JICA’s international cooperation activities are carried out by experts in various fields, both inside and outside of JICA, who are passionate about their work. In “People Tackling International Challenges,” we focus on the stories of these people and delve into their past and future aspirations. In this fourth installment, we introduce Toru Koike, a specialist in disaster prevention.
Toru Koike of Earth System Science, a consulting company in the fields related to disaster prevention, water resource development, and environmental conservation.
Disaster prevention specialist who reads geology
Geology is a phenomenon in the ground, so you can never be sure of the correct answer. But at least the more we walk and look at the site, the more accurate it becomes. In the case of investigating the cause of a slope collapse caused by heavy rain, the more we walk and the more we see the site, the closer we can get to the “truth. That’s what makes it so rewarding.
Mr. Toru Koike of Earth System Science, Inc. is engaged in numerous international cooperation projects conducted by JICA as a development consultant in the field of disaster prevention. He has been involved in nearly 30 projects in the fields of sediment control, river management, and comprehensive disaster management, including hazard mapping for disaster prevention planning and flood control projects.
When JICA conducts development cooperation projects in developing countries around the world, it is essential to have not only JICA staff but also experts and development consultants like Mr. Koike who work in the field with specialized knowledge and skills. They stay in the field for a long period of time, working with the government and local government officials on a daily basis to understand the development issues faced by the country, and to study and propose solutions to them.
Visited mudslide-stricken areas in Sri Lanka and discussed with local officials on measures needed in the future.
From Part-Time Worker to Overseas Cooperation Volunteer and Disaster Prevention Professional
Mr. Koike specializes in geology. He chose this field after participating in a part-time geological survey as a student, where he “enjoyed walking around the mountains carrying a tent and hitting rocks with a hammer to examine the strata. It was this part-time job that led me to Earth System Science, where I later found employment upon graduation from college, and where I currently serve as Director and Head of the Disaster Prevention Division.
On the other hand, I have longed to work abroad since I was a child. While in college, he climbed the Alps in Switzerland, traveled to India and Nepal, which he laughed at as “standard student fare,” and visited South America.
After several years as a company employee, Mr. Koike still wanted to fulfill his dream of working abroad, so he chose to join JICA’s Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. The founder of the company wanted young people to go abroad as much as possible, so he was sent to Bhutan for two years as an Overseas Cooperation Volunteer while still working at the company.
In Bhutan, I worked for the Department of Geology and Mines of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, where I was involved in geological surveys, my specialty. During the dry season, I spent two to three months conducting field surveys, and during the rainy season, I spent my days in the office analyzing data. He says that he learned to accept the differences between himself and the local people, and that he was able to build relationships with the people he worked with, although he laughs that he “often got into fights” over how to proceed with his work.
Working together to create disaster prevention measures that lead to development
Subsequently, the company embarked on a full-scale JICA development cooperation project, and Mr. Koike himself participated in a project in Thailand in 2006. In addition to his original specialty of landslide countermeasures (slope disaster and erosion control), he has also been involved in areas such as integrated disaster prevention, river management, and risk assessment.
We work together with local officials to discuss what countermeasures should be taken against risks such as floods and cliff collapses, how to respond in the event of a disaster, and what can be done to eliminate the risks in the first place, while providing advice and suggestions for better results. We will continue to discuss these issues while providing advice and suggestions to improve the results. Koike’s role is to train people to be involved in disaster management and to strengthen disaster management institutions through this process.
Workshop for disaster management administrators in Vietnam. Using a model of the terrain to understand where the disaster risks are.
In these activities, Mr. Koike is conscious of the question, “What are the issues? In these activities, Mr. Koike is conscious of “What are the issues? He says that daily interactions often bring to light new issues and needs that were not apparent before. I think it is a rewarding and important role of a development consultant to be able to make new proposals for further development, rather than just completing the project at hand, such as expanding the scope of the project or proposing it as a separate business.
He analyzes how the country can develop, makes a plan, and implements it. To this end, Koike says, it is important not only to pass on knowledge and skills, but also to create “sustainable disaster prevention measures” that can be managed by local people alone, even after Koike and JICA have left the country.
