Change of Staff from April 2023
With the end of the fiscal year comes the annual change of staff at JLGC. After two years in the UK, two Assistant Directors have returned to their respective local authorities in Japan: Ms Moeko Nakamura from Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Mr Fumitoshi Nishikawa from Ishikawa Prefecture. In addition, Deputy Director-General Mr Hiroshi Sakai also returns to Aichi Prefecture this spring.
Thankfully, such numerous farewells also come with welcomes. This April, JLGC staff will be joined by four new staff: Ms Natsumi Sasaki from Fukushima Prefecture, Ms Narumi Hosoi from Tokushima Prefecture and Ms Natsumi Fujimoto from Tokyo Metropolitan Government. In addition, our new Deputy-Director General, Mr Makoto Ichii from Aichi Prefecture, 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 international activities of Japanese local authorities overseas.
Surveys and Research
JLGC continues to support international activities and research requests from various local governments in Japan. In recent months, several commissions have included:
- Homes for Ukraine and localised support for Ukrainian refugees in the UK
- The governance of Greater Manchester as a city region
- Local Government Pay and Recruitment in London and the Southeast
- Smart metering policies for water supply in London
- Post-16 education links in London
Recent PR Support
Recent PR support for Japan’s local authorities has included details of the latest Tokyo Metropolitan Government International Affairs Email newsletter and promoting the ‘My favourite MIYAZAKI’ PR Video campaign on Japan’s Kyushu Island.
Our ‘Cook Local Japan’ with JLGC and Kanako Mathys event was also held to introduce regional foods of Japan and recipes and promote regional tourism. The webinar focused on sharing some popular recipes and cooking tips from Cook Local Japan, followed by Kanako Mathys, an accredited training partner of the Academy of Cheese UK, who explained how to enjoy Japanese cuisine with cheese and cheese pairing cheese with miso or Japanese drinks, which can be seen here.
The last three months have also seen announcements such as the Tokyo-London Financial Seminar 2023 and the online startup event “City-Tech. Tokyo”. 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 Online Seminars
The topics for JLGC’s recent seminars included again welcoming Ms Tomoko Nielsen Kitamura to speak about education in Denmark.
Denmark is a small country with a population of approximately 5.8 million people. Yet, it ranks high on several indicators and is implementing world-leading initiatives, including 2nd place in the world happiness ranking, 1st place in the corruption perception index ranking, 6th place in the democracy index, 2nd place in the world press freedom ranking and 2nd place in the SDGs achievement ranking. One of the reasons behind this success is the emphasis on children’s independence in Danish education.
In Denmark, children solve problems by discussing them independently from the kindergarten stage; no school rules and children’s opinions and dialogue are respected.
In this seminar, the discussion was around the state of education in Denmark and the possibilities for education in Japan. The event video will shortly be uploaded here (in Japanese only), where previous online seminars can be replayed.
JST Feedback Meeting
On March 23, a feedback session was held at Japan House London for the local government executive tour organised by JLGC on an annual basis; during the 2023 Japan Study Tour this January, nine participants, including British local government senior executives, visited CLAIR Tokyo HQ, Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Kagoshima Prefecture to observe net-zero policies implemented at the local level.
Will Mapplebeck, Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Manager at Core Cities UK, has written an article published in the MJ, which can be read HERE.
JLGC invites applicants from senior-level staff of UK/Northern European local governments to join this seven-day tour to see how Japan tackles challenges for the future.
The next JST will take place in 2024, and the exact dates will be announced in 2023. For more information when it becomes available later this year and to receive updates, please email mailbox@jlgc.org.uk
JLGC supports visit to London by the Governor of Tokyo
JLGC staff supported a visit to London by Tokyo’s Governor Koike Yuriko in February to promote the city as a tourist destination. The governor of Japan’s capital is seeking to boost inbound tourism, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Koike began a four-day visit to the British capital on Wednesday 1 February, her fifth overseas business trip in the current fiscal year ending in March.
At the Tokyo City Promotion, which was held to encourage inbound tourism to Tokyo, she promoted the attractions of Tokyo as a tourism destination, including Tokyo’s uniqueness in its harmonious blend of tradition and cutting-edge culture, the rich nature of the Tama area and Tokyo islands, Tokyo’s cuisine, and its subculture.
A Harry Potter theme park is scheduled to open in Tokyo this summer and Gov. Koike also met with senior officials of the facility’s operator. Both sides confirmed they would work together to make the new tourist attraction successful.
On Wednesday, Gov. Koike also met with the Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Vincent Keaveny, to discuss carbon energy and green finance.
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor and spokesperson for the City of London, responsible for managing the city’s affairs and investments with overseas partners. London is looking to Tokyo and its capacity for innovation to forge privileged economic partnerships based on green finance. Carbon-based energy is a crucial issue for both cities as they try to reduce emissions to counter global warming.
In her talk at the Financial Seminar in the City, she spoke about the attractions of Tokyo and the firm support Tokyo offers overseas financial companies setting up operations in Tokyo, sending a strong message to the financial players of the UK to develop business in Tokyo.
At a meeting with the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (pictured), discussions were conducted on topics such as measures to respond to the energy crisis and climate change, and educational exchange. It was also agreed to advance initiatives as sister cities. This included reconfirmation that the two cities will collaborate with each other for tourism promotion.
