Thursday 20 February – Thursday 4 August 2011
The Construction State: Beyond the Polemic
Daiwa Foundation Japan House
Organised by APTN
In labelling Japan ‘the construction state’, some have sought to hold the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure & Transport partly responsible for Japan’s current malaise. Prime Minister Koizumi’s recent attempts to address the perceived excesses of the highway building lobby have been regarded as reinforcing this impression.
The seminar sought to go beyond the polemic and unearth the cultural and economic differentiators that define construction in Japan. It also examined the changing volume and value of construction work in Japan; internal industrial restructuring issues; innovations (the emergence of re-use and refurbishment instead of new build, and evolutions in procurement methodology); and changes in the image and reputation of the industry. Socio-economic dimensions included the question of whether or not construction is as much to do with employment and retaining a specific Japanese way of life as it is with commercial development.
About the contributors
David Height
David Height is Architect and Project Manager at Ove Arup, UK. Mr Height was a Daiwa Scholar during 1993-94 which led him to work for four years as an architect and project manager at Kajima Design. Since returning from Japan in 1999, Mr Height has been working on urban regeneration projects in London and in collaboration with Japanese architects and clients. Mr Height also teaches at Cambridge Department of Architecture, where he is involved in a project which is supported by the Foundation based on the International Concept Competition for the Northern Osaka Station Area.
Ron Marsh
Ron Marsh is Export Promoter, Design and Construction, Japan for Trade Partners UK. He joined Ove Arup after graduating in civil engineering from King’s College, London. He has extensive experience of working with Japanese companies both in the Middle East and in Japan. He has been on secondment to Trade Partners UK since 1997. He has advised numerous UK and Japanese companies on collaboration in the domestic Japanese construction market.
Tadashi Karato
Tadashi Karato is Managing Director, Shimizu Europe.
Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Sir Hugh Cortazzi (chair) is a former British ambassador to Japan. Sir Hugh joined HM Diplomatic Service in 1949 and in a distinguished career undertook postings in, amongst others, Singapore, Bonn and Washington. He was posted to Japan four times, the final time as Ambassador (1980-84). Sir Hugh has written extensively about Japan both in English and Japanese.