Walking and seeing for yourself is better than hearing and seeing for yourself.
In many JICA projects, local officials are invited to Japan to learn about the issues that the project deals with by observing and listening to the history and current state of development in Japan, the voices of the government and local residents involved, and the operation of related facilities, if any. In many cases, training programs are provided for participants to learn by seeing and hearing about the history and current state of development in Japan, the voices of the government and local residents involved, and the operation of related facilities, if any. Seeing is believing, and having people come to Japan to see and experience is the quickest and most effective way to transfer technology.
In May of this year, about 10 people in charge of a flood control project in Sri Lanka visited Japan. Until then, he had asked government officials and experts at the destination to provide explanations, but on this occasion, Koike himself decided to give lectures wherever he went. He spent a lot of time preparing in advance, such as spreading out a map of the basin on the bus during the trip and preparing panels to explain the project.
In flood control, it is necessary to understand the historical background of the river, and what kind of ideology the river is based on today. We thought the most effective way to do this was to actually walk alongside the river, from the uppermost to the downstream, and see it with our own eyes. Koike, who is well versed in local issues and needs, himself provided commentary, which elicited an unprecedented response from the participants.
Explaining to the participants from Sri Lanka about the river project of the Ota River in Hiroshima Prefecture, using panels of his own making.
In order to build training programs that will lead to practical application by participants in the future, Koike says he must first deepen his own knowledge. Recently, he has been eagerly participating in study groups on rivers himself. There is a difference between what I have acquired as knowledge and what I have experienced firsthand in discussing the characteristics of rivers and flood control projects, and I am a trainee myself,” he says.
Trust-based “frontier development”
Koike says that JICA’s international cooperation activities are a place where he can use his skills and knowledge in disaster prevention to fulfill his social responsibility. I can use my own skills and knowledge in development projects, which are concrete activities to create the future of a country. It is very unusual and exciting, and I think that is the best part of international cooperation.
Development projects in developing countries resemble “frontier development,” according to Koike. It is similar to the development of a new land, like the pioneering of Hokkaido in the past,” he says. It is essential to have an idea or grand design of what the country (or region) should be like,” he said. But of course, every country has its own history and culture. We must first study the country thoroughly and then talk with them. It is important to build a relationship of trust by seriously considering the other party’s position and way of thinking, and then work together to find a way to solve the problem.
After assuming the position of Director in 2019, Mr. Koike continued to participate in each project as a project leader and is still involved in projects in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Ecuador, etc. He stays in a country for about a month, returns home, and goes to the next country again…. I spend half of the year traveling around the world.
We will develop human resources who will be active in the future, study and accumulate technological and management skills, and develop them in a sustainable manner. Furthermore, we are also working to strengthen our management base for this purpose – exactly what we are doing in international cooperation is required of our company. And the initiatives and insights we gain at the company can be applied to international cooperation as well.
Mr. Koike says he will continue to balance his participation in JICA projects and company operations, and “aim high in both. With his own skills and knowledge, Mr. Koike will never stop moving toward the frontier.
Koike says he is always conscious of “What are the issues? Koike says he is always conscious of “What are the issues?
Toru Koike
Director and General Manager of Disaster Prevention Division, Earth System Science Co. He gained knowledge and experience in civil engineering and geology through part-time work at the company while a student at Hokkaido University, and joined the company after graduation. After graduation, he joined the company and engaged in geological and slope disaster prevention surveys related to the construction of dams and tunnels, etc. For two years from 2000, he was dispatched to Bhutan as a JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteer. After returning to Japan, he was mainly involved in disaster recovery projects, and joined JICA’s international cooperation projects in 2006. He has been engaged in a wide range of projects in the field of disaster prevention, including landslide countermeasures, comprehensive disaster prevention, and river management. Currently, he is in a position to lead projects as an operations manager, and will be appointed as a director in 2019, aiming for a higher level in both international cooperation activities and company management.
Earth System Science, Inc.
A consulting firm in the fields of disaster prevention, water resources development, and environmental conservation. The company has been involved in numerous JICA projects, and currently 80% of its total work is overseas. The company also receives commissions from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
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