The water and toilets we use every day. Supporting their safety in unseen places is "Higashi Sangyo Co., Ltd." in Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture. This company, which received the "Mie Sustainable Management Award," introduces its efforts to protect "water infrastructure" and value its employees.

The work of protecting essential "water infrastructure" for daily life

Higashi Sangyo, based in Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture, supports infrastructure directly connected to our daily lives, including maintenance and cleaning of septic tanks, and management of water and sewage facilities and wastewater treatment equipment.

(Mr. Takuya Hirata, Director, Higashi Sangyo)
"What we do is maintain and clean septic tanks, manage water and sewage facilities, and wastewater treatment facilities, protecting the water infrastructure essential for daily life."

Water is indispensable in all aspects of daily life. Higashi Sangyo, which develops water infrastructure, literally supports local life from the "ground up."

Infiltrating a simulated manhole inspection site!

Yoshi, fully equipped, experienced a simulated manhole for training set up within the company. At Higashi Sangyo, employees are sent to actual sites only after thoroughly honing their skills here.

(Yoshi)
"If you look up, you can see that the entrance is round like this. It feels like the space expands from there. If you look sideways, there's a sewer pipe, and another sewer pipe below it."

Furthermore, a special camera with wheels is used to inspect the inside of sewer pipes. The camera, lowered to the bottom of the manhole, is remotely operated from inside a vehicle to check the condition of the pipe.

The joints of sewer pipes are checked particularly carefully! This is a critical area that cannot be overlooked, as misalignment can lead to water leakage.

During the inspection, foreign objects were also discovered, and the shape of the character previously placed was clearly confirmed by the high-precision camera.

(Yoshi)
"Through such inspections, the maintenance of sewer pipes can be properly ensured."

Sustainable management pursuing ease of work

Sustainable management that embodies employee voices is also a key point. In response to a female employee's feedback that toilets were unavailable during outdoor work, dedicated toilets were installed.

Their exterior design is such that they don't look like toilets at first glance, and a privacy screen is also provided at the entrance. Both were carefully designed to meet the wishes of female employees.

(Ms. Chie Iwamori, Cavity Exploration Division, Higashi Sangyo)
"The inside is very clean and bright, making it easy to use, and it's also nice to be able to quickly tidy myself up when I come back from the field looking disheveled."

Furthermore, in response to the feedback that "it's tough to wash dirty uniforms at home after work," in-house cleaning was introduced. By improving the working environment, the company is creating a workplace where employees can work long-term with peace of mind.

And this spring, the company officially launched a new "cavity exploration business." This technology investigates cavities formed under roads from above ground, an initiative for preventive maintenance to address issues before accidents occur.

(Mr. Takuya Hirata, Director, Higashi Sangyo)
"This spring, we officially started the cavity exploration business, and we decided to introduce exploration technology so that preventive maintenance can also be done from roads."

With both employee comfort and business evolution, Higashi Sangyo's sustainable management continues to deepen.

(Yoshi)
"Today's highlight catchphrase! 'Supporting our water are various improvements and sustainable initiatives!!' Let's use water carefully!"

From CBC TV "Chant!" broadcast on June 3, 2026