Commemorative Symposium for the Establishment of CAESAR
 A scene from the Commemorative Symposium |
 Program |
 Examples of questionnaire responses |
In celebration of the founding of the Center for Advanced Engineering Structural Assessment and Research (CAESAR) in April 2008, a “Commemorative Symposium for the Establishment of CAESAR” was held at the Hatsumei Kaikan Hall in Tokyo on August 6, 2008. Four lecturers from Japan and overseas were invited to this meeting to speak on current conditions and issues pertaining to the maintenance and management of social capital.
The meeting featured a greeting by the organizer, lectures by the four guests, and a presentation of CAESAR´s action policy.
The lectures began with a keynote address by Mr. Hiroshi Hagiwara, former
president of Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority. Based on his rich experiences
on the construction of the Honshu-Shikoku Bridges, Mr. Hagiwara emphasized
the importance of looking squarely at onsite conditions without overly
relying on standards. Many in the audience remarked that his words were
exactly what they wanted young technicians to hear. Dr. Peter Haardt of
Germany´s Federal Highway Research Institute noted how the importance of
bridge maintenance and management is also well recognized in his country,
and he described how Germany is placing priority on development of non-destructive
testing techniques. Mr. Tadayuki Tazaki, chairman of the Council of Experts
on Preventative Maintenance of Road Bridges, explained measures that will
be required toward concretization of the council´s recommendations. And
Dr. Tadayoshi Ishibashi of the East Japan Railway Company used his extensive
experience in onsite leadership to speak of issues in realizing an effective
maintenance and management system for social capital.
Despite the extreme heat of the day, the lecture meeting was well attended by 300 people. In fact, so many people attended that some had to stand. Questionnaires that were filled out by audience members at the hall produced many comments expressing high expectations for CAESAR. Plans call for CAESAR to work vigorously to ensure it can contribute to the establishment of safe and efficient social capital through research on bridge maintenance and management, technical guidance to onsite personnel, and training of experts among other activities. It is our hope that readers of this magazine will support CAESAR´s efforts going forward. It should be noted that we plan to make a summary of the lecture meeting available on the PWRI website in the future.
(Contact: CAESAR)
Lending of PWRI Facilities
 Flowchart showing the lending procedure |
 Three-dimensional large-scale shaking table |
 Wheel running machine |
 Indoor icy-road driving test machine |
PWRI established lending provisions when it became an incorporated administrative agency in FY2001 in order to create an “environment in which external institutions can utilize PWRI facilities and equipment.” PWRI has thus taken steps to allow external research institutes and other organizations, including those of the private sector, to utilize PWRI-owned facilities and equipment within a scope that does not interfere with PWRI operations, thus ensuring the efficient operation of such facilities and equipment.
Eight years have passed since PWRI first began its lending program, and during this time many external institutions have made use of it. The following presents a summary.
Instances of lending have reached 361 (as of the end of March 2008). Many of these instances involved use for civil engineering-related experiments; however, a significant number also involved experiments in non-related fields, including construction, shipbuilding, nuclear power, vehicles, and electrical equipment. The most representative case involved lending of the Three-dimensional large-scale shaking table. Because this facility has the ability to cause large shaking for experiments that recreate the Hyogo-Ken Nanbu Earthquake in 1995 (Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake), it receives far and away more lending requests than any other facility. PWRI also possesses other large machines that are rare in Japan, including a wheel running machine, Indoor icy-road driving test machine, and 30 MN universal testing machine; each of these machines has been used by external institutions. Also used in addition to such large-scale facilities were facilities of a wide range of types, including general-purpose testing machines (such as universal testing machines) and small-scale specialized testing machines and experimental fields, such as Experimental Soil Tank with Loading Device for Underground Pipes. Some of these facilities, such as a Dynamic geotechnical centrifuge, Wheel running machine and Large-scale three-dimensional shaking table, have high rates of operation within PWRI, and therefore we occasionally have difficulty meeting the demands of all who wish to borrow them. However, we listen to all requests (experiment content, time, period, etc.) and coordinate schedules as permitted.
PWRI will work to improve usage environments as it continues to lend its facilities. We invite all who are interested in this program to contact us.
Lending regulations and examples of PWRI-owned testing facilities (including video) can be accessed from the left side of the PWRI website´s top page (top of the CERI website´s top page).
As a rule, facilities are lent for Japanese enterprises etc.
