) T. Kanda, S. Sone, H. Kishida, K. Hanaki: On therationale of system parameters of materials inventory
data used in life cycle assessment of social
infrastructure, Environmental System Research Papers,
Vol. 38, pp. 185-191

‫ە‬Research Trends and Results

Noise by Vehicle Type

SONE Shinri, HeadYOSHINAGA Hiroshi, Senior Researcher
ANDO Shingo, Guest Researcher
Road Environment Division, Environment Department1) http://www.cev-pc.or.jp/
2) D. Kamoshida, et. al.: A development of the new "index
of the noise" and the practical use , J. INCE/J, Vol. 34, No. 5,
pp. 429-432, 2010
3) Y. Watanabe, T. Deguchi: A Consideration on Reducing
Road Traffic Noise by Widespreading Low-noise Vehicle
Like Electric Ones, Infrastructure Planning and Management
Research: Collected Papers, No. 13, pp. 939-947, 1996
4) ASJ RTN-Model 2008: J. Acoust. Soc. Jpn. , Vol. 65, No.

㻢㻜owned (10,000 units)
᥎ᐃಖ᭷ྎᩘ䠄୓ྎ䠅

Estimated number of vehicles

4, pp. 179-232, 2009 㻡㻜㈌≀㌴➼
Trucks, etc.

㻠㻜Passenger cars and஌⏝㌴㻗㍍⮬ື㌴
compact cars

㻟㻜
㻞㻜
㻝㻜
㻜

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008



Figure 1. Number of Hybrid Automobiles Owned(in Japan)1)
Photo 1. Fuel Cell Powered Bus(Haneda Airport Limousine Bus)
䐟ᅜෆ䛾ᖹᆒⓗ䛺஌
(1)
Average passenger car
in Japan 4)
⏝㌴4)

㻝㻝㻜

(2)
Coasting (Gasoline 1
䐠᝼ᛶ㉮⾜BOX 1)(䜺䝋䝸䞁1BOX1)

5 dB

㻝㻜㻜
LWA䠄䡀B)
1. Purpose
Various supplementary noise abatement measures
have been taken in the past, according to the following
documents and trends, (1) to (4), the spread of
automobiles with little or no engine noise can becounted on to reduce noise. (1) The number of hybrid
vehicles is soaring(Fig. 1), and (2) the noise inside
highway busses is about 5dB lower than that ofnormal public busses2). (3) The noise reduction which
would result from the conversion of all automobiles to
low noise vehicles is estimated at about 6dB3). (4) The
operation of fuel-cell powered busses (Photo 1) is
another example. This report presents the results ofmeasurements of quantity of sound generated by
low-pollution cars etc. during test runs (dense asphalt
concrete pavement) at the test track in NILIM 
2. Measurement results 
Coasting passenger cars and electric vehicles
produced noise approximately 5dB below that of an
ordinary passenger car measured on a public road4)(Fig. 2). And a medium size low-pollution heavy
vehicle produced about 5dB less than ordinary
medium heavy vehicles measured on a public road4)(Fig. 3). 

3. The futureWe presume that clarifying the reasons for these
5dB differences would contribute to further loweringof noise. On the other hand, over 10 years have passed
since the measurements which obtained data
representing quantities of noise produced by vehicle
type used to predict noise (heavy vehicles, medium
heavy vehicles, small trucks, passenger car). The
results of confirmation of their appropriateness will bereported in the future. [References]

(3)
Coasting (Gasoline 1
䐡᝼ᛶ㉮⾜BOX 2)(䜺䝋䝸䞁1BOX2)(4)
Coasting (Sedan hybrid䐢᝼ᛶ㉮⾜vehicle)(䝉䝎䞁䝝䜲䝤䝸䝑䝗㌴)
EV(compact 1)
vehicle 1)
EV(㍍஌⏝

㻥㻜EV(compact 2)
vehicle 2)
EV(㍍஌⏝EV(Minicar 1) 1)
EV(ཎ௜ᅄ㍯

㻤㻜
㻞㻜 Speed㏿ᗘ 㻔㼗㼙㻛㼔㻕㻣㻜

EV(Minicar 2) 2)
EV(ཎ௜ᅄ㍯

Figure 2. Results of Measurements During Steady
Running of Passenger Cars

㻝㻝㻜



(1) Average medium-size䐟ᅜෆ䛾ᖹᆒⓗ䛺୰
car in Japan 4)
ᆺ㌴4)

㻝㻝㻡

5 dB

(2) Hybrid vehicle 1䐠䝝䜲䝤䝸䝑䝗㌴䠍㻝㻜㻡

LWA (dB)

Research Trends and(Key words) Road traffic noise, hybrid vehicle, low-pollution vehicle

(3) Hybrid vehicle 2䐡䝝䜲䝤䝸䝑䝗㌴䠎
(Largeengine to power a(෭ⶶ෭෾㌴䛾䛯䜑freezer or refrigerator truck)䜶䞁䝆䞁኱)
䐢ኳ↛䜺䝇㌴䠍
(4) Natural gas vehicle 1㻝㻜㻜㻥㻡䐣ኳ↛䜺䝇㌴䠎
(5) Natural gas vehicle 2㻥㻜㻤㻡㻞㻜 Speed㏿ᗘ 㻔㼗㼙㻛㼔㻕㻣㻜䐤ᑠᆺ㈌≀㌴(6) Compact truck
Tire
surface noise䝍䜲䝲㊰㠃㡢(ཧ⪃)(reference)

Figure 3. Results of Measurements During Steady
Running of Medium heavy vehicles ●Research Trends and Results
Links with overseas research institutes
regarding conservation of theNorthwest Pacific marine environment
SAKAKIBARA Takashi, Research Coordinator for Water Quality Control Water Quality Control Department
YOKOTA Toshihiro, Head Wastewater System Division
SHIGEMURA, Hiroyuki, Senior Researcher Wastewater System Division
FUJIWARA Hiromichi, Researcher Wastewater System Division

