15 Whitehall office
Research and support
Research and consultancy over the summer has covered a wide array of interests on behalf of CLAIR member authorities, several of which included:
- policies to increase the electric bus fleet and charging infrastructure in London
- ethical consumption trends in the UK (Tokushima Prefecture)
- marine conservation and navigation around offshore wind farms
- Fair Trade Towns in the UK and Germany
- IoT and AI applications for forestry management in Austria’s tech ecosystem
Other research involved reporting on the administrative division of local government and governance structure of large-scale cities in the UK and Germany on behalf of Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which has responsibility for local government.
Additional JLGC posts regular updates from TMG’s new city diplomacy platform ‘WHAT’S UP”, introducing a range of public policy announcements and initiatives which can be seen HERE.
Visits and training
Visits over the summer including a meeting with JETAA UK Chairman Rob Gorton to discuss supporting and strengthening links with the alumni association and opportunities to work together more on supporting Japan’s local government international activities with the support of alumni volunteers.
JLGC also organised a familiarisation visit for newly seconded Japanese staff based in our London office to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to look at the facilities, planning and legacy from the Games in 2012. A visit to London City Hall and the London Assembly to watch a session of Mayor’s Question Time and tour of the building was also organised (before its relocation), meeting with several Assembly Members to discuss the recent situation of Afghan refugees in London. We were also kindly hosted at Hertfordshire County Council by the Public Health team for research around the use of behavioural insight tools and ‘nudge’ policy.
Online seminar programme
Over the last three months, JLGC London has held a series of online seminars (link to programme and videos, Japanese only) for local authorities and public sector related staff in Japan, with a seminar titled ‘Current status and prospects of travel to Japan from the UK’ held in collaboration with colleagues from the Japan National Tourist Office London (JNTO). The seminar was held to give local authorities in Japan insight into UK tourist trends concerning visiting Japan, in particular looking to the future with the prospect of travel restriction being relaxed as the pandemic becomes more manageable. Details were shared of recent research and polling done on attitudes of UK consumers on the travel markets and Japan as a destination.
Other seminars included ‘Overseas promotion strategy to compete with Corona; 30 years of experience in the UK’ in which the Japanese consultancy and media services agency based in London Cross Media presented on their range of activities and projects working through the pandemic supporting Japanese organisations in PR and marketing despite the disruption of international travel and commerce over the last two years, with particular success in online events. Another seminar on ‘Supporting local start-ups; case studies in Europe’ was also held looking at support for Japanese start-ups in Europe and cross border business, held in collaboration with CROSSBIE, a Berlin-based company with a focus on bringing Japan and the global start-up ecosystem, of which a full report can be read HERE.
JET Alumni Association events and activities
JETAA Chapters throughout the UK have been organising events in person, including, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, their first truly national cultural event which was a massive success. JETAA UK hosted a Summer Matsuri with a range of in-person workshops and activities all around the country.
Scotland, the North East, the North West and London each hosted an event that was streamed online and intersected with each other.
JET alumni also made a huge contribution to the success of the annual JET Alumni Careers Fair, with alumni panellists and facilitating breakout sessions for JET Programme participants returning from Japan this year, as well as any alumni interested in career development and getting involved in chapter activities. More details of JETAA UK’s event and activities can be seen HERE. As ever, JLGC is very grateful for the hard work and time given by alumni chapters and volunteers who have made great efforts to engage with the alumni community throughout the pandemic.
Nikkei Glocal: local governments’ efforts for digitalisation in the UK
An article by JLGC’s Head of Research and Policy Andrew Stevens has been published in the latest (October 18) edition of the Japanese public executive magazine Nikkei Glocal on the recent history of digital delivery of local public services in the UK. The article looks at the advent of GOV.UK and its Local Digital partners, as well as regional initiatives such as the London Office of Technology and Innovation.
Nikkei Glocal is published by Nikkei Inc.’s Research Institute of Industry and Regional Economy, which aims to foster creative regions in Japan. Its series 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).
