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Aiming to Contribute to Regional Revitalization and Internationalization in Chugoku region - JICA Chugoku
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by Shuichi Ikeda
Director General, Chugoku International Center,
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
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1. Developing countries requiring know-how from regions in Japan
I used to work in the Kingdom of Thailand for approximately three years until March 2016.
Both the population and the economy of Thailand are heavily concentrated in the metropolitan area of Bangkok, and the economic disparity between the capital area and the other regional areas is more increasing.
In terms of the GDP per capita of the different regions, Bangkok is over US$14,000, and has already surpassed the economic level of developing countries and is close to the level of developed countries.
However, in regional areas other than Bangkok and its surrounding industrial areas, the average regional GDP per capita is only around US$3,000.
Thailand is said to have already reached the level of medium-developed country, but this is only because the Bangkok metropolitan area brings up the Thai average overall.
It means that most of the regional areas in Thailand are still at the level of developing countries.
This situation is not unique to Thailand – it is a problem that is common to many developing countries.
Even if the metropolitan area's economy is developing well, with the sudden urbanization the urban environment deteriorates and there is a gap between the rich and the poor, and in most rural areas there is an acceleration of depopulation, reduced regional activity, and increase regional disparities.
These increased regional disparities lead to social instability.
In addition to this, in Thailand there is also a declining birthrate and aging population, and the country has been already facing issues for developed countries even before it has moved on from the status of developing country.
In Japan too, the concentration of power and population in Tokyo, poor performance of regional economies and outflow of population from regional areas have been major issues for many years.
Additionally, another blow to the country is the declining birthrate, aging population and declining population of Japan overall.
On the other hand, Japan has for a long time had a great diversity in its regions, and each region had its own culture and wisdom.
Currently, as well as encouraging regional revitalization, each region is reviewing the local resources, and implementing a variety of different initiatives.
Japan is a developed country facing many new challenges that it must address head on, and I believe that the experiences and practices of regions in Japan for such challenges, including failures or lessons learnt, are full of insight that can be provided to the people in developing countries which will be one day also facing the similar challenges.
2. Direct international cooperation from regions, and overseas expansion of SMEs
Up until the 1990s, when the amount of Official Development Assistance (ODA) by the Japanese government was the largest in the world and Japan was known as the top donor, the ratio of ODA in the overseas funds going to developing countries was large, and the majority of Japanese people working in developing countries were involved in ODA-related activities.
Now, however, the "top billing" for social and economic development in developing countries has clearly shifted to investment funds and human resources from overseas private corporations.
The role of ODA has changed to a catalyst-type role of stimulating and supporting privatesector activities.
In line with this transformation, the main actors in ODA are not only limited among the traditional groups such as central government agencies, national research institutes, national universities, development consultants, major trading companies, major construction companies, internationally active NGOs, and young people with a strong interest in developing nations, but also other players in the regions has become as more important actors.
In the past, technical experts from municipalities and regional Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) did sometimes participate in ODA projects, and this was usually because they were requested to do so by central government or were subcontracted by big companies.
However, now people and organizations in regions are moving more proactively to strategically implement international cooperation on their own initiative.
They have various aims in doing so:
to revitalize the region through international cooperation and exchange activities, for instance, or to help local companies do business overseas.
Regional SMEs also see that developing countries, expected to grow in the future, are where the real business opportunities are, and are now more proactively considering moving into developing countries.
3. Linking the knowledge of the Chugoku region with the needs of developing countries
At JICA Chugoku International Center, we would like to play the role of a bridge, to take the experience and know-how on social and economic development that has been developed throughout the Chugoku region, as well as outstanding technologies and business models that are socially useful, and effectively utilize them for the development issues being faced by developing nations.
We would also like to provide support for Chugoku region municipalities, research and education institutes, private companies and NGOs, in their efforts to implement region-based international cooperation or moves to do business overseas.
By doing so, we believe that as a result we will be able to make a contribution to transmitting the strengths and appeal of the Chugoku region to the rest of the world, revitalizing regions through international cooperation, and overseas business expansion in the Chugoku region.
To realize sustainable social and economic development in developing countries, development assistance by government to government (GtoG) is not enough.
For example, even if assistance is provided to universities and facilities are built, education and research materials are upgraded, teachers' skill level is raised and the educational content is improved, there has to be a wide range of places for the students educated at those universities to work after they graduate.
Even if economic infrastructure is developed through financial cooperation, if there are no private companies that can energetically implement economic activities, sustainable economic development will be impossible.
Even if hospitals are constructed and medical staff are trained, private pharmacies are also required to provide medicines to people on a continuous basis, and private companies are needed to maintain and refill medical supplies and equipment.
Private businesses entry into hospital management itself is likely to be important for improving the quality of medical services.
Even if support is given for decentralization and enhancement of the administrative capabilities of the regions, if that region's economic activities cannot be promoted, then it will impossible to revitalize the region.
