#Project Story

熊本県・西原村　集落再生プロジェクト

2016年4月に発生した熊本地震は、震度7の揺れが28時間以内に2回発生するという観測史上例を見ないものだった。震源に近い熊本県の西原村は甚大な被害を受けた。パシフィックコンサルタンツは、西原村が取り組む災害復興事業に早くから関わり、特に6集落の再生事業について、宅地の耐震化とまちづくりの両面から支援を続けた。中心で業務にあたった国土基盤事業本部 地盤技術部 地盤防災室の金子俊一朗と九州本社 社会イノベーション事業部 総合プロジェクト室の山口泰斗が取り組みを振り返った。

Developing a passenger ship terminal to support Okinawa's tourism industry.

The number of cruise passengers from Asia surged in the latter half of the 2000s. However, at that time, Naha Port did not have a dedicated berth for cruise ships, and cargo berths were used for both. Fearing that this would inevitably damage the image of Okinawa's gateway, the government launched a project to develop a passenger ship terminal at Naha Port. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS was responsible for designing the new passenger ship berths, terminal facility site, and connecting road bridge, playing a major role in the realization of Naha Port's first passenger ship terminal (Naha Cruise Terminal). We spoke with Nobuo Suzuki of the Ports and Harbors Dept., Land Infrastructure Div. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS Consultants, who was in charge of the design.

Narita Airport's Further Functional Enhancement Project Vol. 1

This is the first large-scale "Further Functional Enhancement Project" for Narita Airport since 1978. For over 10 years, PACIFIC CONSULTANTS has been involved in a wide range of tasks, including environmental assessment surveys and surveys, planning, and design related to infrastructure development. Currently, more than 100 people from various technical fields, mainly from Aviation Dept., are participating in the project team. We spoke with the team's General Project Manager, Kiyotsugu Nagai, along with Naoto Futamata and Mifuyu Kurosaki from Aviation Dept., Hiroyuki Nagai from Tunnel Dept., Yoshio Namiki from the Watershed Planning Department, Tomoki Sakata from Road & Highway Dept., and Shunichiro Kaneko from Geotechnical Engineering Dept..

Working as a Private Sector's Engineers Team to Quickly Complete the "Kamaishi-Yamada Road"

The Sanriku Coastal Road (Sanriku Road), which runs along the coast of the Tohoku region and connects Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, and Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, had been under construction before the earthquake, but only a portion of it was open. National Route 45, which also runs along the coast, suffered extensive damage in various parts from the Tsunami. The early reopening of the Sanriku Road was essential for the restoration from the earthquake. In order to advance this project at the exceptional speed of approximately 10 years, the government introduced a PPP to expedite the project, a first in the country. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS was awarded the contract for this work in the Kamaishi-Yamada construction section, making a significant contribution to the early completion of the road. Four people who played a central role in the project - Amane TOMATSU from the Structural Sec., Tohoku Transportation Infrastructure Dept. of the Tohoku Branch Office, Osamu YAMAKAGE, Masato SHIRAISHI, and Tomohiro OYAMA from the Roads Sec. of the same department - look back on that time.

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.

Design of "Nakahashi Bridge" in Minamisanriku Town

The roadside station "Sansan Minamisanriku," which was developed in the new urban area, with the earthquake reconstruction memorial park built on the opposite riverbank. The bridge was designed by a joint venture between PACIFIC CONSULTANTS and Kengo Kuma & Associates. Based on Kuma company's image perspective, PACIFIC CONSULTANTS was responsible for the design and construction of a bridge that would be a fitting symbol of the town's reconstruction, balancing delicate design with a high level of structural safety. Completed in 2020, Nakahashi Bridge won Tanaka Prize from Japan Society of Civil Engineers in the same year. We talked to Norio SAITO from Structural Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div. who was responsible for the design work as the managing engineer.

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.

<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.