A STUDY OF THE BIWAKO CANAL PROJECT FROM PROJECT MANAGEMENT POINT OF VIEW

Abstract

It is a well-known fact that Kunimichi Kitagaki appointed Sakuro Tanabe as a construction site supervisor of the BIWAKO Canal project and the construction which began in 1885 (Meiji 18), was completed in 1890 (Meiji 23). Almost all the remaining reports and documents are limited to an explanation of the building process of the BIWAKO Canal, and the management process which describes the decision making process of the then policy makers has not yet been reviewed. Bearing this in mind, this research conducts an economic impact analysis of the BIWAKO Canal and attempts to reveal the aims of the then policy makers, design plans, and the construction processes, which made it possible for the actual project to be completed. Input-output analysis is used for the analysis; however, as the last input-output analysis was created in 1960 (Showa 35), which is many years after the completion of the BIWAKO Canal (1890), the 1960's input-output table cannot be directly applied to the analysis. The RAS process is applied to the 1960's input-output table to forecast the input-output table at the time of 1890 when the BIWAKO Canal was completed. The forecasted input-output table allows quantitatative economic impact analysis and shows the economic changes that occurred due to the completion of the BIWAKO Canal. This research focuses on the interrelationships between the economic changes and the financial plan and the construction process selected by the then policy makers. As a result, the entire management process undertaken for the BIWAKO Canal project is compared with that of current social infrastructure projects in Japan. Finally, the future management direction of Japan's infrastructure is discussed.