15 Whitehall office
Change of Staff, Summer 2023
Director General Mr Yasuyuki Suzuki’s secondment in London will conclude at the beginning of July and he will return to Tokyo to take up a new role at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the government ministry responsible for local and regional government in Japan. In his place, the office will see the arrival of Mr Akira Matsutani, also seconded from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, to commence his secondment as Director General of JLGC London.
JLGC would like to thank everyone who supported Director General Suzuki during his stay in the UK and for the continued cooperation with our activities and events under his tenure. We look forward to the opportunity for Director General Matsutani to meet and work with colleagues in the UK and Europe, where we work, on future projects to further strengthens links between our stakeholders and partners here and local government in Japan.
Surveys and Research
JLGC continues to support internationalisation efforts and research by various local governments in Japan. In recent months, several commissions have included:
- Governance of city regions and fiscal transfers in Germany
- Promotion of public access Wi-Fi for tourists in London
- Cyclist safety legislation in European cities
- Illuminations and projections on the Parliamentary Estate during the King’s Coronation
- Water governance in the United Kingdom
JLGC Online Seminars
JLGC welcomed Ms Ryoko Mutasono, COO of Lives London Limited, which operates Wagumi. This London design shop handles traditional Japanese crafts and artisan products and learned from customers’ purchasing trends and inspections. With examples, she talked about craft trends and changes in consumer lifestyles in the UK.
Wagumi, which started business in 2011, has a store in an area famous for its cultural facilities, such as the National Theatre and Tate Modern, with customers from many nations interested in crafts visiting the store. Based on the experience of supporting the development of overseas sales channels for traditional crafts by many Japanese local governments and selling products to museums and department stores in London, from a different perspective from products popular with foreigners visiting Japan, she explained the characteristics of “Japanese products and crafts that attract Europeans” with various data and on-site case studies.
JLGC hosts regular online seminars for professionals in Japan, which can be seen here (Japanese audio; and YouTube settings can be changed to give English subtitles)
PR Activity
Recent PR support for Japan’s local authorities has included details of the latest Tokyo Metropolitan Government International Affairs Email newsletter and promoting the opening of applications for the World Aquatics Masters Kyushu in Fukuoka. Also announced was the U7 Group of city networks, formed by Core Cities UK in conjunction with Japan’s Mayors Association of Designated Cities (MADC) and other national city networks from among the G7.
The G7 Hiroshima Summit 2023 was held in Japan in May and saw the first-ever inclusion of subnational governments in the G7 process, announced by the U7 last month. The third annual U7 Mayors Summit was held in Tokyo this March. An interview with MADC Chair and Kobe Mayor Kizo Hisamoto following the U7 Summit can be read here.
Our ‘Local Eyes Japan’ continues to introduce regional foods of Japan and recipes and promote regional tourism. Recent posts have given recipes from the 47 prefectures, including Nyu-men noodles from Nara Prefecture, an excellent dish for hot weather which is generally eaten cold, as well as Soba-mesh, stir-fired rice and yakisoba noodles in a spicy sauce from Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture.
Posts are all from staff and colleagues in the regions of Japan, off-the-beaten-track tips and information that travellers won’t find at the more well-known destinations. All promotions by the office can be seen on our social media channels on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, as well as on our website blog.
JLGC at Hyper Japan 2023, 21-23 July
JLGC will join the exhibitors and performers next month at the UK’s biggest J-culture event at London’s Olympia on 21-23 July. The event introduces the diversity of contemporary Japan, from manga and anime to music, fashion, food, traditional culture, gaming, technology, tourism and more. In addition to a fantastic line-up of exhibitors (companies and Japanese local government), the event is jam-packed with individual exhibitors, stage performances, workshops, seminars and more.
JLGC’s stand will provide tourist information directly from the regions of Japan, as well as give visitors a chance to pick up some unique free gifts and goods from the 47 prefectures and brochures and offer advice on travelling inside Japan. Visit us at booth No. G12 ground floor.
JETAA UK chapters’ pre-departure events throughout the country
Attention all JET Programme Alumni! JETAA UK will organise a series of events throughout the UK for new JETs departing for their new roles throughout Japan later in the summer. Details will be uploaded to the JETAA UK website here at www.jetaa.org.uk with chapters in Scotland, the Northeast of England, the Northwest of England, the Midlands and London – it’s an excellent opportunity for alumni to meet and talk to new JETs about life in Japan on the programme. Search for your JETAA chapter on Facebook, where details will also be confirmed.
Japan Study Tour 2024 details to be announced next month
JLGC London each year invites senior executives in local government and staff working in the public sector within the jurisdiction of the countries covered by our office (the UK, Republic of Ireland and other countries within Northern Europe) to Japan for a week-long tour and series of seminars and workshops: to exchange best practice, opinions and information on the current state and issues of local autonomy, and to deepen understanding of each other’s local autonomy systems.
This year’s theme will be announced next month, as well as the itinerary and the host authority in Japan. The tour will give a general overview of local government in Japan and an opportunity to look at the division of roles between different levels of local authorities and the services they deliver.
Application forms can be downloaded next month on the JST page of our website here.