Contact:
- Tsukuba Central Research Institute : Facilities Management and Research
Information Division (029-879-6754)
- ICHARM : Same as above
- CAESAR : Same as above
- CERI : Planning Division (011-841-1636)
PWRI Disaster-Management Drills for FY2008
 Conceptual image of disaster-management drills |
 A disaster headquarters that is linked with CERI |
 Facilities´ inspection |
Disaster-management drills were held at the Civil Engineering Research Institute for Cold Region (CERI) on Monday, September 1, and at the Tsukuba Central Research Institute etc. on Tuesday, September 2. As a designated public institution, PWRI must implement these drills based on the Disaster Measures Basic Law and PWRI´s disaster-management administration plan. If a disaster were to occur, PWRI personnel would gather and respond to the disaster in accordance with information transmitted from a communications network.
(1) Disaster-management drill at CERI
The drill at the CERI was conducted based on a scenario in which a strong earthquake struck southern Sorachi Sub-prefecture in Hokkaido at 9:00 A.M. The earthquake envisioned in the drill registered “intensity 6 upper” on the Japanese scale near its epicenter, and movement of “intensity 5” was observed in Toyohira Ward in Sapporo. Conducted jointly with the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau (HRDB), this drill consisted of 1) training in communications, 2) training in setting up and operating a disaster support headquarters, 3) training in response to requests for personnel dispatches from the HRDB, and 4) training in disaster management in external facilities.
Communications training involved receiving disaster information from the HRDB, engaging in in-house communication of disaster information and instructions to CERI employees, and gathering information from media outlets.
Training in setting up and operating a disaster support headquarters involved receiving a request for support from the HRDB´s director, setting up a disaster support headquarters, reporting on disaster conditions and the status of response measures, and receiving damage information from a helicopter.
Training in response to requests for personnel dispatches from the HRDB involved a series of steps that included receipt of a dispatch request from the HRDB´s director, making dispatch decisions in a disaster support headquarters meeting, and making dispatch preparations.
And training in disaster management in external facilities envisioned that a part of the Experiment Site for Resource Circulation System in Betsukai had been hit by an earthquake of intensity 5 or greater. CERI personnel conducted safety inspections of these facilities and their grounds, and conducted a communications drill with a disaster support headquarters.
(2) Disaster-management drill at the Tsukuba Central Research Institute etc.
The drill at the Tsukuba Central Research Institute etc. was conducted based on a scenario in which a strong earthquake struck southern Ibaraki Prefecture at 7:00 A.M. It registered “intensity 6 upper” on the Japanese scale in Tsukuba City, and movement of “intensity 6 lower” was observed in central Tokyo, Myoko City, and Kakamigahara City. The drill consisted of 1) training in communications, 2) training in assembly, 3) training in facilities inspections, and 4) training in setting up and operating disaster headquarters
Communications training involved calling for personnel to gather in accordance with disaster communications network (telephone communications) instructions for the entire staff, and communicating information to all division heads and senior researchers and above using e-mail.
Assembly training had drill participants confirm the safety of personnel and their families by recording the time that drill participants gathered at PWRI, damage conditions, and other information in a register of assembled persons.
Facilities´ inspection training had assembled personnel practice an emergency inspection of the center´s building and laboratory based on the facilities´ inspection training plan.
And training in setting up and operating disaster headquarters involved setting up disaster headquarters in the PWRI in Tsukuba and CERI in Sapporo and then conducting a videoconference. Reports were made on items at the time of the disaster (disaster situation, facilities´ inspection situation, reserve supplies, etc.) and information was exchanged with the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management. Practice in sharing information and collaborating was implemented in both PWRI in Tsukuba and CERI. In addition, a discussion was held on problems and future countermeasures connected with the Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake in 2008.
To date, PWRI has made significant contributions to the recovery of disaster-affected areas. Among them are dispatches of experts on roads, rivers, erosion, and other fields to affected regions as well as emergency responses and technical support toward full recovery in the wake of frequent large earthquakes, including the Mid-Niigata Prefecture Earthquake in 2004, the Noto Hanto Earthquake in 2007, and the Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake in 2008.
PWRI will similarly implement appropriate measures in response to major earthquakes that are anticipated over the course of the coming decades, including the predicted “Tokai Earthquake” and “Tonankai-Nankai Earthquake.”