Research Trends and Results(Key words) Ocean environment, pollution load, simulation, sewerage system
1. Introduction
In countries near Japan, rapid population growthand industrial growth seen in recent years have notbeen accompanied by adequate development of theirsewage systems and other infrastructures, resulting in
an increasingly serious problem of water pollution in
major rivers and Northwest Pacific. The Wastewater
System Division has studied methods of conserving
the future marine environment in Northwest Pacific(Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, Japan Sea),and in particular, has attempted to clarify the pollutant
load runoff reduction effects of providing seweragesystems in neighboring countries. And because weoften cannot obtain overseas data or documents inside
Japan in sufficient quantities for our survey, we haveundertaken survey research in cooperation withresearchers in the concerned countries (Japan, China,
Korea, Russia).
2. Contents of recent surveys and challenges
In order to clarify the future effectiveness ofmeasures to reduce pollutant loads in Northwest
Pacific achieved as a result of the construction ofsewerage systems in neighboring countries, theWastewater System Division built a simulation modelof the runoff of pollutant loads from watersheds inconcerned countries and set future economic growth(increasing pollutant loads) scenarios and seweragesystem installation scenarios (reducing pollutant
loads), verifying the effectiveness of pollutant loads
reduction measures. We also built a hydrodynamic andwater quality model, and entering the results ofcalculations by a pollutant load model, used it toperform flow and water quality model calculations,clarifying the way that the pollutant load (COD, T-N,
T-P) behaves on the surface of Northwest Pacific(Fig. 1).
On the other hand, it was extremely difficult tocollect water quality data from each country in orderto perform the above simulation calculations. We
think that in the future, as one challenge to be
overcome to take marine environment conservation
measures in Northwest pacific, it will be vital thateach country continues sustained monitoring of water
quality in major rivers and in Northwest pacific.

(1)
Pollutant load runoff simulation①汚濁負荷流出シミュレーション
Fareastern Russia
ロシア極東
Calculation of pollutant load runoff originatingon日中韓露における陸域起源のdry land in Japan, China, Korea, and汚濁負荷流出量を計算
Russia
渤海
Bohai
Sea
黄海Sea
Yellow(2)
Hydrodynamic & Water Quality simulation②海洋海流シミュレーション
Prediction of behavior of pollutant load on
日本近海（渤海・黄海・東シナ
Northwest
Pacific ( Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea,
East
China Sea, and Japan Sea)
海・日本海）上での汚濁負荷の

挙動を予測

）

中国・黄河流域
China/Yellow
River Basin

China/Huai
River Basin
中国・淮河流域

日本
Japan
Japan
Sea
日本海

China/ChangjiangRiver Basin
中国・長江流域

Korea
韓国

East
China Sea
東シナ海

Figure 1. Outline of Contents of Surveys in PreviousYears

合意文書署名Signing
the agreement

Participants at the international
meeting
国際会議出席者

Signing
the agreement
合意文書署名Figure 2. The International Conference with Overseas
Researchers and Signing the Agreement
3. Future links with overseas research institutes
In February 2011, we held an international meetingfor researchers invited to Tokyo from Japan, China,
Korea, and Russia, countries which had already been
cooperating with our survey research (Fig. 2 left). At
the conference venue, reports were given on the
results of the past surveys, confirming the importanceof continuing relationships with research institutes andsharing water quality monitoring data possessed byeach country. At the same time, the participants signed
an agreement stating that researchers from Japan,
China, Korea, and Russia would share water quality
monitoring data for major rivers in the various
countries and for Northwest Pacific (Fig. 2 – right). In
the future, based on the knowledge already obtained,
we will continue to collect information concerning
pollutant unit load etc. and water quality monitoringdata from each country, and also actively provide such

●Research Trends and Results
information to them.
http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/ebg/(Wastewater System Division)‫ە‬Research trends and resultsStudy on light environments in LCCM housing and lighting
energy reduction effects
MIKI Yasuhiro, Senior Researcher
Residential Environment Planning Division, Housing Department

Research trends and results(Keywords) LCCM housing, daylighting, artificial lighting

1. Introduction
LCCM housing (“Life Cycle Carbon Minus”
housing) has been proposed as “housing that creates anegative (“minus”) CO2 balance throughout its long
lifetime, including CO2 emissions during construction,by striving to reduce CO2 as much as possible during
construction, use and demolition, and by creating
renewable energy using solar panels and the like” 1). To
study this LCCM housing, a joint research organization
called “Research on Zero Energy Housing” has been
established under an initiative by the Building
Research Institute, and the National Institute for Landand Infrastructure Management is taking part in this.
The author has compiled a report on light environmentsin this housing as well as its lighting energy reduction
effects, and gives a brief outline of the content here.
2. Study on the light environment of LCCM housing
When studying the light environments of LCCM
housing, the author first proposed a concept2) based on
knowledge of light environments obtained from low
energy housing with validated efficiency (a type ofenergy-saving housing), among others, then enlisted
the collaboration of academic and professional experts
in simulating daylight lighting and lighting designers
for artificial lighting. Bearing in mind that daylighting
could conversely cause an increase in lighting
consumption, since the introduction of daylight causes
glare or the room interior is felt to be dark in contrast to
the brightness around the windows, we used the highly
precise daylight environment simulation software“Radiance” in our study. We mainly studied the impact
of south-opening louvers at different time and seasons,and taking account of the daylighting simulation results,
compared the results to the initially drafted plan andincorporated them in later versions of the plan (Fig. 1).
As for artificial lighting, the study was based on therationale of distributed multiple-light arrangement
harnessing the characteristics of LEDs, i.e.
compactness and long life2). We obtained a working
brightness in accordance with specific domestic
activity by using distributed light, even if the averageluminosity was low, and planned balanced lightingwith less contrast and no sense of discomfort.

