(ぜんこく)

nationwide; the whole country

(ある)

a certain (some)

(はし)

bridge

(とんねる)

tunnel

(ろうきゅうか)

deterioration with age; becoming dilapidated

(もんだい)

problem

(こくどこうつうしょう)

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

(けんせつ)

construction

(ごじゅうねん)

fifty years

(いじょう)

more than; beyond this

(たつ)

to pass (of time)

(ぜんたい)

the whole / overall

(やく)

approximately, about

(よんわり)

forty percent

(しめる)

to account for, to occupy

(じゅうねんご)

ten years from now

(ななわり)

seventy percent

(ちかい)

near / close

(みこみ)

prospect, expectation, likelihood

(じちたい)

local government / municipality

(ごねん)

five years

(いちど)

once, one time

(てんけん)

inspection

(ぎむづける)

to make mandatory, to require by law

(ぎじゅつしゃ)

engineer; technician

(ふそく)

shortage; insufficiency

(ひよう)

expense, cost

(ふたん)

burden, bear (cost)

(おもい)

heavy

(しゅうり)

repair

(おいつく)

to catch up

(とおる)

to pass through

(すくない)

few, scarce

(そこで)

and so, therefore

(どろーん)

drone

(せんさー)

sensor

(かつよう)

utilization, making good use of

(こうりつ)

efficiency

(とりくみ)

efforts, initiatives

(ひろがる)

to spread

(せんもんか)

expert, specialist

(かぎる)

to limit; to restrict

(よさん)

budget

(なか)

inside

(ゆうせんじゅんい)

priority, order of priority

(つける)

to attach / put on

(なおす)

to fix; to repair

(かかせない)

indispensable; essential

(してき)

pointing out, indication

(かだい)

issue, problem, challenge

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる. Can describe an action in progress or a state resulting from a past change.

according to ...

Cites a source of information. The noun before によると is the source. Often followed by a reported statement.

to become

Expresses a change of state; Kawai became the new commissioner of the Sports Agency.

potential / can (ru-verb)

The potential form expresses ability or possibility. Here, used in the negative, it describes elderly people who cannot quit driving.

on top of that, in addition to ~

Connects two facts that pile up in the same direction, usually both bad. 紙の本を買う人が減ったうえに、…利益はもともと少ない stacks falling sales on top of already thin margins.

without ~ing

In 「分からず」 it means without understanding the meaning of signs, leading to accidents.

to become no longer / to disappear

Indicates a change where something ceases to exist or can no longer be done. Here it describes that prayer gatherings can no longer be held in Hong Kong.

there are not a few ~, quite a few ~

A double negative used in news writing to say a number is significant without giving a figure. Here it means quite a few bridges are still closed.

to go on doing / continue to (from now)

In '増えていく' – 'will continue to increase (into the future)'. Indicates continuing trend going forward.

老朽化した橋の点検が課題になる

Inspecting aging bridges is becoming a challenge

全国にある橋やトンネルの老朽化が問題になっています。

The aging of bridges and tunnels around the country is becoming a problem.

国土交通省によると、建設から五十年以上たった橋は全体の約四割を占め、十年後には七割近くになる見込みです。

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, bridges built more than fifty years ago account for about forty percent of the total, and in ten years the figure is expected to be close to seventy percent.

自治体は五年に一度の点検を義務づけられていますが、技術者が不足しているうえ、費用の負担も重くなっています。

Local governments are required to carry out an inspection once every five years, but on top of a shortage of engineers, the cost burden is also getting heavier.

修理が追いつかず、通れなくなったままの橋も少なくありません。

Repairs cannot keep up, and there are quite a few bridges that remain closed to traffic.

そこで、ドローンやセンサーを活用して効率よく点検する取り組みが広がっています。

So efforts to inspect efficiently by making use of drones and sensors are spreading.

専門家は「限られた予算の中で、優先順位をつけて直していくことが欠かせません」と指摘しています。

An expert points out, "Within a limited budget, it is essential to set priorities and repair them one by one."