Office COVID 19 update
15 Whitehall office
In line with UK Government coronavirus guidance, the JLGC office in London is now open with staff working on a rota system in Whitehall as well as remotely. The office is currently not receiving visitors without prior appointment and this will continue until further notice, please check the official website for updates.
During this period, JLGC London can be contacted by email using our general
mailbox@jlgc.org.uk address or emailing individual staff.
For information concerning the situation in Japan, including foreign language resources, please consult the following websites of CLAIR Tokyo Headquarters:
Information for JET Programme participants
JET careers fair update and enquiry details
JLGC and the JET Alumni Association UK will organise an online career fair, free-to-participate for jobseekers and recruiters alike, aimed at JET participants looking for employment. With pre-fair activities offer recruiters a free dedicated online portal, where participating companies can respond to inquiries by e-mail before and after the fair, together with one-on-one video chat from the participants on the day of the fair. Recruiters can use this totally funded opportunity for companies’ immediate plans to hire and also for future hiring needs.
Date and time: Friday, October 23, 2020, UK time 11:00 am ~ [4 hours] (planned)
Exhibiting fee for recruiters: Free
Expected Participants: JET Programme participants returning to the UK in summer 2020 and currently employed JET alumni living in the UK looking for new career opportunities.
Deadline for application: September 30, 2020 (Planned companies will be individually notified about how to complete registration and exhibiting instructions from mid-September.)
Organisations interested in taking part at no cost can enquire to jetaa@jlgc.org.uk. For JET alumni interested in attending this online event, be sure to check jetaa.org.uk and JETAA UK social media for all updates and registration details.
Recent research activity and supporting Japan local government projects
Despite the lockdown and social distancing, JLGC London is still actively receiving requests from our member local authorities in Japan and related public sector organisations researching public policy overseas. Recent examples of such requests so far this financial year include research projects into the UK Government measures in combatting the virus and the impact on devolved nations as well as local government in England, in addition to research into the German federal system, local measures and the relationship with central government.
Other areas of interest to JLGC’s member organisations in Japan include the details of the furlough scheme throughout the UK, medical provision at home for patients who have contracted the disease, as well as non-virus related themes such as the current status of UK local government international partnerships with overseas local authorities as well as work on preparation for a new project inviting Japanese public sector professionals to learn about multiculturalism policy in the UK.
New JLGC staff UK arrival
After a delay in traveling to the UK due to coronavirus restrictions and quarantine measures, FY 2020 staff have been arriving in London, starting with our new Director General Mr Yasuyuki Suzuki, seconded from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), who takes over from Mr Kurono who returns to the ministry in Tokyo to work on local government finance.
Ms Azusa Shinno from Fukushima Prefecture, Ms Marina Kaneko from Okayama City, Ms Ayako Haginowaki from Gifu Prefecture and Mr Kyohei Hamamoto from Tokushima Prefecture all arrive in London to take up the roles working on research, Japan Study Tour, Japan Seminar and representing their local authorities in the UK and Europe and supporting their international links and initiatives.
We’d like to thank all our UK and European partners for their support in these difficult times in which the public sector is under severe pressure, and look forward to working together again on supporting your links with Japan at the local government level.
Participating in online events
JLGC staff have been actively participating in the Zoom boom and taking part in a range of online events as we continue to work with a shift to engaging with UK and overseas partners via the internet.
Lots of online events have been about the virus, in particular events for Japanese nationals living in the UK with advice and information on how the current situation impacts companies and offices with a base in the UK, as well as international comparisons and the response by the wider international community. The tight-knit Japanese community in the UK has of course been very active in exchanging information between government agencies, companies and residents based in London and the regions.
Of particular interest to JLGC staff was taking part in the LGA Conference webinars, participating in not only virus-related sessions but seminars on the ‘green recovery’ as well as wellbeing and mental health, which are pressing issues for local government in Japan as they are in the UK.
Thanks to LGA colleagues for welcoming us to their online sessions at this year’s virtual conference, and providing some very valuable online learning opportunities to feedback to local government in Japan.
RWC 2019 delivers economic, social and sporting outcomes
JLGC was very active in supporting Japan’s local authorities in the run-up to the Rugby World Cup in Japan last year, as well as supporting pre and post-games events. RWC Japan 2019 was the most economically successful Rugby World Cup ever, with nearly £4.3billion generated in economic output according to the economic impact of Rugby World Cup 2019 report published by EY.
The 44-day global celebration of rugby, hosted across 12 cities the length and breadth of Japan, captured the imagination of a nation and fans around the world. It was the most competitive, best-attended, most viewed, most socially engaged and most commercially successful of the nine men’s tournaments to date and the biggest sporting event of 2019.
Click here for the EY report and RWC press release in full.
Showcasing UK-Japan relations in Japan
JLGC helped showcase a range of UK-Japan partnerships in the Council of Local Authorities on International Relations’ (CLAIR, JLGC’s parent body) flagship publication for municipalities ‘CLAIR Forum’. Based on the “Japan-UK Joint Declaration on Prosperity Cooperation” announced at the time by British Prime Minister Theresa May in August 2017, both Japan and the United Kingdom participated in sports and culture projects throughout 2019 to 2020. CLAIR helped promote a wide range of exchange activities in the field of arts and culture including the “Japan-UK Cultural Season 2019-20”.
In this special feature, CLAIR introduced projects from the Japanese-UK cultural season and exchange projects between Japanese and UK local governments.
Details, including articles on the UK-Japan Season of Culture, Japan Foundation projects in the UK, Fukushima Prefecture’s links with the UK, potter Bernard Leach’s legacy in Japan, as well as the Kobe and Aberdeen Energy Partnership can be seen here (Japanese only).
