What are microplastics?

Addressing plastic waste that persists in the environment for extended periods is a major global challenge. In particular, there are concerns about the impact of microplastics on marine life and human health, but the sources, movement, and diffusion of these plastics are not fully understood, making effective countermeasures difficult. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS is developing technologies to elucidate the dynamics of plastic waste from its generation in terrestrial areas (watersheds) to its distribution. This time, we spoke with Hiroshi Uehara and Taro Shoji of the Water Management Office, Watershed Planning Department Land Infrastructure Div. who are in charge of this initiative.

Odagawa River Confluence Point Relocation Project

The "July 2018 Heavy Rains" caused widespread damage across western Japan. In particular, the collapse of the Oda River levee in Mabi-cho, Kurashiki City, resulted in severe damage, including 51 deaths. The government decided to expedite the completion of the already-started project to relocate the confluence point with the Takahashi River by five years to ensure the safety of the river basin as quickly as possible. Numerous construction consultants and construction companies rallied together for this emergency project. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS also handled many of the tasks. We talked to Kenji KIMURA of the River Structure Sec., River Basin Structural Dept., Land Infrastructure Div., who oversaw the entire project as the project manager.

Narita Airport's Further Functional Enhancement Project Vol. 2

The ongoing construction project to further enhance the functionality of Narita Airport is a large-scale undertaking that aims to nearly double the existing airport area through runway extensions and new construction, and increase the annual takeoff and landing capacity (the maximum number of safe takeoffs and landings per year) to 500,000. Environmental impact assessment is essential. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS has been commissioned to conduct survey work since the planning stage, which dates back more than 10 years, and has supported the creation of the environmental impact assessment report published in September 2019. They are currently continuing their efforts to protect the environment. We spoke with three people from Yuji HIRONAKA of Geotechnical Engineering Dept. Land Infrastructure Div., Hiroo WATANABE and Tomonori FUCHIZAWA of Environmental Symbiosis Dept. Social Innovation Div., about environmental impact assessment.

The "Tamagawa Sky Bridge" Blends Seamlessly into Landscape of the Estuary

The "Tamagawa Sky Bridge" opened in March 2022. Designing and constructing it under challenging conditions, such as airspace restrictions at Haneda Airport, preserving the tidal flat ecosystem, and maintaining the horizontal landscape unique to the river mouth, presented many difficulties. However, PACIFIC CONSULTANTS spearheaded the detailed structural studies of the bridge. They contributed to the realization of a slender and beautiful girder bridge with the longest span in Japan at 240m. We talked to Daisaku ISHIHARA from the Bridge Section 2, Structural Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div., PACIFIC CONSULTANTS who played a central role in the project.

Villages Revitalization Project in Nishihara Village, Kumamoto Prefecture

The Kumamoto Earthquake in April 2016 was unprecedented in recorded history, with two magnitude 7 tremors occurring within 28 hours. Nishihara Village in Kumamoto Prefecture, located near the epicenter, suffered extensive damage. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS became involved early in Nishihara Village's disaster restoration efforts, providing ongoing support for the regeneration of six villages, focusing on both earthquake-resistant land development and urban planning. Shunichiro KANEKO from the Geotechnical Disaster Prevention Sec., Geotechnical Engineering Dept., Land Infrastructure Div. and Hiroto YAMAGUCHI from the Integrated Project Sec., Social Innovation Dept., Kyushu Headquarters, who played a central role in the project, reflected on their work.

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..

Basic Knowledge of CCS Plants and the Role of Construction Consultants

One technology that is currently attracting significant attention as Japan aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 is CCS, which involves capturing and storing CO2. CCS is an extremely important technology, especially for industries where decarbonization is considered very difficult, such as thermal power plants and steel mills, and is said to be a key to achieving carbon neutrality in Japan. We talked to Toyomitsu KANAI from Facility Engineering Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div. at PACIFIC CONSULTANTS, who is working on CCS projects.

What is area management?

The term "area management" is by no means new. The government spoke of the need for such initiatives nearly 20 years ago, in 2008. Even before that, they had been considering central urban area revitalization, town management, and new roles for regional management. And now, the role that regions must play is becoming increasingly important, and there is a demand for comprehensive improvement of urban capabilities that encompass elements such as disaster prevention, decarbonization, and biodiversity. What does modern area management entail? We spoke with Daisaku TANAKA, General Manager of the Business Design Department, Solution Business Division PACIFIC CONSULTANTS, and Sayaka YAMAMOTO, Project Manager, who are working on various social experiments.