Contact:
- Planning and Management Division, Planning and Research Administration
Department (PWRI in Tsukuba)
- Planning Division, (CERI)
Technical Presentations and Onsite Observation Report at the Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources
 Conceptual diagram of a model |
 Site at which numerous landslide disasters occurred |
 A meal in the landslide-affected area |
It has be said that South Korea has been given serious damages by many
heavy rainfalls and typhoons in recent years - due possibly to the influence
of global-scale climate change - and that, as a result, interest in landslide
disasters is rising. So, a research staff of Volcano and Debris Flow Research
Team was dispatched to the Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral
Resources in Daejeon from August 3 to 4 after field survey at a region
in which many shallow landslide disasters occurred during torrential rains
in 2005. At the Institute, methods for landslide-disaster prediction that
our Research Team has carried out were introduced at a seminar, and the
research staff participated in consultations on possibilities for joint
research. Many questions and comments regarding climate change and landslide
disasters were sent from participants in the seminar. It was keenly realized
that it was becoming an issue shared worldwide to understand the influence
of climate change.
Viewing the landslide-affected area, it was similar to Japan in terms of climate and vegetation; in fact, at first glance, it seemed that the mountain landscape varied little from Japan. In particular, the geological conditions were so similar that I almost felt as if I were hallucinating: was I actually in the mountains of Hiroshima Prefecture? On the other hand, however, it surprised that many landslides occurred in such a small area, as it had been said that South Korea has fewer typhoons than Japan and fewer landslides due to its location on the geologically stable continent.
Although South Korea was visited for the first time in ten years, development of the South Korean network of expressway was astonishing. However, since it visited during the weekend, there were many people who go for a picnic to sea bathing or a mountain like Japan, and the expressway was the traffic congestion, Even if it goes to where. Korean driving manners had improved immensely? so much so that they were better than manners in Japan. One lunch in the mountainous area where the landslides occurred was very similar to champon noodles. Did champon go from Japan to Korea, or did it come from Korea? Or perhaps they are separate dishes. I do not know the answer. However, it has been made to sense that there is the “closeness” of Japan and Korea.
(Contact: Volcano and Debris Flow Research Team)
Preliminary Study Report for the JICA Technical Cooperation Project “Human Resources Development Project in Sewerage Sector in the Syrian Arab Republic”
 Street scene (old city in Damascus) |
 Final sedimentation tank and overflowing treated sewage water at the Adra sewage water treatment plant in Damascus |
 A cleaner opening a hole in the top of a sewage line to clear a blockage |
JICA (The Japan International Cooperation Agency) plans to implement a technical cooperation projected titled the “Human Resources Development Project in Sewerage Sector in the Syrian Arab Republic” (hereinafter the “human resources project”) beginning in FY2009. A technical cooperation project is an undertaking in which an “order-made” cooperation plan that is matched to local conditions is prepared with the partner country. It is an approach through which Japan and a developing country utilize their knowledge, experience, and technologies to resolve problems within a certain period of time (http://www.jica.go.jp/infosite/schemes/techpro
/index.html [as of August 28, 2008]). JICA dispatched a study team to Syria from August 2 to 13, 2008 in order to conduct a preliminary study report for this project. Kensuke Sakurai of PWRI´s Recycling Research Team served as a member of this team.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs´ “Official Development Assistance (ODA) Data Book for 2007”, Syria is an important country that holds the key to realizing the Middle East peace process. Moreover, based on the fact that Japan and Syria maintain friendly relations, Japan is implementing ODA to Syria to encourage it to actively participate in regional peace and security as part of an effort to support the Middle East peace process. At the same time, Japan sees assistance that contributes to improved livelihood among Syria´s citizens as important in efforts to further promote a current reform drive that seeks to stabilize the country and establish a market economy (http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/oda/shiryo/kuni
/07databook/pdfs/04-09.pdf [as of August 28, 2008]).
According to JICA´s “The study on sewerage system development in the Syrian Arab Republic” Syria´s 10th Five-Year Plan (2006 - 2010) sets the goals of achieving a sewer establishment rate of 81% and a sewage treatment rate of 46%. Although work to establish sewerage facilities is progressing, Syria lacks the human resources needed to maintain and manage such facilities, and thus development of such resources is urgently required.
The preliminary study team held interviews on sewerage conditions in Syria with the Ministry of Housing and Construction as well as sewerage authorities that maintain and manage sewerage facilities. The team also conducted onsite observations of sewage treatment plant operations and the cleaning of sewers. In these observations, the team witnessed a rather rough cleaning process in which, in order to remove a blockage from a sewer line, the road above the line was excavated with a power shovel until the line was revealed, a hole was opened in the top of the line, and then water was fed into the hole via a hose to flush out the blockage. The preliminary study team held discussions with the Ministry of Housing and Construction based on existing reports and the results of the preliminary study. These discussions resulted in the signing of a memorandum for implementation of the human resources project. In the project, the Ministry of Housing and Construction will plan and implement training for personnel in charge of sewer lines and JICA will provide support by dispatching Japanese experts.