Fig. 1 Daylighting simulation example
3. Study on the lighting energy reduction effect of
LCCM housing
The total energy consumption by artificial lighting in
LCCM housing was around 480W, and the annual
lighting power consumption was around 530kWh(primary energy consumption around 5.1GJ). Bearing
in mind that, with LED, CO2 emissions when in use
account for almost the whole of the life cycle, it should
be possible to reduce environmental load while
adequately forming light environments including
lighting effects.
4. Conclusion
A demonstration version of LCCM housingreflecting the results of this study will be built inside
the Building Research Institute. It will be completed in
February 2011, and after completion, verification trials
reproducing the living conditions of residents will beheld. In future, we plan to measure artificial lighting
consumption volumes and take actual measurements oflight environments.
References
1) BRI NEWS Vol. 52, Advanced eco housing for the
low-carbon society: LCCM housing
2) Y. Miki, Proposal of distributed multiple-lightarrangement using small high efficiency lamps,
National Institute for Land and InfrastructureManagement, Annual Report (2005), 84-85

‫ە‬Research Trends and Results

Use of ITS technology toimplement traffic smoothingmeasures at expressway sags


KANAZAWA Fumihiko, Head
SAKAI Koichi, Senior Researcher
SUZUKI Kazufumi, Researcher
Intelligent Transport System Division, Research Center for Advanced Information Technology
Research Trends and Results(Key words) Sag, traffic congestion, ACC (adaptive cruise control), WUDIILFVLPXODWRU

1. Introduction
The National Institute for Land and InfrastructureManagement has conducted research to develop avehicle lane utilization rate optimization service basedon the use if ITS SPOT etc. to provide information.
Considering linkages between in-car systems such as
ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), which controls
distance between vehicles, and services which provide
information from roadside systems, the NILIM is
performing research to develop a service to mitigate
congestion at sags (places where the gradient changes
gently from descending to ascending). In FY2010, it
built a micro-traffic simulator capable of reproducing
the impact on traffic flow of the introduction of these
services on a computer, and trial calculated thecongestion mitigation effectiveness of including
vehicles equipped with the vehicle lane utilization rate
optimization service or ACC in the traffic flow. 

2. Vehicle lane utilization rate optimization service
7KHvehicle lane utilization rate optimization service
provides information to drivers in three stages in order
to correct imbalanced use of passing lanes resulting
from heavy traffic approaching the location ofcongestion. Just in advance of a sag, a “change-lanerequest message” urges drivers to change from thepassing lane to the nearside lane, then near the bottomof the sag, a “keep lane request message” urges drivers
to stay in the lane they are using, and finally, a“service end message” informs drivers that they areleaving the service section.

3. Expectations of congestion mitigation at sags byconnecting with vehicle control technology
Recent dazzling progress in vehicle control
technologies has brought ACC and many other suchtechnologies into practical use. This use of ACC,
which has a function which maintains vehicle speed
and the distance between vehicles at constant values,
is counted on to mitigate congestion by restricting
drivers’ unintentional deceleration, which is one causeof congestion at sags.
 

4. Construction of a micro-traffic simulator to trial
calculate congestion mitigation effects
Data (traffic volume, cruising speed by vehicle lane
and lane change behavior etc.) obtained from
instruments installed in the past at the Yamato Sag on
the Tomei Expressway (outbound) was used toconstruct a micro-traffic simulator capable ofreproducing traffic flow before and after theoccurrence of congestion at the Yamato Sag(outbound) and before and after the elimination of thiscongestion. When the system was built, in order tothat it could simulate the vehicle lane utilization rate
optimization
service,parametersattwostages—service awareness rate (percentage of drivers
who noticed the information provision) and theacceptability (percentage of the drivers who noticed
the information provision who also responded toit)—were considered. The system could also simulate
vehicle passing behavior, lane changing behavior,
speed reduction characteristic of vehicles in sags, andACC vehicle behavior. 
5. Trial calculation of congestion mitigation
effectiveness
The simulator which was built was used to trial
calculate the congestion mitigation effects of thefollowing services. As a result of these trial
calculations, their usefulness as traffic smoothingmeasures were summarized during FY2010. 1) Congestion mitigation effects of the vehicle lane
utilization rate optimization service2) Congestion mitigation effects of mixing in ACC
vehicles3) Congestion mitigation effects of considering thevehicle lane utilization rate optimization service
and mixing in ACC vehicles[Sources]Intelligent Transport System Division web site:
Services to realize AHS/aiming to mitigate congestion
at sags and tunnels
http://www.nilim.go.jp/japanese/its/0frame/under/02ahs/inde
x_02_05.htm

‫ە‬A Case of Utilizing ResultsEnacting the Handbook for
Measures to Prevent
Typhoon Damage to Planted
Trees in Cities



MATSUE Masahiko, HeadIIZUKA Yasuo, Senior Researcher
Landscape and Ecology Division, Environment Department
NAGAHAMA Yosuke, Chief Official
Planning Division, Planning and Research Administration Department咁 咂

