New Year’s Greeting for 2014


Prof. Junichiro NIWA

Chairman, JSCE Concrete Committee

Department of Civil Engineering
Graduate School of Science and Engineering
Tokyo Institute of Technology


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I would like to convey my best wishes to all of you for health and happiness in the new year.

As I write these greetings, it is wintry cold in Tokyo but sunny and calm. Although no major earthquakes occurred in Japan in 2013, there were many weather-related calamities, including abnormal weather patterns causing intense heat, and typhoons and torrential rains causing flooding and mudslides, with the loss of many lives on Izu-Oshima Island. The importance of infrastructure maintenance has been emphasized during the past year, as increasing attention has been focused on the problem of Japan's aging infrastructure since the collapse of concrete ceiling panels in Sasago Tunnel in December 2012.

Until the recent past, some had argued that the state of infrastructure in Japan was already adequate and that there was no need for further public works projects. However, considering the victims of the 2011 earthquake disaster and the victims of other natural disasters including torrential rains and typhoons, it is clear that this argument was out of touch with reality. It is necessary to ensure safety and peace of mind for the Japanese people by building strong and resilient infrastructure.

As members of an organization that specializes in concrete and concrete structures, we in our respective positions must promote suitable maintenance and development of the country's infrastructure, based on accurate judgments and an objective understanding of the facts. I am grateful for your ongoing support and cooperation in this regard.
JSCE has developed and revised the Standard Specifications for Concrete Structures over many years. We issued the sections on General Principles, Design, and Materials and Construction last March, and the sections on Maintenance and Dam Concrete last October. I would like to express sincere appreciation for the hard work of the members of the Specifications Revision Subcommittee and others who were involved.

In November, the committee on evaluation of tsunami wave forces completed its activities and issued a report. Its findings will be incorporated into the Standard Specifications for Concrete Structures in future.

Various committees entrusted with the publication of guidelines will be issuing their findings starting in early 2014, and the JSCE Concrete Committee will deliberate the results. Our intention is to continue to bring together the knowledge of many persons in a wide range of fields and engage in thoroughgoing debate of the issues in order to develop results that will be useful for all of you.