# Project Gallery 2025

Former Kitakami River Estuary Restoration and Reconstruction Project

Ishinomaki City, which has long thrived as an river port centered around the former Kitakami River estuary, suffered severe damage in Great East Japan Earthquake. New embankments are essential to protect the city from Tsunamis, storm surges, and flooding. However, building new embankments in a city that has developed a unique lively atmosphere in harmony with its waterfront precisely because it lacked embankments is no easy feat. How could an embankment be constructed to protect the lives and property of residents while maintaining the close relationship between the river and their daily lives? PACIFIC CONSULTANTS was deeply involved in the restoration and reconstruction project for the former the Kitakami River estuary, a difficult challenge. Takahito AMADA from the River Structure Sec., Watershed Structure Dept., Land Infrastructure Div., and Kiyoto TSUKA from the Waterworks Sec., Hokkaido Land Infrastructure Dept., Hokkaido Branch Office who were central contributors to the project, look back on the work, which spanned more than 11 years.

Redevelopment Project for Shinjuku - the Hub with the World's Highest Number of Passengers

In 1958, Shinjuku, along with Shibuya and Ikebukuro, was designated as a sub-center of Tokyo. Over 60 years later, it has grown into the world's busiest terminal. However, issues have emerged, including limited space for people to stay, complicated transfer routes, and the aging of the station and station building. In 2018, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government formulated the concept "Shinjuku Grand Terminal", which involves a large-scale reorganization of the area immediately surrounding the station. Construction began in 2021, with the goal of roughly completing the project by 2035 and completing it by 2046. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS has been supporting the project from an early stage, including through business plan review. Tetsuya KAWAMOTO and Takayuki YOSHIMI from the Project Management Dept., and Takuto MIKUNIYA from the Global Company's International Smart Planning Dept., talked about the progress of the ambitious Shinjuku redevelopment project.

Energy-related Project in Rankoshi Town, Hokkaido

Rankoshi Town in Hokkaido is known nationwide as one of the best producers of delicious rice. It is a beautiful town blessed with abundant nature. However, like many local municipalities, it faces many challenges due to a declining population and an aging population with a low birthrate, and it also needed to take immediate action to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS noticed that Rankoshi Town was considering utilizing "Energy Structure Advancement and Conversion Understanding Promotion Project" of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and supported its efforts, such as developing solid fuel using rice husks and utilizing wastewater heat from hot springs, which have produced many results. Katsunori AMEJIMA of the Regional Energy Sec., Hokkaido Social Innovation Department, looks back on the project.

PACIFIC CONSULTANTS' Naganuma Dam Project

The Hasama River, a Class A river in northern Miyagi Prefecture, frequently floods and is nicknamed the "Wild River." In 1971, a comprehensive flood control plan was drawn up to build 10 dams and one retarding basin, with Naganuma Dam, which utilizes natural lakes and marshes, at the center of the plan. However, the surrounding area is low-lying marshland with continuous soft ground. No dam had ever been built on such soft ground before. Four people who supported this difficult construction project, which lasted 40 years, from planning to completion: Tetsuo KOMORIYA, General Manager of Renewable Energy Promotion/Development Sec., River Basin Structural Dept., Land Infrastructure Div.; Takehiko HIRATSUKA in the Dams and Erosion Control Sec. of the same department; Atsushi FUNAYAMA, Geotechnical Engineering Dept. of the same division; and Ken OKAYA in the Tohoku Land Infrastructure Dept., look back on the efforts.

Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsuruga Extension Project Vol.3 ~ Kakehashigawa Bridge ~

The Kakehashi River is a first-class river that originates at Suzugatake in Komatsu City, flows north through the mountains, enters the plains, then changes direction to the west before flowing into the Sea of Japan. The downstream area is surrounded by the Komatsu city area, making it a valuable open space and a place of relaxation for local residents, who go for walks, fishing, boating, etc. It is also in this downstream section that the Hokuriku Shinkansen crosses the Kakehashi River just before Komatsu Station, and because the river is wide, bridge piers must be built across the river channel. As well as flood control, it became more important than anything to reach an agreement with the river manager, who is promoting the development and conservation of the river environment that is loved by local residents.

Integrated Development Project of SAGA Sunrise Park + Eiko Bridge + Saga City Cultural Center - West Square

The National Athletic Meet, which has long been affectionately known as the KOKUTAI (National Sports), will be renamed the "National Sports Festival" and the first tournament will be held in Saga in October 2024. The shift from "physical education to sports" was also reflected in the concept of venue development, and the venue was required to be used as a base for everyday sports and health that would be popular in the local area for a long time even after the tournament ended. To achieve this, a total design that looks to the future is essential, without being bound by distinctions between prefecture and city, architecture and civil engineering, or hardware and software. Ryuji KAMIDE of the Urban Design Sec. of the Osaka Social Innovation Dept., who was in charge of the exterior design of SAGA Sunrise Park and the Cultural Center-West Square, and Shuichi NONAKA of the Structure Sec. of the Kyushu Transportation Infrastructure Dept., who was mainly responsible for the design of Eiko Bridge, looked back on the initiative.

Sanjo City's 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 the local construction companies join a mainly made up JV, and what kind of results produced? Nobutaka INAMITSU, General Manager of the Spatial Creation Sect. of Infrastructure Management Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div. who is at the center of the initiative, along with Ryo NAKAI and Masahiro MATSUOKA from the same section, explain the story.

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 designated with Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and it was necessary to minimize the impact on the groundwater.

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.