Damaged trees
arrives
1. Introduction
Before a typhoon arrives, a tree management system is
Planted trees in cities, beside roads and in parks forquickly established, the soundness of the trees
example, are damaged, even falling over, under theconfirmed, and preventive measures taken at trees
impact of powerful wind during typhoons. In addition
which are vulnerable to damage (pruning, installing a
to damaging surrounding structures or blocking traffic,
wind blocking net, etc.). When a typhoon arrives,
they can even injure people.
emergency measures are taken to deal with damaged
So in order to mitigate typhoon damage to trees
trees (cutting down and removing, etc.), and after theplanted in cities, we have taken Okinawa, which istyphoon has passed, full-scale measures to deal withstruck by more typhoons than other parts of Japan, as
damaged trees (standing the trees or replacing thean example to perform a fact-finding survey of
support columns, etc.) are taken and the causes of thetyphoon damage to clarify the causes of this damage,damage are clarified. and based on the results, establish tree planting(4) Daily maintenance
methods to nurture trees highly resistance to typhoon In order to nurture highly typhoon resistant trees
damage.planted in cities, it is important to regularly check the
2. Outline of the Handbook for Measures toPrevent Typhoon Damage soundness of trees, and to do so, necessary to ձ This handbook consists of the following four
perform daily inspections and 㸦 , 㸧 ղ  soundness
chapterssurveys and ճappropriately manage all trees.
(1) Factors causing typhoon damage
3. Announcement of the results
Typhoon damage is broadly categorized as fallen
The results are explained based on trees and the tree
trees, bent trees, broken trunks, and broken branches,
planting environment of Okinawa, but the basic
and the causes of these types of damage are ձ
typhoon damage prevention measures can be applied
typhoon exceeding a specific scale (Fig. 1), ղin all regions of Japan, so the results have been
selection of species unsuited for
Common garcinia (Garcinia subelliptica)
350
conditions at the location, ճ(Root system: distributed and deep)
insufficient planting base, մ  low
Branch spread: 3.5m
300
quality planting, and յ  low quality
250
maintenance ⿕(2) Basic typhoon damage prevention
ᐖ 200ᮏ
measuresᩘ150ᮏ
In order to mitigate typhoon damage
Tree height: 6.0m
to trees planted in cities, it is important100
to correctly plan, design, and execute the50tree planting. Specifically, it is necessary
to give full consideration to ձ0㻜㻚㻜㻌㻡㻚㻜㻌 㻝㻜㻚㻜㻌 㻝㻡㻚㻜㻌 㻞㻜㻚㻜㻌 㻞㻡㻚㻜㻌 㻟㻜㻚㻜㻌 㻟㻡㻚㻜㻌Consolidated soil
Effective soil layer
selecting species, ղ  layout, ճ
Maximum wind speed᭱኱㢼㏿䠄m/s䠅
Drainage layer
providing the planting base (Fig. 2), andFigure 1. Maximum Wind Speed and Figure 2. Example of Provision ofմ installing support columns.
Number of Damaged Trees
the Tree Planting Base(3) Measures taken when a typhoon

A Case of Utilizing Results(Key words) Planted trees in cities, typhoon damage, tree planting method, maintenance, Okinawa published as Technical Note of NILIM No. 621.
We look forward to this handbook being used as abasic document to be applied to improve tree planting
technologies in Okinawa and throughout Japan,
contributing to the conservation of rich green living
environments.
http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/ddg/index.htm‫ە‬A Case of Utilizing Results‫ە‬A Case of Utilizing ResultsPreparation of a Manual of Road Crossing
Structures for Wild Animals (Draft)


MATSUE Masahiko, HeadSONODA Yoichi, Researcher
Landscape and Ecology Division, Environment Department(Key words) Road crossing structure, biodiversity, road kill

Plan for the installation of road crossings on newly planned routes
Proposed road crossing installation planЎ
Environmental survey of area around the planned road as part of a preliminary survey(Existing vegetation map, species composition survey, habitable land)Ў
Selection of target species to be conservedЎ
Organization and consideration of preliminary survey results dataЎStudy of alignment and road structureЎStudy of road crossings, auxiliary facility installation locations, structural study‫ە‬After use
Maintenance and management of road crossings on existing roads

Proposed plan for maintenance on existing roadsЎCollection of environmental information around roads(State of habitats and of occurrence of road kill)ЎStudy of method of surveying the use of road crossings(Infrared sensor camera, survey of traces, etc.)Ў
post-surveyEvaluation and feed back of post-survey results

Second study of target species to be conservedЎStudy of improvement of existing road crossings and auxiliary facilities
Ў
Improvement and supplementary installation of road crossings and auxiliary facilities

Figure 1. Road Crossing Structure Installation
Planning Flow Chart㻌

A Case of Utilizing Results‫ە‬New plans for roads

Planning/design

2. Road Crossing Installation Manual (Draft)
 Technical Methods for Evaluating Road
Environment Impact2) is used to study environmental
conservation measures with reference to Scientific
Knowledge and Similar Cases, to install roadcrossings for wild animals.
 The Landscape and Ecology Division of theEnvironment Department of the National Institute forLand and Infrastructure Management corroborated theeffects of installing road crossings by organizing casesof measures taken to deal with the division of habitatsof wild animals and by conducting a monitoring
survey from 2007 to 2009. It also performed a fact
finding survey of the use of road crossings by wild
animals for a three year period to prepare the Road
Crossing Installation Manual (Draft) based on
scientific knowledge. This manual provides acomprehensive corroboration of the usefulness of roadcrossings and organizes the process of work done toinstall and maintain road crossings based on
knowledge obtained from past surveys and otherexisting knowledge. An outline of the structure of themanual is shown in Figure 1.
 The manual summarizes the basic concepts andreference cases applied to study every step fromplanning and design to maintenance and managementof road crossings and their auxiliary structures
provided for use by wild mammals on new andexisting roads, and at the same time, presents a
detailed explanation of monitoring methods using
infrared cameras as a road crossing post-survey

method.
The manual will be used by persons in charge ofroad projects of regional development bureaus andregional governments after it is published as an
NILIM report, and it will be revised in response to theopinions of its users so it is easier to apply in the field.
[References]
1) N. Fujiwara, Y. Kaneko, Y. Iizuka (2004):
Research on methods of providing ecological corridors
for medium to small size wild mammals, Report by
the Landscape and Ecology Division of the National
Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management, 147,
55-1182) Highway Environment Research Institute (2007):
Technical methods for evaluating road environment
impact, Vol. 3, p. 423

