Two Dutch Engineers and Improvements of Public Works in Japan

136 years ago two Netherlanders, George Arnold Escher and Johannis de Rijke, came to Japan and established the basis for improvements of Japanese rivers and harbours. Their achievements were analyzed from their correspondences, memoirs and related data remaining in the Netherlands. Their plans/ designs are based on the principle that public facilities should have universal function of the nation's safety and to be used together with flexibility of sustainable improvements responding to changing needs of the time. J. de Rijke never attended any ground-breaking nor inauguration ceremonies of his projects. This is presumably because of his consideration to sovereignty of Japan and personality and human right of the people. This presents their basic philosophy of transfer of technology in public facility improvements to developing countries.