Akira Aoyama facts for kids
Akira Aoyama (born September 23, 1878, died March 21, 1963) was a famous Japanese civil engineer. He was like a master builder who helped design and build important water projects in Japan.
He led big projects for rivers like the Arakawa River in Tokyo and the Shinano River in Niigata. He also played a key role in building the amazing Panama Canal far away!
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Early Life and Education
Akira Aoyama was born in 1878 in Iwata, a town in Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture. After finishing elementary school there, he moved to Tokyo.
In Tokyo, he attended middle school and then First High School. These schools later became part of the University of Tokyo. In 1903, he graduated from the University of Tokyo. His main subject was civil engineering, which is about designing and building things like roads, bridges, and canals. While at the university, he became a Christian.
Working on the Panama Canal
After graduating, Aoyama traveled to the United States. A professor from his university wrote a letter for him to William Hubert Burr. Mr. Burr taught civil engineering at Columbia University. At that time, Burr was part of the group planning the Panama Canal. He suggested that Aoyama work on the canal project.
Aoyama first worked for the railroad in Panama. Then, he became a land surveyor for the canal's construction. Surveyors measure the land to help engineers plan where to build. Akira Aoyama later became a leader of one of these survey teams. He is the only Japanese person known to have helped build the Panama Canal.
In 1911, he went back to Japan for a visit. However, he never returned to Panama. This was because the relationship between the United States and Japan became difficult.
Back in Japan: River Projects
In 1912, Aoyama started working for the Japanese government's Home Ministry. For 19 years, he led the building of a special drainage canal for the Arakawa River in Tokyo. This canal helped control floods and manage water.
In 1927, a major accident happened at the Ōkōdu diversion facility on the Shinano River in Niigata. This facility helped control the river's flow. Aoyama became the manager to fix it. He oversaw the construction of the Ōkōdu diversion canal, which was finished in 1931. This was a very important project for flood control.
In 1934, Aoyama was given a high position as the fifth Engineer of the Home Ministry. In this role, he started a new way of managing Japanese rivers for many different purposes. This idea was first suggested by Nagaho Monobe. From 1935, Aoyama was the President of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers. After he retired in 1946, he continued to advise Tokyo's committee on water quality.
Today, you can find an exhibition about Akira Aoyama and his work on the Panama Canal at the Arakawa Museum of Acqua in Tokyo. He passed away in 1963 at his home in Iwata.
Interesting Story
Towards the end of World War II, the Japanese Imperial Navy was worried. They thought that the Allied warships might move from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. This could happen if Nazi Germany was defeated.
The Navy wanted to ask Aoyama for advice on how to quickly destroy the Panama Canal. But Aoyama refused to help them. He is said to have replied, "I know how to build the Panama Canal, but I do not know how to destroy it."
See Also
In Spanish: Akira Aoyama para niños