Maintenance/management
1. Need for road crossings for wild animals
The construction of a road directly and indirectly
impacts the ecosystems where the road is built. Direct
impacts of road construction include automobiles
running over wild animals (road kill)1), loss or divisionof wild animal habitat environments, and decline of
the quality of the ecosystem. Road kill not only
impacts the wild animals, it is reported that in somecases, collisions with animals have injured drivers orother people. Under these circumstances, roadcrossings for wild animals are effective compensation
measures which mitigate the impact of dividing
habitats of wild animals, and also an effective way toprevent injuries to humans involved in road killincidents.‫ە‬A Case of Utilizing Results

Designated invasive alien species, lanceleaf
coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) removal
and control manual

MATSUE Masahiko, Head OGURI Hitomi, Senior Researcher
HATASE Yoriko, Visiting Researcher
Landscape and Ecology Division, Environment Department(Key words) Designated invasive alien species, lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata), removal 
2. Outline of the Lanceleaf Coreopsis Removal andControl Manual
To consider a control method, it is necessary to set
achievable goals based on a clear understanding ofpresent circumstances. To do so, it is important todecide what kinds of vegetation to aim for after
exterminating the lanceleaf coreopsis. After this goalhas been set, a management method adapted toachieve it is selected and implemented at the site.
Then it is important to clarify effectiveness throughmonitoring, and when it is impossible to confirm
sufficient effectiveness, the goal and method must be
revised.
Figure 1 is the removal and control flow chart. The
manual presents the goal setting concept, management
method and its effectiveness, method of selecting thecontrol method according to the goal, method of
performing
themanagement
work,
and
implementation precautions. As stated above,lanceleaf coreopsis possesses powerful resilience,
requiring years of continued control until it iscompletely exterminated. And measures are necessary
to prevent it from returning after it has been removed.
The manual is counted on to support measures todefeat the lanceleaf coreopsis in the field.

Preventing invasion

Transitioning to a high grassplain or to trees
Change-over to artificial planting

Selective uprooting(Manually uprooting)
Mowing (mechanicalmowing)Chemical control(Herbicide, vegetation
control agents, etc.)
Ecological control(Accelerating transition)

Evaluating results

Recreating past vegetation

Reducing impact (restricting
population)
Eradication (exterminating the
population)

Selecting management method

Lanceleaf coreopsis
management goals

Photo 1. Floweringlanceleaf coreopsis (top)and fallen seeds (bottom)

Preventing spreading (preventing
blooming/fructification)

Image of target
vegetation

Clarifying present stateSetting goals

Managing/monitoring
1. Background to the preparation of the manual
Lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) was
designated an invasive alien species in February 2006,
placing restrictions on its cultivation, storage,transport, import, etc., and requiring that it beexterminated whenever considered necessary.
Attempts are being made to exterminate it from rivers
and roads with the cooperation of residents, but
lanceleaf coreopsis (Photo 1), a perennial herb of thecomposite family originating in North America, isextremely fertile. Many seeds are fructified and fall to
the ground where large numbers of the seeds sprout. It
is plant with a powerful constitution; any whichsurvive control activities quickly recover. For thesereasons, the effects of control efforts are insufficient.
Very little research on lanceleaf coreopsis has been
done in Japan, so it is necessary to collect more
information to develop effective methods of controllingit.
Since 2006, three methods, uprooting, cutting, andtopsoil removal, have been used for a vegetation
control experiment in Kasada Park at the government
operated Kisosansen Park Center, verifying the control
method and its effectiveness. The Removal andControl Manual was prepared based on knowledge
obtained as a result of this experiment.

Removing bytransforming theenvironmentͤ ۵= Object of management experiment

Figure 1. Setting Lanceleaf Coreopsis Management Goals and Management Methods



TOPICS㻌

Trends in Considering Integrated
Countermeasures to Automobile
Exhaust Gas in the Future

DOHI Manabu, Senior Researcher
KANDA Taro, Researcher
SONE Shinri, HeadRoad Environment Division, Environment DepartmentTotal NOx emissions/CEC
Total NOx emissions/CEC prediction (1998)
Total NOx emissions/CEC prediction (2005)
Total NOx emissions/CEC prediction (2010)
Total NOx emissions/Environment Ministry survey (2001)
Total NOx emissions/Environment Ministry survey (2004)
Total NOx emissions/Environment Ministry survey (2007)
Exhaust gas regulation value (NOx, heavy vehicles)
Traffic volume (vehicle-km)
Traffic volume (1 billion vehicle-km)

The Automobile Exhaust Gas Comprehensive
Measures Subcommittee of the Atmospheric
Environment
Committee
oftheCentralEnvironmental Council (below, “CEC”) is revisingand considering the Automobile NOx/PM Law andbasic policy to reduce them. Its interim report
released in January 2011 presents appropriate
revisions of goals and policies to support the use ofpriority measure districts and support the further useoflow-polluting
automobiles
toensureenvironmental standards in all countermeasureregions by 2020. The CEC will continue to study
the overall systems. But it is predicted that whenchanges of the automobile total NOx emissions areorganized according to the CEC report and theresults of surveys by the Ministry of theEnvironment, the level will be sharply reduced toabout 30% of the 2010 level by 2020, and to about
20% by 2030. These reductions are presumed to bea result of the strengthening of exhaust gas
regulations and the spreading use of automobiles incompliance with stricter exhaust gas regulations.


