# Project Story

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.

<Mongolia> Data Collection 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 Data Collection 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 International Facilities Sec., Facility Engineering Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div., worked on-site as an assistant to Project Manager.

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.

<Pakistan, Punjab Province> Project for Improving Rural Road Network Maintenance Capacity

Punjab province, the most populous province in Pakistan, is said to have a total of 87,700 km of local roads within the province. However, maintenance was a major issue due to a lack of human resources and skills, as well as an underdeveloped database system. At the request of the Punjab provincial government, a JICA technical cooperation project was implemented, and PACIFIC CONSULTANTS participated as the prime company of a joint venture consisting of three companies. Shintaro Muto of Global Company International Infrastructure Development Department was appointed as Deputy Chief Engineer Consultant.

Taking Responsibility for the "Once In a Century" Shibuya Great Renovation  <Part 2>

The large-scale redevelopment of the area around Shibuya station is said to be a "once in a century" event, not because many skyscrapers will be built. It is because it is an attempt to reinvent the area into a completely new town through cooperation between the public and private sectors, moving the station, changing the flow of the river, and creating a new pedestrian network. Moreover, it is unprecedented in that it will be realized while maintaining the functions of a huge terminal. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS has been involved in this project since the early planning stages and continues to support it up to day. We talked to five people who have been central persons in the project for many years: Ryuji KOWAKI, Hisashi KUBO, Takayasu NIWA, Yoshio NAMIKI, and Terue KAMINO.

Taking Responsibility for the "Once In a Century" Shibuya Great Renovation <Part 1>

The large-scale redevelopment of the area around Shibuya station is said to be a "once in a century" event, not because many skyscrapers will be built. It is because it is an attempt to reinvent the area into a completely new town through cooperation between the public and private sectors, moving the station, changing the flow of the river, and creating a new pedestrian network. Moreover, it is unprecedented in that it will be realized while maintaining the functions of a huge terminal. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS has been involved in this project since the early planning stages and continues to support it up to day. We talked to five people who have been central persons in the project for many years: Ryuji KOWAKI, Hisashi KUBO, Takayasu NIWA, Yoshio NAMIKI, and Terue KAMINO.

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.