15 Whitehall office
Change of Staff from April 2024
With the end of the fiscal year comes the annual change of staff at JLGC. After two years in the UK, four Assistant Directors have returned to their respective local authorities in Japan: Ms Itsuka Fukuda from Gifu Prefectural Government, Mr Kohei Hata from Kobe City Government, Mr Atsuya Nakagomi from Yamanashi Prefectural Government and Mr Takaaki Nishida from Wakayama Prefectural Government.
Thankfully, such numerous farewells also come with welcomes. This April, JLGC staff will be joined by three new staff: Ms Miyuki Nomura from Gifu Prefectural Government, Mr Yutaro Imagawa from Nagano Prefectural Government and Ms Haruka Midorikawa from Motomiya City Government will join us. Although the rest of the staff at JLGC was sorry to see colleagues leave, they wish them all the best in their future endeavours. JLGC staff are also glad to welcome their new colleagues and look forward to working with them to continue supporting the internationalisation work of Japanese local and regional governments overseas.
Activity Support
JLGC continues to support internationalisation efforts by various local governments in Japan. In recent months, several activities supported have included:
- Publicising details of the “World Masters Games 2021 Kansai,” a lifelong sports festival held in Kansai, through the office’s website and SNS channels.
- Promoting the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 by displaying expo merchandise and distributing flyers at JLGC’s event booths.
- Supporting the Tokyo-London Financial Seminar co-hosted by Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the City of London, including assistance with event promotion and visits to related agencies
- Support for FinCity.Tokyo roundtable with Japan Financial Services Agency Vice Minister held in JLGC
JLGC Online Seminars
JLGC regularly holds online seminars for local government professionals and audiences in Japan led by experts across a range of topics related to local governance and finance in the UK and Europe.
The most recent seminar, ‘Financial Promotion of the City of London as Finance District’ by Midori Yamauchi (Innovation, Growth, Trade and Investment Advisor at the City of London, seconded from Tokyo Metropolitan Government), can now be viewed here on our office YouTube channel.
The seminar aims to introduce the governance and workings of the City of London Corporation, the unique historic local authority for the ‘square mile’ centre of the British capital, as well as the emerging Tokyo-London city-to-city partnership around financial services.
The event, at just over one hour in length, can be understood by non-Japanese speakers using the subtitles option for English in settings.
Previous expert-led sessions as part of our online seminar series have included pedestrian-centred urbanism, innovation and startups in Finland, urban development in the UK, digital transformation in Danish government and the role of local governments in the Sustainable Development Goals.
JLGC regular online seminars can be viewed here (Japanese audio only; set subtitles to display English)
PR Activity
Recent PR support for Japan’s local authorities has included promoting Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s regular articles about pioneering policies and initiatives, as well as the attractions of Tokyo including its nature and culture, regularly issuing and sending an English newsletter to some 70 leading cities overseas and all the embassies and representative offices in Tokyo.
New editions of ‘WHAT’S UP’ are now available online for reading:
Feb 16, 2024
WHAT’S UP vol. 43 International meeting held for city officials / Tokyo Ambassadors Night held for embassies and representative offices in Tokyo
Dec 14, 2023
WHAT’S UP vol. 42 International meeting for city officials to be held! / Launch of Tokyo Innovation Base, the base for start-up support
Nov 8, 2023
WHAT’S UP vol. 41 SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 – Asia’s Largest Innovation Event! / Upcoming international conference on the social implementation of hydrogen energy by 2030
Oct 6, 2023
WHAT’S UP vol. 40 G-NETS Working Groups Plenary Meeting held / TIME TO ACT FORUM 2023 Energy Decarbonization
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; download the recipe card here.
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. Our PR activities are available on our social media channels on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram, and our website blog.
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showcases Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) on JET
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, oversees the Japanese administrative system and manages local governments, elections, telecommunication, post, and governmental statistics. JLGC and CLAIR HQ in Tokyo report to the ministry as an agency under its jurisdiction. It is also one of the three ministries involved in managing the JET Programme and oversees many aspects of the project.
Explore the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ latest compilation showcasing extraordinary achievements by Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) on the JET Programme. Dive into this invaluable resource to gain insights into innovative approaches that can significantly enhance the impact of ALTs in educational settings. If you’re in the role of ALT or seeking inspiration for maximizing their contribution, this collection of case studies is a must-read.
Explore best practices in ALT utilisation by accessing the English version here:
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000905422.pdf
Or the Japanese version here:
https://www.soumu.go.jp/kokusai/kouryu_JET_jirei.html
LGIU Report on Local Government Finance in Japan
The Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) Local Democracy Research Centre has commissioned a comparative study of local finance systems among several G7 nations in the UK, Germany, Italy and Japan, led by Dr Kevin Muldoon-Smith of Northumbria University and Dr Mark Sandford of the House of Commons Library.
Their report published in January (with the assistance of JLGC) is a first-of-its-kind in-depth comparative study of local finance systems in Japan and England, their operating context and constitutional framework.
The report can be downloaded here:
https://lgiu.org/publication/a-systematic-analysis-of-local-government-finance-in-japan/
Nikkei Glocal article on Night Time Enterprise Zones in London
An article by JLGC’s Andrew Stevens has been published in the March edition of the Japanese public executive magazine Nikkei Glocal on the role of London’s ‘Night Czar’ and the new Night Time Enterprise Zones promoted during her time in office.
The article looks at the post-pandemic challenges faced by the hospitality sector in London and the role of such interventions by the Mayor of London and the Night Czar in addressing these vis-a-vis the statutory role of the boroughs in licensing. This was also later reprinted in the Journal of the Institute of Transportation Economics.
Nikkei Glocal is published by the Nikkei Inc. Research Institute of Industry and Regional Economy, which aims to foster creative regions in Japan. Its series of reporting on local initiatives outside of Japan is compiled through the cooperation of Japanese overseas agencies such as embassies, trade missions and international representatives (e.g. CLAIR).
