In January 2025, a sinkhole appeared on a street in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture, drawing attention to our aging infrastructure as a societal challenge. Although alarms had been raised with each major infrastructure accident, comprehensive measures have not yet been implemented. There are concerns that bridges, tunnels, water supply and sewage systems that were built during the period of high economic growth is now rapidly deteriorating. Furthermore, the development of resilient infrastructure to withstand the increasing severity of natural disasters has become an urgent issue. These topics are expected to be focal points in the government's upcoming priority plan for social infrastructure development, and the public and private sectors must work together swiftly to ensure the people's safety and security.

Key challenges are securing human and financial resources, as well as advancing technology development. In particular, the worker shortage due to population decline and an aging society is a critical problem. Infrastructure is crucial for supporting people's lives and economic activities, yet the importance and appeal of this work have not been widely communicated to society. Maintaining a functional infrastructure while enhancing disaster robustness requires urgently raising awareness about the importance of resilient infrastructure and securing a workforce.

At the same time, the utilization and development of new technologies, such as digital technology, are essential. For example, technologies using AI and robots for infrastructure inspection have already been developed, and it is necessary to advance their utilization. We must accelerate these technological developments, in an efficient and effective manner through collaboration among industry, government, and academia.

Meanwhile, to develop our vast social infrastructure with limited human and material resources, a clear long—term master plan is necessary. From this perspective, realizing "Future Design 2040", and its vision for the nation, as well as the development of regional economies and societies, is extremely important. To create a disaster—resilient nation and build communities that address population decline and an aging society, it is crucial to implement policies that go beyond the existing frameworks of local governments, and to develop compact and smart cities through broad regional collaboration.

For the bright future of our country, steady measures for realizing a resilient society and groundbreaking initiatives are required.