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Sanjo City Comprehensive Private Sector Outsourcing Project

Sanjo City, which has been actively promoting comprehensive private sector outsourcing for infrastructure maintenance and management, began Phase III (5-year) of outsourcing in the spring of 2024. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS has been participating as a member of the joint venture (JV) that will receive comprehensive outsourcing since Phase II (April 2019 - March 2024), which precedes this. This is the first time for a construction consultant in the country to do so. Why did they join a JV that is mainly made up of local construction companies, and what kind of results have they produced? Inami Nobutaka, General Manager of the Spatial Creation Office of Infrastructure Management Dept. Transportation Infrastructure Div. who is at the center of the initiative, along with Nakai Ryo and Matsuoka Masahiro from the same office, explain the situation.

Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsuruga Extension Project Vol.2 ~Miyama Tunnel~

The Miyama Tunnel, located just before the end of the line at Tsuruga Station, is less than 800 meters long. It is much shorter than the Shin-Hokuriku Tunnel (approximately 19.8 km) and the Kaga Tunnel (approximately 5.5 km). However, this tunnel was one of the tunnels that required particular environmental consideration in the construction of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension. Miyama is one of the water sources for the Nakaikemi Wetland - a wetland registered with Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and it was necessary to minimize the impact on the groundwater.

Why is it Regional Decarbonization Now? Toward Promotion of the Regional GX

In October 2020, the Japanese government declared its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 with zero emissions of greenhouse gas overall. A major key to achieving this goal is the "local area," where small and dispersed emission sources, such as small and medium-sized businesses and households, are concentrated. We asked Gen IKEMOTO of Social Innovation Div., GX Promotion Department, Executive Consultant; Junichiro SAITO of Climate and Resources Policy Sec.; and Toru TSUNEOKA, also of Regional Decarbonization Sec., about how far regional decarbonization has progressed, what the challenges are, and how it should be promoted in the future.

What is Comprehensive Entrustment of Infrastructure to Private Sector?

How to protect infrastructure such as roads with limited personnel and budgets is a major issue for local governments. One promising method that is garnering attention is "Comprehensive Entrustment to Private Sector." We spoke with three people from PACIFIC CONSULTANTS who have pioneered this field and have achieved many successes: Nobutaka INAMITSU of the Spatial Creation Section, Infrastructure Management Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div.; Kazuya MURAMATSU of the Infrastructure PPP Section, PPP Management Dept., Social Innovation Div.; and Shigeto TANAKA of the Infrastructure Management Section, Transportation Infrastructure Dept., Osaka Headquarters.

What is Green Infrastructure?

The term as green infrastructure is becoming more common. Green infrastructure is the term refers to the idea and initiatives to utilize various functions and mechanisms of nature to create rich living spaces and prepare for disasters. However, the areas covered are extremely broad, ranging from urban areas to mountainous areas, and the content of the initiatives is diverse, making it not easy to get a concrete image of what it means. We interviewed Shogo OGASAWARA, Environmental Symbiosis Dept., Social Innovation Div. about what green infrastructure is and how it can be used.

Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsuruga Extension Project Vol.1 ~ Okura Yoza Bridge ~

The Shinkansen, which travels at a speed of 260km per hour, requires extremely high precision in its bridge piers. The allowable deflection is only a few millimeters. This is why engineers who aspire to be civil engineers think, "I want to work on the Shinkansen someday." Furthermore, the Okura Yoza Bridge had to be built on soft ground with a maximum pier's height of about 30m. This was one of the most difficult projects in the long history of Shinkansen construction.

What are the BCP Measures that Will Improve a Company's Credibility?

"Is the current BCP really useful?" Anxiety is growing against the backdrop of the worsening and frequent damages caused by floods and typhoons, and the increasing urgency of large-scale earthquakes and so on. However, there are many companies that have not even reviewed their BCP since they were formulated. What and how should be reviewed to make it more practical, and what should companies consider when formulating their BCP in the future? We talked to Gou YAMAMURA, General Manager of the Resilience Promotion Sec., Disaster Prevention Dept., Digital Service Div.

What is Area Resilience?

In August 8, 2024, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a Nankai Trough Earthquake Advisory (warning of a massive earthquake) following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that occurred in the Hyuga Sea, Miyazaki Prefecture. This event reminded us once again of the national-level disaster that is said to be "coming someday". Once a major disaster occurs, we cannot rely on government support alone. This is why area resilience is now attracting attention through PPP and collaboration among companies. We interviewed Shinji Iida, General Manager of Watershed Disaster Prevention Section,  Disaster Prevention Dept., Digital Service Business Div. about area resilience and what kind of preparations are necessary.

What is Urban Optimization Management®?

PACIFIC CONSULTANTS is promoting initiatives based on the Urban Optimization Management ® concept, which aims to solve complex problems faced by cities by effectively utilizing and managing their infrastructure. We spoke with Tomonori TOKITA, General Manager of DX Business Promotion Dept., Digital Service Business Div. about how it differs from conventional problem-solving methods and the expected results.

How to Decarbonize Airports?

Efforts are underway in various fields to achieve carbon neutrality and a decarbonized society by 2050. Decarbonization of airports is one of these efforts, and decarbonization is urgently needed for airports, which serve as gateways to overseas destinations, in order to ensure their international competitiveness. However, there are many businesses at airports and a wide range of entities implementing initiatives, making it difficult to concretize and execute plans. We spoke to three people involved in the creation of the Ministry of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism 's Airport Decarbonization Promotion Plan Guidelines: Motohiro KIDO, General Manager of the Aviation Planning Section, Aviation Dept. and Takahiro IMAMURA, who works in the same Section; and Yamashita DAIKI, General Manager of the Energy Business Support Section, Green Social Strategy Dept. about the key points in achieving decarbonization of airports.

What is Disaster Prevention and Resilience?

Since the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, adopted at the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, called for "Strengthening Resilience Against Disasters," resilience has become an important keyword in disaster prevention. We spoke with Takashi ITO, General Manager of the Disaster Prevention Dept., Digital Service Business Div. about resilience, which is said to be a step forward from conventional disaster prevention/reduction thoughts, and how it can be realized.

What is Sounding?

"Sounding-type market research" is rapidly expanding in PPP projects. As citizen needs become more diverse, it is becoming increasingly important to listen to the voices of private businesses in order to create and succeed in business. We spoke with Toru OGAWA of the Social Good Creation Sec., Integrated Project Dept., Social Innovation Business Div. about the current state and challenges of sounding research.

Key Points for Formulating and Reviewing Disaster Waste Disposal Plan

Following the Great East Japan Earthquake, the formulation of a "Disaster Waste Disposal Plan" became mandatory. It is said that approximately 80% of municipalities and 100% of prefectures have already formulated such plans, but to make the plans more effective, it is essential to review them regularly. We spoke to Junya UEDA, chief consultant of the Regional Environmental Improvement Sec., Resource Circulation Management Dept., and Kosuke NOZUE, an engineer in the same Section, about the key points of the update.

Strategic Use of Public Real Estate (PRE) for Urban Development

Utilizing unused public land has become an urgent issue for local governments, and PPP are on the rise. How do you define a business vision, how do you build a business scheme, and what is important for successful public-private partnerships? We interviewed Toru OGAWA of the Social Good Creation Sec., Integrated Project Dept., Social Innovation Business Div.

What is GX (Green Transformation)?

Efforts towards GX are accelerating in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. We spoke with Kumiko KAJII, Chief Technical General Manager and General Project Manager of ESG Sustainable Smart City about what the national and local governments, private companies, and citizens should each do to promote this goal, as well as the current status and challenges of the initiative.