What does Carbon Neutrality for Roads mean?

The increasing frequency and severity of disasters caused by extreme weather, such as extreme heat, torrential rain, and forest fires, are threatening people's lives around the world. Steady implementation of measures aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is essential to curbing the progression of global warming, which is the underlying cause of these disasters. Efforts are also being made in the road sector, which accounts for approximately 18% of Japan's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the government revised the Road Act in April 2025 to include a "promotion of road decarbonization," which will come into effect in October 2025. We talked to Hiroyuki WADA, General Manager of Transportation Planning Dept., Social Innovation Div.; Sayo SAITO, Urban Mobility Sec. of the same department; and Nobuo TAKAHASHI, Road Promotion Sec., Road & Highway Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div., to find out what will be required of road administrators in the future.

<Mongolia> Information Collection and Confirmation Survey on Promoting Energy Transition

Mongolia, a signatory to Paris Agreement adopted in 2015, has set long-term goal for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is working to achieve it. However, given the country's abundant coal resources, it will be difficult to break away from its dependence on coal. JICA launched an information gathering and confirmation survey project in 2024 to determine what kind of assistance Japan could provide and to formulate guidelines. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS served as the prime partner of the joint venture responsible for the project, and Hironori KOBAYASHI of Global Facilities Sec., Facility Engineering Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div., worked on-site as an assistant to Project Manager.

What is Smart Forestry?

Japan is one of the world's leading forested countries. The value of forests is not only being reassessed from the perspective of timber utilization, but also from the perspective of achieving carbon neutrality, disaster prevention, and biodiversity conservation. However, Japan's forestry industry is plagued by low productivity and a serious labor shortage. The promotion of smart forestry is expected to solve these issues. We spoke with three people at PACIFIC CONSULTANTS who are working on this initiative: Hisashi NAKAMURA of the Information Business Dept., Digital Service Div.; Kyosuke SAKURAI of Environmental Symbiosis Dept., Social Innovation Div. and Advanced Technology Center; and Chiyoshi MINAMI of the Project Management Dept., Project Management Div.

What is Water PPP?

PPP/PFI is a promising method for simultaneously resolving various social issues and achieving economic growth. To accelerate its promotion, the government established a new action plan in 2023. One of the pillars of this plan is "Water PPP." What exactly is Water PPP? What are its benefits? What are the key points to consider when implementing it? Representatives from Water Agency and PACIFIC CONSULTANTS, both of which are actively working on this initiative on the private sector, discussed the matter, sharing case studies.

Eco Green Tochigi Project

Tochigi Prefecture began work on the construction of final landfill site after the discovery of illegal dumping of industrial wastes, but its progress was slow due to opposition from residents. However, it is difficult to eradicate illegal dumping without final landfill site within the prefecture. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS has proposed a completely closed, environmentally friendly approach using a unique PFI system that maximizes the business management's know-how of the private sector, contributing to the creation of final landfill site, "Eco Green Tochigi." Toshihiko TOKIDA, Technical Manager of Regional Environment Business Promotion Sec. in Resource Circulation Management Dept. and Wataru SUGIURA, General Manager of Section of the same section, who provided the support, look back on the project.

What is Area Marketing?

Analyzing trade areas and regional characteristics is essential for corporate marketing and for planning services and urban development measures promoted by local governments. Various types of big data are now available, and their utilization is attracting attention, but many people are unsure of the effects they can expect. We spoke to Taichi FUDAMOTO of the DX Business Promotion Dept., Digital Service Div. and one of the core members developing the human flow statistics service "Nation-wide Movement Statistics," about what area marketing using big data is, what it can reveal, and how it can be utilized.

What is a Parametric Model?

With the promotion of BIM/CIM to improve productivity at construction sites, a major issue at present is the amount of work required to create BIM/CIM. In particular, how efficiently creating structural models can be achieved will have a major impact on future productivity improvements. This is why parametric models are now attracting attention. They are also entering the practical application stage in the world of civil engineering. We talked to four people at PACIFIC CONSULTANTS who are involved in the development and promotion of parametric models: Satoshi TOBIOKA of Erosion Control Dept. of the National Land and Infrastructure Div.; Masato KIKUCHI of Erosion Control Dept. and Advanced Technology Center; Tatsuji YAMAGUCHI of the Ports and Harbors Dept. of the same division; and Miho TANAKA of Ports and Harbors Dept. and Advanced Technology CenterWith the promotion of BIM/CIM to improve productivity at construction sites, a major issue at present is the amount of work required to create BIM/CIM. In particular, how efficiently creating structural models can be achieved will have a major impact on future productivity improvements. This is why parametric models are now attracting attention. They are also entering the practical application stage in the world of civil engineering. We talked to four people at PACIFIC CONSULTANTS who are involved in the development and promotion of parametric models: Satoshi TOBIOKA of Erosion Control Dept. of the National Land and Infrastructure Div.; Masato KIKUCHI of Erosion Control Dept. and Advanced Technology Center; Tatsuji YAMAGUCHI of the Ports and Harbors Dept. of the same division; and Miho TANAKA of Ports and Harbors Dept. and Advanced Technology Center, about the current situation and future development.

What is a Autonomous Driving Bus?

Route buses are essential public transportation that anyone can use easily. However, an increasing number of routes are being forced to reduce or discontinue service due to decreasing users and a lack of drivers, making stable continuity a major issue. This is where expectations are rising for autonomous driving buses. While a field demonstration experiment and demonstration runs are underway across the country, challenges are also emerging. We interviewed three people who have been involved in the development of autonomous driving systems and supporting the introduction of autonomous driving buses for a long time, including Akira MITSUYASU and Kai KOMORI from the Mobility DX Sec., DX Business Promotion Dept., and Ken WATANABE from Urban Management Sec., Transportation Planning Dept., about the current state of the introduction of autonomous driving buses, the steps involved, and points to be aware of.

What is Roadside Station?

"Roadside Stations", which began in 1993, are expected to have 1,230 registered stations as of the end of January 2025, and are expected to play a key role in revitalizing regional areas. However, while some are popular for selling goods, many are struggling with low user numbers. We interviewed about the current state of roadside station and their future direction to Ichiro MIYAMORI from the Infrastructure Business Management Dept., and Masaharu KATSURADA from the Project Promotion Sec. of Tohoku Social Innovation Business Dept. of Project Innovation Div. of PACIFIC CONSULTANTS which have been deeply involved in roadside station as a private business sector as well as providing consulting services to many local governments across the country, such as creating basic plans and conducting feasibility studies.