CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.78

Konnichiwa or Good day!
Most of the human body is water, with an average of roughly 60%. Water is essential for health and bodily functions. Japan has achieved an 98.1% water supply coverage as of March 2020. Water is safe to drink from the tap anywhere in the country. The total length of water pipes in Japan is about 800,000 km, or about 20 times the circumference of the earth.

Now, there is a problem with the water pipes.
I watched with interest the latest developments in water pipes on TV last Sunday. It is said that the durable years of water pipes is about
40 years, but now the number of pipes that exceed this period has increased by more than one-sixth nationwide. I hear that 20,000 water leakage accidents occur every year as a result of old water pipes rusting and cracking.

However, new technologies are emerging to solve this problem.
Many of the water pipes used to be made of iron. It was reported that they broke due to ground displacement during a major earthquake and the water supply was cut off. Now, polyethylene water pipes with flexibility and strength are available. The durable years will be 100 years, and the construction cost will be 70% of the iron one. In addition, the inspection technology for detecting abnormalities in water pipes underground has also evolved. The robot, which moves horizontally and vertically through the water pipes like a snake, enters the pipes and uses the onboard high-sensitivity camera to show the inside of the pipes. This inspection robot will be put into practical use this autumn.

Actually, the water pipes had been replaced on the road in front of my house since January this year. As the road has a lot of traffic and no detours, the construction work was done between 9 pm and 5 am with vehicle restrictions put in place. At night, I heard the violent crunching sound of excavating and removing pavement from the road, and the loud metallic noise of moving equipment all the time. I felt not only the sound but also the small vibrations. However, I am very grateful to the people who are working hard in the middle of the night to create a safe environment for the new water pipes to be installed.
Finally, in the latter half of May, the uneven road was paved over entirely and all the work was completed. I am really, really happy that there won't be any more water pipe work for a while.

Hiroko KAWABATA(Ms)

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<<<Topics of Government>>

(1)“ASEAN-Japan Business Week - toward Innovative and Sustainable Growth -“ to be held
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2021/0506_001.html

(2)Announcement of the Four Winning Regions in the Sixth Selection of the Local IoT Acceleration Labs Project
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2021/0416_002.html

(3)Digital Certification from COVID-19 Testing Center for Overseas Travelers (TeCOT) Will Become Available
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2021/0406_002.html

(4)METI Compiles a Collection of Knowledge Useful for Public Implementation and Future Directions Based on the Results and Challenges of the FY2020 Smart Mobility Challenge Project
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2021/0402_002.html

(5)Cyber/Physical Security Guidelines for the Safety and Security of Smart Homes Formulated
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2021/0401_004.html

(6)Designation of Digital Platform Providers Subject to Specific Regulations Under the Act on Improving Transparency and Fairness of Digital Platforms
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2021/0401_001.html

<<Topics of Industries>>

(1)NEC, UN-Habitat and Peace Winds Japan provide thermography camera in Kenya to prevent the spread of COVID-19
https://www.nec.com/en/press/202104/global_20210423_01.html

(2)NEC contributes to development of artificial DNA aptamer that binds to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)
https://www.nec.com/en/press/202105/global_20210506_02.html

(3)Suntory Beverage & Food and Hitachi Collaboratively Create IoT Platform to Realize Precision Traceability, and the Digital Transformation of Factory Management and Work Styles at the Suntory Kita-Alps Shinano-no-Mori Water Plant
https://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/month/2021/05/210531.html

(4)Hitachi Selected as System Vendor for Demand Response Demonstration Project for the Optimization of Thai Power Supply and Demand Balance
https://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/month/2021/05/210528.html

(5)Hitachi Acquires Kyoto Robotics, a Start-up Developing Intelligent Robotic Systems
https://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/month/2021/04/210408.html

(6)Fujitsu Updates Group Environmental Plan to Achieve Validation of 1.5 C-Aligned Emissions Reduction Targets, Contribute to Sustainable Future
https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2021/0416-01.html

(7)Fujitsu Renews Key Systems for Japan Meteorological Agency, Contributing to Completion of Centralized Virtualization Platform
https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2021/0413-01.html