Newsletter Volume 11, Issue 1 March 2026

IPA Secretariat

The 15th IPA Seminar on Press‑in Engineering was held on February 20, 2026, in Tokyo. The event brought together approximately 240 participants, including policymakers, researchers, engineers, construction contractors, and students.
 
This year's theme, “Countermeasures and Challenges for Aging Underground Infrastructure,” addressed an issue that continues to draw attention worldwide. In Japan in particular, the road collapse in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture, in January 2025 reminded many of the urgent need to strengthen the maintenance and management of underground systems.
 
Speakers from industry, government, and academia were invited to share their insights across a wide range of topics, including administrative practices, geotechnical engineering, construction methods, sensing technologies, and infrastructure management. Their presentations not only highlighted their areas of expertise but also emphasized the importance of cross‑disciplinary collaboration. The passion and sense of responsibility expressed by the speakers made the seminar a meaningful and inspiring event for all who attended.

Seminar Presentation Materials *in Japanese
URL: https://www.press-in.org/ja/page/15thSeminar
 
Seminar Video Recording (IPA members only) *in Japanese
IPA members' site: https://member.press-in.org/en/login
 
Below are the program details and photos from the seminar.
 

Opening Remarks	Dr. Yukihiro Ishihara  Director of IPA
Lecture 1	Overview of the Road Collapse in Yashio City  Mr. Takeo Kitada  Saitama Prefecture
Lecture 2	Mechanism of the Road Collapse in Yashio City  Prof. Jiro Kuwano  Saitama University
Lecture 3	Application of the Press in Method in the Restoration Work for the Road Collapse in Yashio City  Mr. Tsutomu Taniguchi  TAISEI CORPORATION  Mr. Masayuki Kitamura  GIKEN SEKO CO., LTD.
Lecture 4	Current Conditions and Challenges Related to Ground Cavities Caused by Aging Buried Infrastructure  Prof. Reiko Kuwano  Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo
Lecture 5	Latest Trends in Sinkhole Prevention Using Subsurface Cavity Survey Technology  Mr. Masatsugu Saika  GEO SEARCH CO.,LTD.
Lecture 6	A Major Shift in Infrastructure Management Strategies Following the Road Collapse in Yashio City  Prof. Hitoshi Ieda  The National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
Lecture 7	Case Studies on Monitoring Buried Infrastructure  (Online Lecture)  Prof. Kenichi Soga  University of California, Berkeley
Closing Remarks	Dr. Yoshiaki Kikuchi  Director of IPA