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typhoons and frequent earthąuakes that strike Japan every year without fail bring damage to all parts of our country. The measures necessary to protect constructions from such assaults of naturę is one of the most impor-tant themes for soil mechanics and foundation engineering in Japan.

Soon we will hear a presentation by Professor Fukuoka, President of the Japanese Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, regarding the present status of geotechnical engineering in Japan. Particularly during the last 20 years large-scale civil engineering projects have been constructed one after another here in Japan, and many of these had to be built under almost the poorest soil conditions imaginable. In making such projects feasible, Japanese soil mechanics and foundation engineers have played an important role, which in turn has contributed to the remarkable development of our science and technology. Through some of the reports to be presented here, the technical visits and the post-conference tours, we hope to profit greatly from your professional observations, opinions and criticisms on our approaches to our problems of soil mechanics and foundation engineering.

We sincerely hope that this Tokyo conference opened here today with the participation of scientists and engineers in the field of soil mechanics and foundation engineering from around the world will achieve a fuli exchange of information and deepening of mutual under-standing through the conference's activities, thereby fulfilling the aims of the conference.

In conclusion, on behalf of the Organizing Committee, may I offer every participant here our welcome to Japan and our hopes that you will see Japan, learn morę about Japan, and enjoy Japan during your stay here.

Professor Y. Ochi

Ladies and gentlemen, at the opening ceremony of the Ninth International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, it is my great honor to have an opportunity of extending my congratulations to all the par-ticipants on behalf of the Science Council of Japan.

Firstly I would like to extend a hearty welcome to the President and other executive members of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering and also to the scientists coming over to Japan from many a region of the world to attend this Conference. At the same time I express my heart-felt gratitude to those concerned for their efforts variously madę to support the organi-zation of the Conference.

Soil mechanics and foundation engineering, the main subjects of this Conference, are basically connected with such scientific sectors as civil engineering, architecture and agricultural engineering, and moreover, have proved to be a basie science having a penetrating influence on road construction, bridge building and manufacturing of construction machinery as well as on the produc-tion of iron, Steel, power, city gas and gasoline.

To say particularly of soil problems, the complexity of soil constituents and its formation is so great with an infinite vari-ety of soil properties that it shows dif-ferent geological conditions from region to region. Accordingly, the scientific or technical methods on soil mechanics and foundation engineering seem to have developed specifically from country to country.

In this Conference I expect to learn signifi-cant reports and discussions not only on such complex soil properties as their stress, deformation, strength and dynamics character-istics, but also on the effects of these properties on foundations and structures.

The Conference attended by all the scientists and experts coming from many parts of the world, will bring, I am surę, many great contributions to development of the world-wide field of soil mechanics and foundation engineering and also of its related Sciences and techniąues.

The Science Council of Japan has tried to do its best for the progress and development of Sciences and is convinced of the importance of international exchange in scientific mat-ters morę than any other fields. All the participants are expected to take this opportunity to promote mutual cooperation among nations and make it morę siqnificant in the true sense of the word.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere wishes for a successful conference, needless to say for the brilliant futurę of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering. Thank you.

Professor J. Kerisel

Monsieur le Ministre, Monsieur le Prśsident, Mesdames, Messieurs, Lorsque notre Comite Executif s'est reuni ck Istambuł, il y a deux ans, les perspectives concernant l'ouverture de cette conference internationale, ici h Tokyo, se prśsentaient sous un jour sombre. Des difficultćs se prśsentaient: elles ont toutes etś aplanies et nous avons aujourd'hui la joie d'£tre rśunis tr£s nombreux dans ce 9e Congres International organisś par nos amis japonais.

Dans notre Comite Executif d'il y a deux jours, nous avons reconnu que les difficultes gue je viens d'evoquer n'etaient pas parti-culieres au 9e Congr&s, et nous avons pris, h 1'unanimite, toutes mesures pour qu'il n'en soit plus ainsi a l'avenir. C'est donc sous le signe de 1’assentiment generał et de la collaboration la plus attentive que.debute ce congr&s.

Ce congres se tient dans un pays qui a plus que des lettres de noblesse en m£canique des

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