Kyoto University Institution of Professional Engineers hosts "Evening Seminar Tokyo" as 5th lecture event (2 September 2015)

Kyoto University Gijutsushi-kai (Institution of Professional Engineers) held its fifth　lecture event at Kyoto University Tokyo Office. This lecture series, including　three "Evening Seminar Tokyo" sessions, is aimed at providing its members with ongoing training, which is one of the Institution's key projects. More than 90 members, mainly from the Kanto area, took part in this event.

The event was facilitated by Mr Taizo Shimomura, a secretary of the Institution (1994 graduate of the Graduate School of Engineering). President of the Institution, Taizo Ohnishi, Kyoto University Professor Emeritus, delivered an opening address, which was followed by a briefing on the Institution itself and the aim of "Evening Seminar Tokyo". Then, the lecturer for the evening, Director General of Policy Research Institute for Country-ology at the Japan Institute of Country-ology and Engineering (JICE) Hisakazu Ohishi (1970 graduate of the Graduate School of Engineering) was introduced to the audience.

In his lecture, themed "Misunderstanding, Misinterpretation, and Incomprehension about Infrastructure Improvement", Director General Ohishi discussed the topic from various perspectives based on his profound knowledge of country-ology, looking back over history and comparing Japan with Western countries in terms of infrastructure improvement. He argued that unique aspects of Japanese society, stemming from a history of constant affliction by natural disasters, have sometimes resulted in misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and incomprehension about infrastructure improvement among the general public. He also noted that the significant difference in attitudes toward infrastructure improvement between the West and Japan resulted from historically different perceptions toward "ramparts" between them; "rampart" or walls surrounding and protecting communities were conceived in the process of building city-states by the ancient Sumerians, who were forerunners of Western civilization, and such walls were developed in Western countries, whereas the Japanese, historically, have not been so conscious of the need to build "ramparts". In addition, evoking a genuine sense of crisis, Director General Ohishi warned about the lack of scientific literacy among the wider population in recent years, and he stressed the importance of education to address this situation. In the subsequent Q&A session, Director General Ohishi noted that the broader one's knowledge and insight, the deeper they can also be, giving the example of philosopher Takeshi Umehara, a graduate of Kyoto University. The audience was fully engaged with his talk, which provided a valuable opportunity to review how committed and intellectually sophisticated they need to be in order to fulfill their missions as professional engineers.

Following the lecture, an exchange meeting facilitated by Mr Takehiko Nakatani (1993 graduate of the Graduate School of Engineering) was held. Joining the meeting was Mr Toshiyuki Adachi, former Vice-Minister for Engineering Affairs, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Participants, including Mr Ohishi and Mr Adachi, exchanged views on a broad range of topics and a lively discussion ensued.