Adapting to climate change
Discussion on water-related disaster management at the 5th World Water Forum
 Photo 1: View of subcommittee meeting in front of a packed audience |
 Photo 2: Report on subcommittee achievements by ICHARM Director Takeuchi |
Held once every three years, the World Water Forum is the world's most important venue for broad-ranging discussion of water issues. The 5th World Water Forum, the most recent one was held from March 16 to 22 in Istanbul, Turkey. It attracted some 30,000 people from 192 countries worldwide, and received the participation of numerous persons who are highly concerned about water issues, including His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince of Japan and former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori. The Crown Prince made an impressive speech to the gathering titled “Interacting with Water -Close Ties between Humans and Water”, much of which concerned Japan’s efforts to manage water-related disasters (click here to view the text of the Crown Prince’s speech). As a coordinator of “Managing Disasters” topic, the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM), which is a body affiliated with PWRI, engaged in preparations both in Japan and overseas in order to ensure meaningful discussion of water disasters at the forum.
It is anticipated that climate change, concentration of population in urban areas, and other factors will lead to increased worldwide risk of flooding and drought. In order to discuss ways of solving (“adapting to” is a phrase frequently used here) this difficult problem, sessions were set up around four sub-topics—“dialogue with concerned parties,” “utilization of technology,” “risk management under climatic change,” and “emergency water management during disasters or periods of conflict”—with the cooperation of UN organizations concerned with water-related disasters as well as numerous government officials and NGOs. Each of these sessions engaged in enthusiastic discussions in front of packed audiences.
At a wrap-up session of the topic, summarized recommendations were presented that called for, among other actions, integrated approaches to handle future water disasters. The session also featured a report by ICHARM’s Director Kuniyoshi Takeuchi. Moreover, Senior Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Yasushi Kaneko represented Japan in a ministerial-level meeting that was held at the end of the seminar. Here, he added to reports of achievements by other programs toward implementing the recommendations by reporting on Japan’s accomplishments in this area.
Solutions to all water-related problems—not just water disasters—must be considered at the global level. As appropriate, ICHARM/PWRI participates in the World Water Forum and other such international meetings by occasionally standing in the spotlight, and occasionally promoting activities as a behind-the-scenes force.
(Contact: ICHARM)
Holding of a Forum on Technologies for Biomass Use
 Methods for using biomass |
 A scene from the forum |
 Experiment Site for Resource Circulation System in Betsukai, Hokkaido |
On Mar. 12th, 2009, CERI held a Forum on Technologies for Biomass Use in
CERI’s first-floor auditorium.
The development and introduction of new energies are progressing worldwide as part of countermeasures against global warming. In Japan, approval of the Biomass Nippon Strategy by the Cabinet in March 2006 has led to expectations that production of bioethanol and other fuels will account for at least 10% of gasoline consumption. This has made the promotion of bioethanol use and the development of technologies for utilizing unused biomass as a source of energy challenges to be tackled.
The forum featured four speakers who presented nationwide trends in the development of technologies for utilization of unused biomass as an energy source.
A department head in the Japan Bioindustry Association Tomiaki Yamada spoke
on the necessity for producing bioethanol from cellulose-based biomass
that comes from inedible plants, such as rice straw, wheat straw, and timber
from forest thinning, rather than food-based biomass, such as cereals and
grains. He also presented technologies for manufacturing ethanol from cellulose-based
biomass.
A senior researcher at NERC Hiroshi Kojima presented steam cogeneration
as a means of realizing “local energy production for local consumption”
based on regional biomass sources. He highlighted Hokkaido as a perfect
place for application of stream cogeneration, as it has ample biomass resources,
is a cold region, and can utilize biomass fuels for heating.
Leader of Recycling Research Team at Tsukuba Central Research Institute’s
Seiichiro Okamato presented technical development to promote efficient
use of sewage sludge and plant-based biomass generated by public enterprises
that has been largely unused. He also proposed ways of using biomass in
urban and rural settings.
And Leader of Rural Resources Conservation Research Team at CERI Mitsuhiro
Yokohama presented research achievements in cyclical use technologies that
are centered on Centralized Biomass Plant that utilize livestock excreta
and other forms of rural biomass.
Development of energy technologies that use biomass is providing breakthroughs toward maintaining stable energy supplies and checking global warming. CERI will continue to pursue its research by bearing this in mind.
