On August 1, 2024, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (MLIT) announced the 7th Japan Construction International Award (JapaCon), and the Project for Construction of the International Cooperation and Convention Center in Varanasi, in which Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. (OC Global) was involved, was honored by MLIT. The JapaCon ceremony is scheduled to be held on September 5 at Mita Kaigisho in Tokyo; JapaCon’s motto is Global Showcase of Quality Infrastructure by Japanese Technology.

Commemorative Photo of the Award Winners
Center left: Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism / Mr. Tetsuo Saito
Center right: Counsellor, Embassy of India / Mr. Karun Bansal
Right: Head of the Judging Committee / Dr. Shigeru Morichi
Second from the left: CEO, President of OC Global / Mr. Eiji Yonezawa

Award Winner Presentation
Project Manager, Deputy Director of the Infrastructure & Industrial Development Division
of OC Global / Ms. Yuko Sasa

Award Ceremony

Center: Counsellor, Mr. Karun Bansal
Right: Mr. Eiji Yonezawa
Left: Ms. Yuko Sasa

The International Cooperation and Convention Center in Varanasi was developed as a “symbol of Japan-India friendship” following the joint statement made by former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Japan-India Summit Meeting in 2015. Later, Prime Minister Modi gave it the nickname “Rudraksh” (the fruit of the peepul tree), with the hope that it would become a symbol of wisdom. BIM (building information modeling) was used in the design and construction of the complex steel structure that supports the fly tower and the three-dimensional curved roof above the hall. OC Global also provided technical guidance on the stage mechanisms, lighting and sound equipment to ensure the safe operation of the theater-style hall, which has 1,200 seats. These efforts were highly evaluated, and led to the JapaCon award in the Construction Projects Category.

Full View of the Varanasi Convention Center

At the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Modi planted a Rudraksh tree

Aid organization: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Responsible organization: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of India (MoHUA), Central Public Works Department (CPWD)
Designer: OC Global and NIKKEN SEKKEI Ltd. (JV)
Constructor: Fujita Corporation
Management and operation: VARANASI Smart City Limited

In addition, the Patimban Port Development Project Access Road Construction, for which OC Global was responsible for the design, and the Eiwa Land Environment Co., Ltd’s water purification system that utilizes oyster shells, which OC Global was involved through the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Overseas Expansion Support Project, also received a JapaCon award.

OC Global is supporting the economic development of the respective countries through the provision of high-quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure. (SDG 9)