(Contact: Recycling Research Team)
ARRC “Summer Classroom for Parents and Children”: “Take a Look! Exploration of River Backwater”
 Examining the difference between stream and backwater environments |
 Catching bivalves that live in the backwater of an experimental stream |
 Observing how a flood links the stream and backwater |
 Researchers who study the backwater also made an appearance |
The ARRC (Aqua Restoration Research Center) held a “Summer Classroom for Parents and Children” for local residents on Saturday, August 23. Some 50 elementary schoolchildren and their caregivers participated.
The summer classroom for parents and children is held as an annual event. It seeks to return the center´s research achievements to the community and improve skills in environmental education activities. The theme of this year´s classroom was “Take a Look! Exploration of River Backwater.” Organisms that live in backwater support each other as they skillfully use floodwaters. Participants in the classroom used an inlet in the center´s experimental streams to conduct an environmental survey of the inlet and search for organisms, and by doing so they learned about the relationship between the backwater and the organisms. They also observed what happens when an artificial flood was caused, linking the stream and the backwater.
To begin, participants learned how backwater are easily formed in downstream
areas by looking at a large aerial photograph. Then they went out to a
backwater in one of the center´s experimental streams. They compared the
backwater´s depth and water flow with the stream and saw how water color
and stream´s conditions differ between the backwater and the stream. Furthermore,
they searched for organisms that live in the backwater and the stream,
examined the organisms they caught, and learned about their differences.
At the end, an artificial flood was caused, allowing the participants to observe what happens when the backwater and stream become linked. The children watched with great interest as the backwater and the stream gradually grew together with the rising floodwaters.
When the backwater exploration was completed, center personnel used a panel
to review the differences between the stream and backwater. They explained
how Japanese bitterlings lay their eggs in bivalves, and how bivalves move
their larvae to other locations by attaching them to the fins of freshwater
gobies and other fish. In this way, the participants learned how organisms
depend on each other and are linked to one another. They also heard center
researchers describe the studies they conduct on a daily basis. At the
end of the classroom, they received a “graduation certificate”
attesting that they had cheerfully participated in the backwater exploration
team.
We believe that the classroom gave participants in the exploration the opportunity to see with their own eyes how researchers conduct environmental surveys and catch organisms. We further believe they could see organisms living in water areas that go unnoticed in daily life.
(Contact: Aqua Restoration Research Center)
Implementation Report on the Master´s Course “Water-related Risk Management Course of Disaster Management Policy Program”
 Group photo of students in the disaster management policy program (September 17, 2008) |
 Joint lesson with the “Flood Hazard Mapping” course |
 Onsite observation of a Iwai River channel obstruction (Iwate Prefecture) |
 ICHARM Director Takeuchi awarding a degree at GRIPS |
ICHARM implemented the master´s course mentioned in the title from September 30, 2007, to September 19, 2008, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS).
Of the 11 students that started the course, 10 (three from China, two from Bangladesh, one from Nepal, one from India, and three from Japan) successfully graduated with master´s degrees in “disaster management policy.” The graduates then returned to their home countries as the course´s first round of graduates.
For the first half of the course, students attended lectures and exercises pertaining to basic theory (including “Disaster Management Policy,” “Disaster Risk Management,” “Hydrology,” and “Hydraulics”) as well as practical lectures and exercises (including “Integrated Flood Risk Management,” “Hazard Mapping and Evacuation Planning,” “Sustainable Reservoir Development & Management,” “Control Measures for Landslide & Debris Flow,” “and “International Cooperation”). Then, for the latter half of the course, each student engaged in field trips in various areas so as to gain a deeper understanding of flood-control countermeasures in Japan, while at the same time remembering to give his or her full attention to preparing a master´s thesis that will help resolve water disaster-related issues in his/her own country.
This course not only gave students abundant knowledge but also solidified ICHARM´s relationship with students. This kind of international networking through students should prove very useful in ICHARM´s future endeavors.
For more information in the implementation report of this course, please visit the ICHARM website (http://www.icharm.pwri.go.jp).
(Contact: ICHARM)
2008 Onsite Workshop on Management of Stream-Side Forests and Driftwood
 A view of stream-side forests |
 Onsite observation |
 Discussion at “Sarara” |
On September 24, 2008, Civil Engineering Research Institute for Cold Region (CERI) held the “2008 Onsite Workshop on Management of Stream-Side Forests and Driftwood” on the upper reaches of the Ishikari River (Asahikawa City). The workshop received the participation of 48 individuals from industry, university, and government, including representatives of the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, Hokkaido Prefectural Government, and universities as well as private-sector consultants. Notable among them were Professor Toshikuni Okumura of the Hokkaido Institute of Technology, and Yu Nagasaka, head of the Hokkaido Forestry Research Institute´s Watershed Conservation Section. The workshop featured lively discussions by all.