For more information on CERI’s research achievements, “http://hozen.ceri.go.jp/project/”please visit
(Contact: Rural Resources Conservation Research Team, CERI)
Conclusion of an agreement to provide cooperation to the “Project for Verification of 100-Year Durability of Bridges to Isolated Islands in Okinawa Prefecture”
 Photo 1: Agreement signing ceremony |
 Photo 2: Example of chloride attack |
 Photo 3: Example of a bridge to an isolated island in Okinawa Prefecture (Kouri Ohashi Bridge) |
On Mar. 18th, 2009, three organizations—PWRI, Okinawa Prefecture,
and the Okinawa Construction Technology Center—signed a cooperative
agreement for a “Project for Verification of 100-Year Durability
of Bridges to Isolated Islands in Okinawa Prefecture” (Photo 1).
By conducting soundness studies of bridges to isolated islands that are
managed by Okinawa Prefecture, this project seeks to establish maintenance
and management methods as well as technical standards that will allow these
bridges remain in service for more than 100 years.
Although making a bridge last for many years requires ingenuity at the
construction stage, it is also important to conduct regular inspections
after the bridge is built. This includes checking for cracks in concrete
and rust in reinforcement bars. Reinforcement bars, in particular, degrade
severely when rusting begins. Seawater can penetrate the concrete that
protects reinforcement bars and cause them to rust; the bars then expand
and break the concrete. This degradation phenomenon, which is called “chloride
attack” (Photo 2), causes damage that can lower the load-bearing
capacity and durability of concrete structures. Because it is surrounded
by the sea and, moreover, has high temperatures and humidity, Okinawa Prefecture
must deal with extremely severe conditions.
The Center for Advanced Engineering, Structural Assessment and Research
(CAESER) is building a long-term cooperative relationship with Okinawa
Prefecture, which is situated in a harsh salt damage-inducing environment
that is virtually unknown elsewhere in Japan. Through this relationship,
CAESER is obtaining and accumulating degradation data on 11 bridges to
isolated islands that are maintained and managed by the prefecture. In
addition to soundness studies and data collection on existing bridges (Photo
3), CAESER is also establishing portions at which study samples can be
taken from Irabu Ohashi Bridge, which is currently under construction.
It will use these samples to make long-term basic data measurements (e.g.,
density of chloride ion, air permeability, etc.) on the actual bridge.
By engaging in research on bridge maintenance and management and providing
technical guidance to onsite personnel, CAESAR is energetically engaged
in activities that can contribute to the development of safe and efficient
infrastructure. Future project plans call for the establishment of a liaison
committee that will include the University of the Ryukyu among its members
for regular information exchanges.
(Contact: CAESAR)
PWRI releases its FY2007 financial statement
A financial report on management conditions, etc.
 Revenue in FY2007 |
 Table of contents for the FY2007 financial statement |
In accordance with the stipulations of the Act on General Rules of Incorporated
Administrative Agencies (law No. 103 of 1999), an incorporated administrative
agency must prepare a financial statement within three months of the end
of each business year (April 1 to March 31 of the following year), submit
the statement with the comments of auditor or accounting auditors attached
to the competent minister, and receive the minister’s approval for
the statement. When the agency receives the competent minister’s
approval, it must then release the statement to the general public. Accordingly,
PWRI has posted its financial statement on its website, as it was recently
approved by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
While, generally speaking, accounting standards for incorporated administrative
agencies are based on business accounting fundamentals, the systems and
financial structures that apply to such agencies differ from those of joint-stock
companies and other profit-making enterprises. For this reason, “accounting
standards for incorporated administrative agency and “annotations
of accounting standards for incorporated administrative agency have been
established. Moreover, a question-and-answer document has been prepared
that notes operational points to remember concerning the standards and
annotations. The accounting process proceeds in accordance with these criteria.
A financial statement (i.e., a collection of financial documents that are
prepared for the purpose of reporting the agency’s financial and
management status to the general public and other concerned interests)
is comprised of balance sheets, income statements, cash-flow statements,
statements of cost pertaining to administrative services, and annexed detailed
statements that provide particulars about the above documents. In PWRI’s
case, the financial statement is broken down at the agency level and account
level (i.e., general account, account for road improvement, and account
for water control), and business reports, the opinions of auditor, and
reports from accounting auditors are attached. It should be mentioned that
the statement of cost pertaining to administrative services is unique to
incorporated administrative agency. This statement lists all costs that
are connected to the agency’s operations and that are ultimately
borne by the public.
