LGA Annual Conference
Our 15 Whitehall office
JLCC staff again attended the Local Government Association Annual Conference 2016 in Bournemouth 5–7 July where the impact of Brexit was being mulled over with the country still absorbing the result and what exactly it means. It was an interesting time for JLGC to take part in the largest local authority related event of the year, and an opportunity to see how local politicians and local government staff come together to share best practice in public policy. JLGC staff members Mariko Kosaka and Itsumi Takakuwa were able to take part in a range of seminars and workshops, Ms Kosaka commenting that “For me it is interesting that one of the LGA’s main activities is networking and training for staff in local government. There are similar organisations like the LGA in Japan; however their main activity is just lobbying the government and related organisations”. Ms Takakuwa reflected “It was impressive that the audience did not just sit and listen but also asked a lot of questions of every speaker and there were positive discussions on various topics such as budgets, welfare, emergency planning and so on. I really got a sense of the strong desire of participants to improve their local area through taking part in the conference.”
JLGC would like to thank our partners and colleagues at the LGA for their support at the conference and in our other activities.
JET Departures 2016
After a two-day orientation at Queen Mary University of London, 149 Assistant Language Teachers and 11 Coordinators for International Relation, totalling 160 new JET Programme participants from the UK, gathered on 15 July in the ballroom of the Embassy of Japan on London’s Piccadilly. They were seen off by a total gathering of around 300 guests at a reception where Japanese Ambassador HE Mr Koji Tsuruoka also awarded five former participants of JET Programme the Ambassador’s Commendation for their contribution since taking part in the scheme. The presentation took place at a reception to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the programme in the presence of this year’s participants prior to their departure for Japan.
The recipients of the award were Dr Peter Cave, Dr Angus Lockyer, Dr Peter Matanle, Dr Chris Hood and Mr Julian Paisey, all of whom worked at schools in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s as what are now called ‘Assistant Language Teachers’. In their subsequent lives and careers they have promoted Japan and the JET Programme. Also saying a few words about the new JETs’ upcoming Japanese adventures were JLGC Director Kazuya Shima who gave the toast and JET Alumni Association UK Chair Sarah Parsons who gave advice to JETs on how to make the most of their experience.
The JET Programme this year reaches its 30th anniversary. The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme is administered through the collaboration of Japan’s local government authorities, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR).
The JET Programme has grown significantly over its 30-year history, with the number of countries participating in the JET Programme growing from four to forty-three, and the number of participants from 848 to 4,786. Since its creation, over 62,000 people from 65 countries have participated in the JET Programme, over 10,000 of them from the UK.
The new JETs flew out to Japan at the end of July, to start their new placements throughout the country at the beginning of September.
Aichi governor promotes the region’s aerospace industries
Aichi governor Mr Hideaki Ohmura visited the UK this July to promote the prefecture’s aerospace industries, accompanied by a group from the prefecture supported by JLGC staff. They invited European aerospace companies that participated in the air show to an event in Farnborough, as well as UK Trade & Investment, UK-based affiliates of Aichi companies and many other companies from different sectors. Governor Ohmura highlighted Aichi’s position with the heaviest concentration of aeronautical industries in Japan. He also informed guests that Mitsubishi Aircraft Cooperation had received orders for 20 MRJ planes from European companies for the first time.
While visiting the U.K. Governor Ohmura also attended The Farnborough Air Show itself, to cheer on Mitsubishi Aircraft Cooperation and Japanese exhibiters. He also visited the exhibition stands of Boeing and Airbus. At Boeing, he discussed their support of MRJ test flights in North America that will start this August, reconfirming their strong relationship with Aichi. At Airbus, he also discussed the strong relationship with their suppliers in Aichi. Tom Williams, CEO of Airbus expected that they will deepen the relationship with Japanese companies, one highlight of the Aichi Governor’s fruitful visit to the UK.
JLGC @ Hyper Japan 2016
JLGC again attended Hyper Japan 2016 at London’s Olympia Grand Convention Complex from July 15 to 17. Staff from Japan’s local authorities manned the stand to give out material and leaflets about travelling in Japan’s regions, as well as information about historical sites, regional cuisine, outdoor sports and all the things possible when travelling in Japan. Staff also handed out questionnaires as a market research exercise, looking at perceptions of Japan and how well different areas were known, what kind of activities people were attracted to and so on.
Fukushima Seminar at UCL
JLGC helped support a UCL symposium at the end of July, with speakers from Fukushima Prefecture and high schools discussing their experience of the Great East-Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011. Disasters occur in many parts of the world every year and this symposium aimed to discuss how to build safety systems and resilience against future disasters. Scientific views of the disaster were discussed along with the human problems it presented by representatives from academia, industry and local government. After a key note presentation by Prof. Peter Salmonds (UCL IRDR), representatives from Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima High School staff as well as a group of students from the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge workshop, all presented on the disaster from their own perspectives. Academics from UCL Institute of Risk and Disaster Reduction also presented on issues including the current state of the nuclear impact, and on the impact of mothers’ health by the disaster.
JLGC also supported the UCL-Japan Young Challenge students throughout the week of the symposium, in London for various exchange activities through the UCL Japan Young Challenge programme, an exciting series of activities bringing together pre-university students from the UK and Japan. During the programme lasting seven days, students from both sides of the globe integrated and engaged together in a series of topic focused activities including a workshop, lectures, and the symposium. The activities were designed to stimulate interest in global issues that are likely to be encountered in the future. The highlight was a Grand Challenge workshop that discussed a topic that is becoming increasingly important in society. This year’s topic was “Humanity in Disasters”, a workshop which accompanied the July symposium, and was an opportunity to provide a unique opportunity to receive lectures by high-profile UCL and international academics.