Total NOx emissions (10,000 t/year)(Exhaust gas regulation value (NOx) [0.1g/kWh](Key words) Automobile exhaust gas, exhaust gas regulations, total NOx emissions Figure Predicted Future Change of Total NOx
Emissions etc. from Automobiles

Preparedusing data from Future Effective Automobile Exhaust Gas

Reduction Measures, second, third, eighth, ninth, and tenth reports by the
Automobile
Exhaust Gas Experts Subcommittee, Atmospheric EnvironmentCommittee, Central Environmental Council, the survey reports, Survey ofAutomobile Exhaust Gas Basic Units and Total Emissions (2001) and
Automobile
Exhaust Gas Basic Unit and Total Emission Calculation and
Study Survey (2004, 2007) of the Ministry of the Environment, and Annual
Statistical
Report on Automobile Transportation of the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
Source: CEC: Future Comprehensive Automobile Exhaust Gas
Measures (Interim Report), CEC web site, January 2011

TOPICS㻌

Proposed Amendment ofEnvironmental Assessment Law
and Response to the SEA(Strategic Environmental
Assessment)







SONE Shinri, HeadINOUE Ryuji, Senior Researcher
YAMAMOTO Yuichiro, Researcher
ANDO Shingo, Guest Researcher
Road Environment Division, Environment Department(Key words) Environmental Impact Assessment Law, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), concept stage
PI, post-survey

Concept stage

already taking actions equivalent to SEA at the
public involvement (PI) phase of the stage when theapproximate location and scale of the project are
decided (concept stage). Through the concept stage
PI, it is important to comprehensively makejudgments from the environmental, social,economic, and various other perspectives, and toflexibly communicate smoothly with the residents
and other concerned parties.
[Concept Stage PI] Comprehensive assessment of the economy, society, and the environmen
S [Environmental Consideration Statement]
EA
Determining plans (location, scale, etc.)[Scoping document]
Electronic
inspectionComments of
Explanatory
residents and themeetingElectronic[Draft environmental impact statement]
inspection

Explanatory
Comments of residentsmeeting
and the governor[Environmental impact statement]Supplementing Environmental
Electronic
impact statement
inspectionImplementation of the project and environmental conservation measuresPost- survey reportFigure 1. Flow Chart After Revision of theEnvironmental Impact Assessment Law (New steps
shown in red)
assessment of environmental aspect

Comments of the Minister of the Environmentand competent cabinet ministers

Existing assessment procedures(EIA)

Project implementation stage (detailed stage)

1. Proposed amendment of the Environmental
Impact Assessment Law
 The Environmental Impact Assessment Law
came into force (June 1999) over 10 years ago, andunder Supplementary Provision Article 7, its
revision has been discussed, and the results
submitted by the Central Environmental Council(February 2010). The proposed amendment of thelaw is still under consideration in the Diet (as ofFebruary 2011), but the following are the points ofrevision requiring new actions. (Fig. 1)
ձLegalization of the Strategic Environmental
Assessments (SEA)ղPreparation and public release of post survey
reports
ճ Electronic inspection of Environmental impact
statements etc.
մ Holding explanatory meetings for scoping
documents  Of these, ղ post-survey reports are intended toreflect assessment results in projects, while ճelectronic inspection and մ meetings to explain
scoping documents are intended to encourage
understanding by residents. A detailed explanationof ձ SEA follows. 
2. Implementation of SEA during the concept
stage PI and related challenges
 SEA, which is a study of the protection of theenvironment performed at a stage earlier than theEnvironmental Impact Assessment (EIA) alreadyperformed at the project implementation stage, isreflected in the project plan.
 Road development and other public projects are(proposed)

Assessment items and methods

Assessment results,
environmental conservation measures (draft)

Revisionof the draft environmental impact statement

Comments of the Minister of the Environmentand competent cabinet ministers

Comments of the Minister of the Environmentand competent cabinet ministers etc.

Based on actual status of the above publicprojects, SEA under the proposed revision of thelaw is only an evaluation of the environmental
aspect without comprehensive judgments, andestablishes an obligation limited to procedures lesssweeping than those of an EIA (preparation of an
Environmental Consideration Statement, etc.). But
the following questions remain to be answered inorder to implement SEA under the law at theconcept stage PI.(1) PI processes vary from project to project, so in
which process will the SEA procedure be
implemented?
(2) PI remains an optional process, so how canstanding out of the environmental aspect by legallyprescribed SEA be avoided?
(3) What is the specific method of preparing theEnvironmental Consideration Statement?
(4) Considering that the need for SEA was argued
partly to conserve biodiversity, how is theprotection of the natural environment considered at
the concept stage?
(See Research Trends and Results, Fully
considering the care of the natural environment at
the road project concept stage) 
3. Future schedule Following the enactment of the Revised
Environmental Impact Assessment Law, technicalguidelines applying to all categories of projects(basic guidelines) will be issued after one year,
technical guidelines by project category (bycompetent cabinet ministers) will be issued after
one year and a half, and the revised law will comeinto full force after two years. The NILIM intends
to study the challenges referred to above and torevise “Technical Methods for Road Environment
Impact Assessment” (see below).
http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/dcg/introduction/kadai5/
kadai5.htm

‫ە‬A Case of Utilizing ResultsApplication of Probe Data to the
Evaluation of Traffic Smoothness

