Yoichi Miyamoto, chairman of the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors (Nichikenren), Shiichi Oshimi, and Kenji Hasuwa, vice-chairmen, hold a press conference after the annual general meeting held at the Hotel New Otani in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo on April 27. From their respective standpoints, they announced activities to focus on in FY2023 and issues to be overcome. With the private sector in mind, Chairman Miyamoto appealed for an appropriate contract to deal with the rapid rise in material prices.
From the left, Chairman Miyamoto, Vice Chairman Oshimi, and Vice Chairman Hasawa
Regarding the current situation surrounding the industry, Miyamoto said, "We cannot dispel concerns about whether we can pass on the unprecedented surge in material prices and labor wage increases." While paying close attention to the discussions of the Central Construction Industry Council (Chukenshin), which discusses the improvement of the contract format based on these issues, "The Japan Federation of Construction Workers' Federation will also offer constructive opinions and make it possible for the construction industry to continue into the future. I want to continue," he said.
He also mentioned that the amount of construction orders for member companies announced on the same day was the highest in the past 20 years (16.9146 trillion yen) in 2010. "Although there is a large amount of work, it is undeniable that each company's profit margin has been declining due to intensifying competition since two to three years ago," he said. "The biggest issue is that we haven't been able to fully pass on the (rapidly changed) prices and processes," he said.
Vice-Chairman Oshimi, Chief of Civil Engineering Headquarters, announced that he would focus on securing a public works budget centered on national resilience measures. He called for the formulation of a new long-term development plan showing the schedule and scale of projects, which will succeed the five-year acceleration measures for disaster prevention, mitigation, and national resilience.
Hasuwa, vice chairman of the building construction division, emphasized that responding to the upper limit of overtime work with penalties, which will come into effect in April 2012, is "the most important issue in the construction field." She indicated that it is necessary to set an appropriate construction period.
