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| New Terminal at Tan Son Nhat International Airport Completed Kajima has completed construction of a new terminal at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, the center of the Vietnamese economy. Service from the terminal began on August 14. Tan Son Nhat Airport handles the largest passenger volume in Vietnam, situated in an ideal location about 20 minutes by car from the city center. In order to expand passenger demand and to improve service, the existing terminal was devoted to domestic flights, and a new terminal constructed to handle international traffic. Construction was supported by a special yen loan provided as part of Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA). Kajima began work on the joint venture project in September 2004, handling the civil engineering, construction and facilities work, as well as the installation of special airport facilities, a sewage treatment center and fuel pipelines -- everything except for the runways and control tower. Kajima also built the surrounding infrastructure, including access roads and parking areas. The new terminal building is a reinforced concrete and partial steel construction, with four above-ground stories. It boasts approximately 100,000 square meters (1,077,000 square feet) of floor space, consisting of a passenger building with an extensive check-in counter stretching 44 meters (144 feet), along with eight boarding gates and lounges. Surrounded by greenery and water, the airport has an open feel. The completion of the new airport terminal raises expectations for the further sustainable economic development of Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam. |
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| Kajima Completes Construction of Hitachi's Flat-Screen Television Plant in the Czech Republic Kajima has built a new production plant for Hitachi Home Electronics (Czech), s.r.o. in the Industrial Zone Triangle city of Zatec in the Usti region of the Czech Republic. The new factory will help meet the rapidly growing demand for flat-screen televisions driven by the wide-spreading Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) broadcasting in Europe. This is Hitachi's first production plant for flat-screen televisions (plasma and LCD) in Europe. The 44,519-square-meter (480,000-square-feet) site has a building area of 37,075 square meters (400,000 square feet) that contains a television final assembly plant, plasma display module assembly plant, warehouses for components and finished products, as well as an office building. Kajima acquired the planning, building, and trial run permits, and handled the actual construction. Despite difficulties during the permit application process that necessitated coordination with the work environment requirements of the Hygiene Authority, the construction was completed on time in approximately eight months from groundbreaking by speeding up work during the bitterly cold winter months, effective staged handovers, and quick responses to design changes. The plant began operating in August. |
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| Work Begins to Preserve and Restore the Marunouchi Building of Tokyo Station The Marunouchi Building of Tokyo Station is the gateway to the capital city of Tokyo. The emblematic north and south domes, and red-brick construction was designed by Kingo Tatsuno (1854-1919), the father of modern architecture in Japan. The station is the largest brick building in Japan, and has been designated as an important cultural property. Long the symbol of the capital, it is a structure beloved by Tokyoites. In May work began to restore the building to its original 1914 condition with the renovation of the roof and third-story gables destroyed during World War II. This project was awarded to Kajima as part of a joint venture by East Japan Railway Company, with construction scheduled for completion in March 2012. During restoration of the dome section to the original design depicted in old photographs and literary documents, the existing materials on the first and second stories are being preserved as much as possible. The interior of the station building will include the same station, hotel and gallery spaces of the existing building--with the gallery in particular offering a comfortable space for close interaction with the exhibits. The design will accommodate modern station functions, while the framework for two of the underground floors will be newly installed to enhance earthquake resistance and other improvements made to increase safety and convenience. Several redevelopment projects are currently underway in the area around Tokyo Station, with a joint venture including Kajima developing two high-rise buildings on the opposite Yaesu exit side. The restoration of Tokyo Station will ensure that this cultural asset and historic building remains for future generations, and will create a stately urban space for the capital city. |
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| A Historic Third Year in a Row! Kajima Wins the 32nd New York Japan Club Baseball Tournament The championship game of the 32nd New York Japan Club Baseball Tournament was held on July 29, again this year at the Staten Island Yankee Stadium, the home field of the New York Yankees' minor league team. Kajima U.S.A. Inc. (KUSA) defeated PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) by a score of 5 to 4, winning the tournament for the third consecutive year, a first in the history of the competition. The Most Valuable Player, also for the third time, was Masashi Katayama. The tournament was established in 1976 to commemorate the U.S. bicentennial, with the contest aiming to foster Japan-U.S. friendship through sports. Twenty-four teams participated this year, with KUSA taking part for the 18th consecutive year. Kajima's team reached the final following wins over Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc., Marubeni America Corp., and ITOCHU International Inc. Befitting a championship game, the final match came down to a single run. KUSA took a three-run lead in the top of the third inning, with the score becoming 4 to 1 as each team scored a run. KUSA's Masashi Katayama was pitching a great game until the seventh inning, when PwC tied the game. The game seemed to be going toward PwC, but in the eighth the heavy-hitting Masamichi Iwata, stepping up to the plate with one out and runners on second and third, brought in the go-ahead run with an RBI. KUSA's skillful play allowed it to hang on for the win. This third victory was achieved on the back of the belief that head coach and 18- year baseball veteran Hideya Marugame has in his players, along with positive team communication, and has truly ushered in the "Kajima Era" for the tournament. |
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| President Nakamura Tours Dubai and Algeria Kajima President Mitsuyoshi Nakamura toured the Company's overseas worksites in July, visiting Algeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Amid the midsummer heat in both countries -- particularly Dubai where temperatures regularly exceeded 40°C -- the visits fulfilled the president's desire to offer encouragement to employees. The Dubai Metro Project in the UAE is for construction of an urban transport system in the Emirate of Dubai, for which Kajima as part of joint venture is handling the design and construction of approximately 55 kilometers (34 miles) of elevated track, 13 kilometers (8 miles) of subway line, and 41 station buildings. Completion is scheduled for March 2010. During the dinner meeting, the president listened intently to the accounts of issues related to the importing of key equipment and materials from overseas, as well as the challenges of management and communication over such a widespread construction area. The East-West Algeria Highway project is an expressway approximately 1,200 kilometers (744 miles) in length, stretching across Algeria from east to west. Construction is divided into three sections, of which the eastern 400- kilometer (248-mile) section is being managed by Kajima as part of a joint venture. During his visit, President Nakamura reasserted the importance of the project being conducted under General Manager Minoru Ishida, noting, "This region is a new market, and I also look at it as the development of human assets through the experience gained by so many employees." The project is scheduled for completion in February 2010. |
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 Vol. 42 Autumn 2007
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