For a country's sustainable social and economic development, the development of the private sector is indispensable.
However, it is not possible to achieve this using only the funds and human resources available in developing countries, and therefore essential to secure investment, human resources, and technology from overseas private sector.
In addition to cooperation between governments, JICA focuses on the fact that there are many technologies and business ideas in Japanese SMEs that can make great contributions to resolving the issues faced by developing countries, and in 2012 we initiated a new program to help Japanese SMEs move into overseas markets.
In the Chugoku region, we have already provided or are in the process of providing support for 29 proposals from 23 SMEs.
JICA has overseas offices in 92 countries, and possesses strong and wide range connection with national government organizations, research institutes, universities and regional organizations.
We also have a wide range of information related to the situation and issues in each country.
If we can effectively use JICA's overseas network and information, we should be able to provide developing countries with effective technology from Japanese companies, and Japanese companies with business opportunities in overseas markets.
In this way, I believe we can achieve a win-win situation.
In addition to the above mentioned program to provide support to SMEs to move overseas, we are focusing even more strongly on and strategically pursuing connections with the Chugoku region for the traditional JICA international cooperation scheme of grass-roots technical cooperation, technical training programs and overseas volunteer dispatch programs.
By doing so, I believe that we will be able to more effectively provide developing countries with knowledge from the region, and contribute to regional revitalization in the Chugoku area.
For example, waste management.
In Japan, the responsibilities of the administrative bodies, people, and private businesses on waste management are clearly stipulated based on the Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law, and the whole region must work together to ensure that such responsibilities are appropriately fulfilled.
Waste management is currently an issue in many urban areas in developing countries.
The Hiroshima Environment Business Promotion Meeting, organized mainly by the Commercial and Industrial Labor Bureau of Hiroshima Prefecture government, has been utilizing JICA's grass-roots technical cooperation scheme, and from January 2016 started the General Waste Management Improvement Project in Bogor City, Indonesia.
This is planned to be a three-year project, providing support for the establishment of a system for separate collection, reduce and recycle of general waste in Bogor City.
We can truly say that the knowledge of the Hiroshima Prefecture is being utilized in projects like this.
Some companies in Hiroshima that possess excellent technologies and products related to waste management are also participating in this project, and the project is also an opportunity to show the excellence of their technologies to the people of Indonesia.
Therefore there is potential that this could contribute to such companies starting business in Indonesia.
Another example is Ama Town, in Oki-gun, Shimane Prefecture.
There, the town is implementing a unique initiative to revitalize the town, where they have issued a statement, "Nai mono ha nai."－It means "It's OK that we have all that we need."
This initiative in Ama Town and its results to date, their current efforts, adjustments and future plans all represent a treasure house of knowledge.
When considering regional development in many of the rural areas, and remote regions and islands in developing countries, such information should prove extremely useful.
In 2016, JICA Chugoku will be working together with Ama Town to start a training program for administrative officers in developing countries.
4. Collaboration with Hiroshima's peace promotion initiatives and to share Hiroshima's experience of reconstruction to the people of the world
Since 2004, JICA overseas volunteers from Hiroshima Prefecture have been actively holding atomic bomb exhibitions in the countries they are dispatched to.
As of March 2016, they had planned and held 145 exhibitions in 65 countries, offering the people in those countries a very eye-opening experience and also a wonderful opportunity to think about peace and war.
At JICA Chugoku International Center, we hold a half-day training session for training participants from developing countries who are staying in the Center's accommodation facilities soon after they have arrived in Japan, with the title of Hiroshima Peace Training.
In the training, participants take a tour of the Peace Memorial Museum, listen to a lecture entitled The History of Hiroshima City for Peace, and go to Peace Memorial Park.
Every year, approximately more than 300 trainees had participated in this program.
In questionnaire results, 98% of trainees said that they understood the importance of peace, and 84% said that they understood it very well.
There were also many moving comments by the participants on peace and recovery after the atomic bombing.
"I greatly admire the people who poured their efforts into rebuilding Hiroshima, rather than revenge."
"I too want to become an ambassador for world peace."
"Hiroshima's peace project is truly astonishing."
"I hope that the people of Hiroshima will continue to transmit the message of peace to the world."
"Seeing what happened to Hiroshima made me very sad. But I believe that what happened here will become the driver for continued world peace."
(Article contributed June 2016)
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Profile
[Shuichi Ikeda]
Graduated from Graduate School of Environment Science (Msc.) of Tsukuba University in 1985, and joined JICA in the same year.
Since then, has worked at JICA headquarters in charge of natural environment conservation, higher education and international emergency aid.
Worked overseas for a total of 13 years.
After working in Burma (currently Myanmar), the United States and Laos, served as Chief Representative of JICA Thailand office from 2013 to 2016.
Assumed current post from April 2016.
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