Top > What's up around the Prime Minister > July, 2005

Prime Minister Tours around the National Diet Building Friday, July 29, 2005 JAPANESE Click photographs to enlarge In the morning of July 29, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made a tour around the National Diet Building and observed the water-retentive pavement device and sprinklers as well as the Toranomon Shaft of the Hibiya underground conduit. A set of sprinklers is installed along the road in between the National Diet Building and the Diet Members' Office Building to sprinkle water on the road as a measure against the "heat island" phenomenon in the urban centers. The sprinklers are intended to prevent the "heat island" phenomenon as the surface of the road coated with water-retentive pavement is cooled by the water sprinkled from the center divider. The devices which utilize natural energy and water-retentive pavement are installed around the National Diet Building. When receiving an explanation on the devices through the use of panels and monitors, Prime Minister Koizumi asked questions such as "For how long is the sprinkler running?" with a serious expression on his face. Prime Minister Koizumi then visited the Hibiya underground conduit in Toranomon. He descended about 40 meters from the ground level on an elevator. There he received an explanation on the underground conduit that collectively stores key infrastructure such as electricity, water supply and telecommunication networks. With its firm structure, the lifeline powers will be ensured even in times of an earthquake. View Video (Available only in Japanese) Real(Narrowband) / Real(Broadband) Windows Media(Narrowband) / Windows Media(Broadband)