Message from the President of the Japan Society of Erosion Control Engineering
My name is Hiroyuki Ohno and I have been appointed as the 6th Chairman of the Japan Society of Erosion Control Engineering (hereafter, “JSECE”). While this is a heavy responsibility, I will do everything in my power to make this a success and I would like to ask for your continued support and cooperation.
The world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic but natural disasters do not wait and can strike our daily lives at any time. As you know, the effects of such disasters, especially those caused by landslides can often be devastating. In recent years, extreme weather disasters, said to be the result of climate change, have become more frequent, resulting in large-scale landslides as well as an increased impact on society. This may be one of the most notable periods in human history.
The role of the JSECE as a public interest corporation in these times is very important. We actively conduct emergency investigations in the event of disasters and we also make recommendations for preventing recurrence and suggest countermeasures. We believe that this role will become increasingly important in the future. In addition, under the guidance of former chairman Masaharu Fujita, the JSECE has also organized a research subcommittee on “Landslides Caused by Climate Change”. In the future, we will clarify the impact of climate change on landslide disasters, demonstrate the importance of countermeasures, thus fulfilling our social role as an academic society.
In addition to basic research such as transportation and movement of soil and sand in mountains, rivers, forests, rainfall and groundwater discharge, the JSECE also encompasses the fields of humanities and sociology including practical science related to erosion control research and planning, the design and construction of facilities, disaster information related to landslide disasters and the nature of warning and evacuation systems. For this reason, the members of the society include people from a variety of backgrounds including members of universities, general contractors, consultants and manufacturers related to construction as well as government officials in the national and prefectural governments. While it is important for each field to be explored as a discipline and evolve as a technology, we believe that researchers and engineers in different fields can efficiently and effectively obtain research and technology-related results by cooperating with each other and collaborating on research and on-site projects. It is a major role of the JSECE to function as a platform, so to speak and we intend to continue to actively carry out such activities in the future.
However, unfortunately, a recent trend seen at universities has been a decreasing number of courses related to landslides. The increasing number of landslides and the damage caused make it impossible to see the decreasing number of courses at universities as anything than a problem. Universities are research and educational institutions and valuable providers of human resources. If this organization weakens, it will also cause significant damage to the future of erosion control which is very worrying from the perspective of disaster prevention in Japan. This issue is also closely related to the need for the training of young researchers and engineers related to erosion control. As an academic society, it is our urgent task and social mission to further focus on strengthening the organization and developing human resources related to erosion control. International efforts and a global perspective are also necessary. It is indisputable that in the future, we will need to focus more on developing human resources among researchers and engineers from overseas as well as human resources capable of playing an active role internationally through exchanges and joint operations.
Fortunately, activities of subcommittees and regional branches within the JSECE are becoming more and more active year by year. Interactions among a large number of human resources including those in Japan and abroad are providing the foundation for new research and technology. We would like to create a venue to promote exchange by greatly increasing the activities of the JSECE.
Furthermore, as part of the JSECE’s human resource development programs, it is important to grant qualifications and provide educational opportunities for erosion control engineers. The “Erosion Control and Steep Slope Management Engineers” has now become established as a system and efforts to utilize qualified personnel are in full swing. I believe that it is our role as an academic society to not only run workshops and the like but also to steadily advance these initiatives.
The JSECE is a forum for free and vigorous discussion. We have the advantage of a relatively flat organizational structure. We are committed to managing our operations so that many of our members feel happy to belong to the society. If you have any comments or requests, please contact us. Let’s all work together. Thank you for your cooperation.