HASHIMOTO Hiroyoshi, Researcher
KAWANO Tomohiko, Guest Researcher
MONMA Toshiyuki, Senior Researcher
UESAKA Katsumi, Head
Traffic Engineering Division, Road Department(Key words) Probe data, traffic smoothing, lost time
1. Application to the front line of policy planning(1) Preparing a common nationwide traffic smoothingevaluation index The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport andTourism has announced the results of a trial
calculation of total lost time nationwide performed at
the 12th session of the Road Subcommittee (August 3,2010) of the Panel on Infrastructure Development (Fig.
1).
This trial calculation was performed applying a losttime calculation method using probe data (driving
record data) obtained by ordinary automobiles whichis the object of research by the NILIM.
䖃 The඲ᅜ䛾䠍ᖺ㛫䛾ᦆኻ᫬㛫ྜィ䛿䚸⣙㻡㻜൨᫬㛫zannual total lost time nationwide is approximately 5 billion hours۵
Equivalent to about 40 hours per capita (approximately one week’s working hours)䕿ேཱྀ㻝ே䛒䛯䜚䚸⣙㻠㻜᫬㛫䠄䛚䜘䛭㻝㐌㛫ศ䛾ປാ᫬㛫䠅䛻┦ᙜ۵ Converted to money, it is approximately 11 trillion yen, which is equivalent to about䕿㔠㢠᥮⟬䛷䛿䚸⣙㻝㻝඙෇䚸㻳㻰㻼䛾⣙㻞䠂䛻┦ᙜ2% of GDPznationwide hourly loss rate is about 37%.
䖃 The඲ᅜ䛾᫬㛫ᦆኻ⋡䛿䚸⣙㻟㻣䠂

Standard required hours: approx. 8.3 ᦆኻ᫬㛫
Lost time:⣙㻡㻜൨᫬㛫
approx. 5ᇶ‽ᡤせ᫬㛫 ⣙㻤㻟൨᫬㛫billion hours
billion hours(time䠄᫬㛫ᦆኻ⋡loss rate: approx.
37%)⣙ 㻟㻣䠂䠅
Nationwide
hours of automobile use: approx.
13.3 billion hours඲ᅜ䛾⮬ື㌴฼⏝᫬㛫⣙㻝㻟㻟൨᫬㛫
Lost hours:䈜ᦆኻ᫬㛫䠖῰⁫➼䛜䛺䛔⮬⏤㉮⾜᫬䛻ẚ䜉䛶వィ䛻䛛䛛䜛᫬㛫
extra hours required compared with unrestricted driving free from congestion

Figure 1. Results of Trial Calculation of Total Lost
Time Nationwide(2) Clarifying the results of implementing measuresnationwide
Research findings obtained from the Public Test of
Toll-free Operation of Expressways in 2010 have beenused to clarify the traffic smoothing effects ofwide-area change of the traffic flow (Fig. 2).Before public experiment♫఍ᐇ㦂๓

During♫఍ᐇ㦂୰public experiment

Kyoto-Tanba Roadி㒔୹Ἴ㐨㊰Kyoto-Tanba
Road Sections㻟㻜㼗㼙㻛㼔௨ୗி㒔୹Ἴ㐨㊰with speed less

Kyoto-Tanba
Roadி㒔୹Ἴ㐨㊰than 30km/h halved䛾༊㛫䛜༙ῶ

䛆ซ౛䛇
Legend:㻜䡚㻞㻜㼗㼙㻛㼔

㻞㻜䡚㻟㻜㼗㼙㻛㼔㻟㻜䡚㻠㻜㼗㼙㻛㼔㻠㻜㼗㼙㻛㼔䡚

䈜㻴㻞㻞㻚㻣㻚㻣ሗ㐨Ⓨ⾲㈨ᩱ
ͤ
From July 7, 2010 Press Release Document䛂ᖹᡂ㻞㻞ᖺᗘ㧗㏿㐨㊰↓ᩱ໬♫఍ᐇ㦂≧ἣ➼䡚䛃䜢
Prepared
based on, “State of Traffic onᐇ㦂㛤ጞᚋ㻝㐌㛫䛾ᖹ⾜䛩䜛୍⯡㐨䛾஺㏻≧ἣ䛻䛴䛔䛶䡚㻵㼀㻿䜢ά⏝䛧䛯ほOrdinary Roads Running Parallel to Expressways During First Week after Beginningof䜒䛸䛻సᡂPublicTest of Toll-free Operation of Expressways in 2010 —State of Observations Using ITS—”


Figure 2. Example of Application to a Public Testof Toll-Free Operation of Expressways

2. Application to the front line of project
implementation
(1) Diagnosis of state of congestion before and after a
new road begins service Figure 3 shows the temporal and spatial distributionof traveling speed on National Highway No. 1 (section
with length of about 17km), which runs parallel to theDaini-Keihin Expressway (from the Hirakata-Higashi
IC to the Kadoma Junction) which was prepared usingprobe data obtained on this section of National
Highway No. 1 during two periods of about 1 month
before and 1 month after this section of theDaini-Keihin Expressway opened for service on
March 20, 2010.
 The distribution before the start of service has
shown that (1) taking the bottleneck intersection as thestart point of congestion, (2) congestion occurs fromafter 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and (3) the longest
congestion occurs after 6:00 p.m.
The distribution after the start of service has shownthat almost all the congestion which occurred before
the start of service ended after service started,
improving traffic smoothness.
To
Before start of⮳Kyotoி㒔౪⏝๓service(3) Longest congestion䐡᭱䜒㛗䛔῰⁫䐟䝪䝖䝹䝛䝑䜽஺ᕪⅬ(1) Bottleneck
traffic point䠍To⮳ Osaka኱㜰䠌᫬Beginning

6䠒hours᫬㻝㻥
19 hours䐠῰⁫䛾Ⓨ⏕᫬㛫(2) Congestion

occurrence hours

᫬㻞㻟 hours23
᫬

After start ofservice౪⏝ᚋTraveling
speed (km/h)
᪑⾜㏿ᗘ䠄㼗㼙㻛㼔䠅㻜 㻝㻜 㻞㻜 㻟㻜 㻠㻜 㻡㻜 㻢㻜 㻣㻜 㻤㻜

