With the globalization of markets and increasing complex supply chains, a company's business continuity management (BCM) strategies in preparing for disaster have become a vital management issue. This is especially true in Japan, where over 20% of the world's major earthquakes occur. This earthquake-prone country has suffered from quakes many times, with the loss of much life and property. Kajima develops earthquake resistance and other disaster prevention technologies that support its clients' BCM strategies, protecting them from damage caused by earthquakes, as well as fire, lightning and other causes.

Evaluating Earthquake Risk, and Sensing When a Major Tremor Is Imminent
As Japan is a country with frequent earthquakes, earthquake resistance standards have been strengthened following numerous disasters. Researching the degree of earthquake risk for a specific location, however, and the level of damage that can be expected in the event of an earthquake requires several weeks and enormous expense. To overcome these challenges, Kajima has developed a system that allows for easy, instant evaluations with an ordinary personal computer. The program forecasts the likelihood of a major earthquake occurring in a specified location, then compares and analyzes data on the building's construction with that of other structures in the area, providing an estimate of the degree of damage that can be expected, as well as the cost.

If an organization receives a warning even half a minute or so prior to a major tremor, it can take preventive measures, such as evacuation to safe areas, and emergency shutdowns of equipment to protect them from damage. The Company has developed its own unique early warning system that combines the system provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency with more detailed information on foundations and structures, giving pinpoint predictions as to how many seconds remain before a tremor shakes a particular place or building. We are currently exploring practical ways to utilize this system.

Buildings That Will Not Collapse, and Systems That Minimize Shaking
One of the hard-learned lessons from the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake 11 years ago in 1995 was that nearly 90% of the fatalities resulted from crushing or suffocation caused by falling furniture or the collapse of old, fragile buildings. Buildings that did not collapse faced severed lifelines, with wrecked interiors and major damage from the fall of computers and other equipment. Facilities such as hospitals, and the schools serving as evacuation centers lost much of their infrastructure, causing serious problems. To lessen such damage, it is necessary first of all to ensure that a building does not collapse, and at the same time provide a system that minimizes shaking.

Kajima's research and development division has developed the HiDAX system, which controls shaking using hydraulic dampers, base isolation systems for ordinary buildings, as well as earthquake resistance reinforcement and base isolation methods that can be completed without disrupting business operations. The Company has already provided structural response control systems for more than 130 buildings, and base isolation for over 180 buildings, excluding single-family residences.

The effectiveness of Kajima's base isolation technology was clearly demonstrated during the Niigata-ken Chuetsu earthquake, a magnitude 6.8 quake that occurred in late October 2004. The buildings of Hokuriku Academy, an educational institution in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture that utilized the Company's base isolation structure, not only escaped intact but also saw no damage done to equipment or other internal fixtures. Another success was the Niigata Bandaijima Building in Niigata City, which provided a perfect example of the superior performance of a structural response control structure and the HiDAX system. Guests and employees of the hotel on the top floors of the building reported that they felt almost no shaking during the earthquake.

Providing Is Preventing
Kajima also provides a wide range of other disaster control technologies, including the Water Screen Fire Disaster Prevention System, a fire control system that produces a curtain of water and allows for safe evacuation during a fire, and the Faraday earth system, which protects an entire building and its electronic equipment from lightning strikes. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California, an official in Los Angeles declared that the city must accept the cost of preparing for a future disaster. The loss of life, or the shock to the local economy, is not an area for cost control measures. The Company will continue to develop disaster control technology in an effort to provide greater safety and security.