While it is known that stream-side forests play an important role in maintaining various waterside ecosystems, there is concern that such forests also produce driftwood whenever floods occur. At the same time, case studies of recent flood damage have produced new knowledge that has led to research on the ideal forms of stream-side forests and an increasing number of cases in which such forests have been revitalized.
CERI held this workshop for the purpose of promoting discussion of stream-side forest management, the driftwood problem, and other associated issues. One specific topic was “comprehensive study of problems connected with maintenance and management of stream-side forests, including flood draining capacity, disasters caused by occurrence of driftwood, the process of tree penetration and growth, expected ecosystem forms, and realistic maintenance and management methods.” Other topics included “nationwide application of research on stream-side forests during times of flood that has been progressing in Hokkaido since damage on the Mu and Saru Rivers in 1992”; and “aiming for safe and scenic watersheds by closely tying together fields that should be linked, such as river administration and environmental conservation.”
The workshop focused on the upper reaches of the Ishikari River. It conducted an onsite observation of original stream-side forests, attempts to revitalize such stream-side forests, and difficulties in managing stream-side forests.
After completing their onsite observations and seeing the conditions of various stream-side forests along the upper Ishikari River, the workshop participants expressed opinions from a variety of perspectives at a dialog on the ideal form of stream-side forests that was held at the Nagayama-Shinkawa Management Center “Sarara.” A lively exchange of views took place regarding the need to consider how stream-side forests should look in particular watersheds and locations, and the need to understand and form consensuses on maintenance and management that includes flood control and irrigation.
Contact:
Dohoku Branch Office,
Watershed Environmental Engineering Research Team,
CERI
Technical Guidance for a JICA Cyclone Disaster-Recovery Project in Myanmar
 Observing construction designed for soft ground |
 At left is DJM construction machinery |
 Conceptual image of a suggested technique |
On June 26, 2008, JICA (The Japan International Cooperation Agency) staff
members in charge of recovery assistance for cyclone-caused damage in Myanmar
visited the Civil Engineering Research Institute for Cold Region (CERI).
These staff members received technical guidance from the Geotechnical Research
Team on know-how pertaining to road construction on peaty ground, which
is common in Hokkaido, and observed a construction site near Sapporo.
In May, Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar´s Irrawaddy Delta, causing great loss of life and damaging facilities and infrastructure. The managing director of the Ministry of Construction´s Public Works office in Myanmar asked JICA to provide cooperation toward recovery. This request specifically involved technologies for road construction in delta wetlands. It seemed JICA was asked to provide technical guidance for construction of a two-kilometer road as a demonstration project. When JICA asked consultants and others about this task, it was told that constructing a road in wetlands would be difficult, and that it should study road building methods on, for example, peaty ground in Hokkaido. Based on this advice, JICA sought to consult with the Geotechnical Research Team through the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau.
On this day, a representative of JICA´s Economic Infrastructure Department outlined cyclone damage in Myanmar and Myanmar´s request for recovery assistance, and explained JICA´s current recovery support plan (particularly in the area of road construction). The representative pointed out that main problems in road construction included lack of know-how in constructing roads in wetlands, inability to build during the rainy season (June to October), and insufficient detailed local information.
In response, the Geotechnical Research Team explained construction methods - with particular focus on low-cost methods (log-laying, trenches, sand mats, laying material, pile net, etc.), and provided advice on methods for laying down local plants as well as the importance of sand mats and drain ditches. Moreover, the team made suggestions regarding the necessity for protecting road shoulders with sandbags due to the risk of banking materials´ being washed away during the rainy season. JICA commented that it was highly likely the team´s recommendations could be applied to onsite conditions, and that it wished to use them as a reference in the future.
Later, the JICA representatives and Geotechnical Research Team visited a part of the Do-o-ken Access Road where Construction of Sapporo Development and Construction Department is ongoing. There, they observed DJM construction, which is a method for peaty ground, as well as sites where drain ditches and vacuum consolidation were being used. Both sides engaged in an onsite discussion of how drainage management held the key if the fact that road construction would be in wetlands and local climatic conditions were taken into account. The meeting concluded with both sides promising to continue mutual cooperation.
(Contact: Geotechnical Research Team, CERI)