Figure 3. Example of Diagnosis of Occurrence ofTraffic Congestion
3. Application to the front line of technical policy
research The NILIM is using probe data not only to support
the work cited above, but also for technical policy
research from the medium-term perspective, such as
research and development on time reliability
evaluation methods to achieve the final goal of
calculating convenience in order to evaluate projects(Fig. 4).‫ە‬A Case of Utilizing ResultsProbabledensity☜⋡ᐦᗘ

Requiredtime distribution after introductionᩚഛᚋ䛾ᡤせ᫬㛫ศᕸRequired time distribution before introductionᩚഛ๓䛾ᡤせ᫬㛫ศᕸᖹᆒAveragetime᫬㛫reduction▷⦰Time
required when㻞㻜᪥䛻㻝ᅇ䛾๭ྜ䛷
Time
reliability improvement congestion᫬㛫ಙ㢗ᛶྥୖ౽┈occurs at abenefits (95% tile valueⓎ⏕䛩䜛῰⁫᫬䛻
of once in 20 days䠄䠕䠑䠂䝍䜲䝹್䛾▷⦰䠅 rate
reduction)
せ䛩䜛᫬㛫

Averagevalue Average value㻥㻡㻑䝍䜲䝹್
95% tile value
ᖹᆒ್

ᖹᆒ್

95% tilevalue㻥㻡㻑䝍䜲䝹್

Requiredtime in a specified time period≉ᐃ᫬㛫ᖏ䛾ᡤせ᫬㛫

Figure 4. Image of Time Reliability Improvement
Benefits
(Traffic Engineering Division) HP:
http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/gbg/index.htmࠚ

‫ە‬Damage Investigation

Major disaster surveys






1. Field survey of damage to the Sugawa Bridge on Route 246 due to Typhoon 9
The Sugawa Bridge (steel deck arch bridge) on Route 246 spanning the Sugawa River is located in Shizuoka
Prefecture. Due to Typhoon 9 on September 8, 2010, the supporting soils around the bridge were eroded andcollapsed as retaining walls were washed away. The Bridge and Structures Division conducted a field survey toprovide technical support for the evaluation of the structural safety of the bridge and the study of emergency
measures. Results found no damage to the superstructure, but confirmed the collapse of the ground around thefoundation, which is important for safety of the overall bridge, and the existence of an unconsolidated sedimentlayer on the exposed surface. They indicated that it requires priority implementation of measures such as natural
ground stability work based on protection of the surface of the collapse and embankment construction, and erosion
prevention measures to deal with future rainfall and increases in the river level.
TAMAKOSHI Takashi, HeadKITAMURA Takenobu, Researcher
NOMURA Fumihiko, Researcher
Bridge and Structures Division, Road Department

●Conference Report

Major International Conferences

1. 26th US-Japan Bridge Engineering Workshop and the 14th MLIT/FHWA Bridge Engineering Meeting(US: September 20 to 22, 2010)
The US-Japan Bridge Engineering Workshop and the MLIT/FHWA Bridge Engineering Meeting are held
annually, alternately by the U.S. and by Japan, (held in New Orleans, United States, at this time), as an activity ofWorking Committee G (traffic systems) established under the US-Japan Panel on Wind and Seismic Effects ,making up the United States-Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources (UJNR).
At this workshop, , participants presented papers concerning performance evaluations of bridges, seismic
retrofitting, accelerated construction, and maintenance and inspections (15 by Japanese delegates and 20 byAmerican delegates), and discussed and exchanged views concerning the papers.
The MLIT/FHWA intergovernmental conference is a meeting with the US Federal Highway Administration
concerning bridge structures, which is a cooperation theme under the US–Japan Agreement on Cooperation in
Research and Development in Science and Technology. At the 14th meeting, the participants exchanged views
concerning data which should be obtained by bridge inspections to rationalize and optimize maintenance systems
and methods of using these data, and based on experience of the Chili earthquake which occurred in February, theimpact of long duration earthquake motion and the behavior of skewed bridges and curved bridges during
earthquakes. They also confirmed that both sides would carry out continued exchanges of information andsurveyresearch in the future.
TAMAKOSHI Takashi, HeadNAKASU Keita, Senior Researcher
Bridge and Structures Division, Road Department

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Major International Conferences

1. 6th Japan-Sweden Workshop on Road Science and Technology
The 6th Japan-Sweden Workshop on Road Science and Technology was held at the National Institute for Landand Infrastructure Management (NILIM) in October 2010. This Workshop was the sixth in a series held
approximately every two years under an agreement between the NILIM and the Swedish Transport Administration.
The first was held in December 2000. At technical sessions held on October 6 and 7, the participants discussed ITS,
tunnel technology, winter road maintenance, and traffic safety. On October 8, a technical tour was held, giving
participants the opportunity to experience a mobility support system using pedestrian space network data and visit
the Ohashi Junction.
KANEKO Masahiro, Head
Advanced Road Design and Safety Division, Road Bureau

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Major International Conferences

1. The 3rd International Conference on Transport and Logistics (3rd T-LOG)
This conference, attended mainly by researchers and administrators in the field of international and urban
logistics mainly from Asia and including Japan, was held in the Nishijin Plaza at the University of Kyushu inFukuoka City from September 6 to 8, 2010. At the general session, reports on advanced research and reports on themost recent state of logistics infrastructures were presented under the themes: logistics policies and statistics,
model development and predictions, logistics in developing countries, inter-modal transportation, environment andrisk, ITS, and supply chain management, etc. From the NILIM, members of the Port and Harbor Department andthe Road Department gave a total of seven presentations as well as helping prepare for the conference by serving
as members and as head of the preparatory committee. The next conference will be held in Korea in 2012.
Conference website: http://www.t-log.info/3rd-Tlog/index.html
SHIBASAKI Ryuichi, Senior Researcher
Port and Harbor Department