Through this article, PWRI is notifying the public of its financial statement. Year-on-year comparisons and analyses of the financial statement, explanations of account items, management conditions, and other pertinent items can be found in the business report that is provided as a supporting material. To view PWRI’s FY2007 financial statement, please visit “http://www.pwri.go.jp/eng/outline/financial.html.”
(Contact: Budget and Accounting Division)
Holding of the 2nd Engineers’ Exchange Forum in Kushiro
 A view of the forum |
 A lecture presented at the forum  Program |
On Feb. 19th, 2009, CERI hosted the 2nd Engineers’ Exchange Forum
at the Kushiro Prince Hotel. The forum garnered the participation of 220
representatives of industry, academia, and government.
Based on the theme “technologies needed to develop the Senkon(Kushiro
and Nemuro region) region as a food-supply base,” the forum featured
lectures from eight individuals on technologies, research achievements,
and issues concerning dairy farming, fisheries, and logistics.
Head of the Kushiro Development and Construction Department Takahiro Uenishi
touched on the global economic downturn and concerns about food supply-and-demand
before emphasizing that “now is the time to further reinforce eastern
Hokkaido’s position as a food-supply base.”
Three staff members of CERI addressed the forum. Among them, Leader of
the Port and Coast Research Team Taiji Yamamoto presented roofed facilities
in wharves that are effective in improving the severe work environment
of winter ports and preserving catch freshness.
Three representatives of private companies also addressed the forum. Among
them, an engineer with Zukosha Co., Ltd. Jun Yokobori spoke on the need
for IT-based agriculture amid expectations that the scale of farm management
will grow in the future, as there are limits to agriculture that is based
on farmers’ experience and intuition.
After the forum’s conclusion, CERI received participants’ impressions of the proceedings. One person said, “I hope to see this forum further developed in the future, and to see creation of a framework for industry-academia-government collaboration.” And another said, “Many forums such as this should be held for the purpose of local revitalization.” As for topics that should be addressed in the future, most participants suggested that topics should concern construction of infrastructure in snowy cold regions, with examples being “Hokkaido’s unique public works construction methods” and “development of technologies specifically for cold regions.” Following were topics concerning environment-friendly public enterprises, such as “approaches to public enterprises and infrastructure development that promote eco-based approaches (recycling).”
Forum participants listened intently to the lectures and even engaged in active opinion exchange at a social gathering that was held following the lectures.
(Contact: East Hokkaido Branch Office, CERI)
The 50th Science Technology Week
PWRI opens its facilities to the general public
Examining a curve of the test track A view of the high-speed running test |
 Wheel running machine  Explanation by an overseas research of ICHARM |
“Science Technology Week” was established in Feb. 1960 for
the purposes of broadening understanding and interest in Science &Technology
among the general public, and of promoting S&T in Japan. It is the
primary time when organizations throughout Japan hold events pertaining
to S&T. This year’s Science Technology Week took place from April
13 to 19 under the nationwide slogan “First we ask “why?”;
then we say “I see!” In Tsukuba City, 43 organizations involved
in research and other activities opened their facilities to the public
during the week.
PWRI and the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management
(NILIM) jointly opened research facilities to the public on Tuesday, Apr.
14th . Despite the rain that began falling in the afternoon, 202 people
participated in facilities tours on this day. This year, four facilities—a
Test track, Vibration laboratory, Structural dynamics laboratory, and Coastal
hydraulics laboratory—were opened to the public.
For the Test track, participants listened to explanations of the actual-size tunnel test facility, the load car used to test pavements, and other items, and then experienced a high-speed running test.
Next, in the Vibration laboratory, participants were shown images of a test on bridge pier reinforcement that was conducted in the past using the Three-dimensional large-scale shaking table, which can reproduce shaking caused by the Hyogo-ken Nanbu Earthquake in 1995, and witnessed a simple experiment on liquefaction.
They then moved on to the Structural dynamics laboratory, where they were allowed to actually operate the wheel running machine and observed an experiment to verify the damage occurrence mechanisms of pressure plates.
Finally, the participants moved to the Coastal hydraulics laboratory, where
they heard an explanation of wave mechanisms and their destructive force.
Then they observed a test in which a tsunami caused by a tsunami-generating
machine was produced for visual confirmation of tsunami speed characteristics
in an actual setting. This test proved to be highly popular among the participants.
In addition, presentations by overseas researchers and a poster exhibit
were held at the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management
(ICHARM). The main feature of these activities was a lively question session
that was held entirely in English with students from invited schools; namely,
Takezono High School, Namiki High School, and Namiki Secondary School.
(Contact: General Affairs Division)