Infrastructure Maintenance Award Ceremony

On January 16, 2025, Prime Minister Ishiba attended the 8th Infrastructure Maintenance Award Ceremony held at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Prime Minister said in his address:

“I would like to offer a few words on the occasion of the 8th Infrastructure Maintenance Award Ceremony.

The Infrastructure Maintenance Award is aimed at recognizing outstanding technological development and initiatives in Japan, thereby revitalizing the maintenance industry. In light of its importance, the Prime Minister’s Award was established last fiscal year.

The infrastructure in Japan was developed in large quantities during the period of rapid economic growth. Nearly 40 years have passed since then, resulting in the emergence of the issue of aging infrastructure. The Noto Peninsula Earthquake brought significant damage to water pipes that had not been renewed. This has made us keenly aware of the need for the public and private sectors to utilize digital technologies and take innovative and efficient measures.

I have been informed that the initiative by Fracta Japan Inc., the winner of the Prime Minister’s Award for this fiscal year, has successfully developed a mechanism to assess the degree of deterioration of water pipes and other facilities with efficiency and high precision through the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI). This is a particularly outstanding achievement that will greatly contribute to the promotion of systematic renewal of water and sewage systems as a whole and enhancement of their earthquake resilience as well as the solution of shortages of public and private sector engineers involved in maintenance work. I express my renewed respect for the company’s accomplishment.

I am aware that the number of skilled construction workers peaked at 4.55 million in 1997; however, it fell to approximately 3 million in 2023 from its peak. Amid concerns over growing labor shortages in the future, this initiative raises high expectations that it will make renewal work more efficient and less labor-intensive, for example by enabling workers to assess water pipes and other facilities without excavation, as well as considerably contribute to improving productivity of the construction industry.

Those attending today’s award ceremony today play a central role in sustainable infrastructure maintenance. I express my sincere hope that they will strive to address social issues such as aging infrastructure and worker shortages, work hard for the implementation of new and digital technologies on the ground through further friendly competition, and present significant outcomes here again next year.

Let me conclude my opening remarks by promising to dedicate ourselves to addressing the need to continuously accelerate the recovery and creative reconstruction of the Noto region on the part of the Government and expressing my sincere wish for the continued success and good health of all those present today. Thank you very much and congratulations.”