JLGC UPDATEJAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER
AT THE 2005 NCSL ANNUAL CONFERENCE
by Stephen Fasano
JLGC Senior Researcher

The National Conference of State Legislatures(NCSL) held its 2005 Annual Meeting andExhibition in Seattle, Washington. Founded in
1975, NCSL promotes legislative service as oneof democracy’s worthiest pursuits. A bipartisanorganization, NCSL membership is comprisedof the legislators and staffs of the nation’s states,
commonwealths and territories. NCSL provides
research, technical assistance and opportunities
for policymakers to exchange ideas on the mostpressing state issues. Just as important is its roleas an effective and respected advocate for theinterests of state governments before Congress andfederal agencies.
For the past thirteen years, the Japan Local
Government Center (JLGC) has attended the
NCSL Annual Conferences as an exhibitor offering
information and written materials about Japan andJapanese local government. Through its exhibit,
JLGC is able to present its program s and services,
including the popularly successful Japan Exchange
Teaching Program (JET). JLGC also sponsors
international study programs and supports sistercity and sister-state relationships.
Hundreds of people stopped by the JLGC
booth. Many visitors talked about their personal andbusiness experiences and the relationships between
their home states and Japan. Others were justcurious about JLGC and Japanese local government
and wanted to learn more about the services and

JLGC staff members, wearing
the traditional Happi, speaking with visitors
at the 2005 NCSL annual conference.

programs offered by JLGC. Often, as a result ofengaging in conversation, new relationships areformed and information exchanged.
The Japanese local government officials who
have attended these yearly conferences over theyears have benefited greatly by interacting withstate government officials absorbing relevant anduseful information about how state governments
work and how public policy is created.
This year the NCSL conference was heldin sunny downtown Seattle, Washington. Morethan 5,000 delegates attended and were treated toa diverse menu of educational lectures and panel
discussions on important, hot button, state issues.
This year’s event theme was “Strong States, Strong
Nation” focusing on the prominence and power ofstates in the federal system.
Highlighting the event were prominent guest
speakers. Microsoft founder and CEO Bill Gates
urged state legislators to strengthen elementaryand secondary education systems in order tokeep the United States competitive and to attract
bright minds to their states. Mr. Gates discussed
the past and future of technology; research anddevelopment; and Web security among other issues
but consistently focused on education. He stated:“there’s no more important topic for the future of
the country.”
Mr. Gates also spoke about global health andlearning and focused on how the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation is helping to fund programs thatwill promote better health and learning throughout
the world.
Other notable speakers included: Uwe
Reinhardt; James Madison, professor of Political
Economy at Princeton University who spoke about
health reform and health care systems; and Mara
Liasson, political correspondent, shared her ideason the politics of balance and power at the event’s
closing plenary session.

Copyright 2005 Published by Japan Local Government Center1

On a lighter note, after the close of eachbusiness day, delegates were treated to special
events, including state receptions and a visit to
Safeco Field to watch a baseball game featuring
the hometown Seattle Mariners.
Year after year, in city after city, JLGC
staff members learn a little more about American
government and culture. The NCSL conference
provides the opportunity for them to network
among fellow professionals allowing for a sharing
and exchange of information. In addition to thepersonal satisfaction experienced by my colleagues,
the Annual Meeting and Exhibition provided
desirable exposure that has and will continue toenhance and foster JLGC’s activities as a bridgethat serves to connect Japanese local governmentswith their counterparts in the United States andelsewhere in the world.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE

PAGE

JLGC UPDATEJapan Local Government Centerat the 2005 NCSL Annual Conference

1

JETAA ACTIVITIES2005 JET Alumni Association
International Conference
DESIGNATED CITY

The Flowery City, "Chiba"

2
3

SPECIAL FEATUREThe Japan Hall of Fame on Exhibit at theInternational Museum of Surgical Science

4

SPECIAL FEATURE

One-Hundred Fifty-Two Years Later –A Goodwill Visit to Commodore Perry’s
Home Town; Newport, Rhode Island

5

PREFECTURE TODAY“Okinawa Rising” –An Attractive Tourist Destination

6

JLGC UPDATENational Governors’ Association
Annual Meeting in Des Moines, Iowa
JAPAN TODAY

Experience from New York

7
8

The Council of Local Authorities for International Relations, TokyoJETAA ACTIVITIES2005 JET Alumni Association
International Conferenceby Matthew Gillam
JLGC Senior Researcher

The various JET Alumni Association
chapters from around the world held theirtenth, and last, annual conference in June ofthis year. Besides being the last of the annual
conferences, it was also unique in being heldat two different venues in two cities over thecourse of five days. The opening sessions
were held in Nagoya, in conjunction with the2005 World Exposition, Aichi, on June 10th,
11th, and 12th. The final sessions were heldin Kobe on the 13th and 14th, in conjunction
with activities commemorating the tenthanniversary of the Great Hanshin / Awaji
Earthquake.
Ever since the first conference was heldin New York in 1995, the JET alumni havebeen grappling with a variety of perennial
issues, including funding, communication,organization bylaws, member services, andprojects and goals for the organization.
It is the first of these, funding, that has
increasingly constrained the ability of theJapanese government to support large-scaleinternational conferences and has led to theadoption of what has been dubbed by some a“five-year plan” for them, with full conferences
every five years, possibly in Japan, and smaller
annual meetings in between. The beginningsof this have been seen in the last two years,
where the ninth annual conference was heldin New York (again) in February 2004,
followed by a smaller scale international
JLGC Newsletter

meeting in Portland
in November,which helped lay
the groundwork forthe big conferencein Japan this lastJune. A full-scale
conference includes
representatives
from 12 to 14
countries, including
both country
representatives
and at least one
Conference participants representative eachfrom the roughly 42
chapters currently recognized by JETAAInternational, as well as the JETAAInternational Executive Officers (who may
or may not be country or chapter reps, too),and observers from MOFA and CLAIR.
All this means that a full international
conference, with somewhere between 50
and 60 alumni representatives, can be quitea large and expensive undertaking – besides
being a huge logistical burden for whateverchapter agrees to host the event. The newinternational meeting format will consistof only the country reps, executive officers,
and government observers, without the large
contingent of chapter reps.
The two central accomplishments ofthe conference were the adoption of bylaw
amendments that will make it possible forthe country reps to vote on behalf of
their chapters at international meetingsand conferences, and an agreement tocreate a new online information andcommunication resource known as
CMS (Content Management System).
In recognition of the indispensablerole played by the Internet now, ajob description was also approved
for an official Webmaster position,
to serve as a non-voting member of
the International Executive Board,under the Secretary. And finally, aprovisional status of Associate Member2

was approved for new chapters that are justgetting going.
As always, new executive officers for the
coming year were voted in during the final
parliamentary session, and sub-committees
were formed to continue working on the
projects discussed during the conference.
Leadership for the coming year includes New
Zealand’s Peter de Valda as Chair, the UK’s
Alison Bond as Vice Chair, Cindy Pitkin from
Australia as Secretary, and Michael Barrett
from the US as Treasurer.
The last conference event, after theparliamentary session was called to a close,
was a cooperative art workshop, where
the conference participants (alumni andgovernment representatives) were split into
teams with students from Fukiai High Schoolin Kobe and members of the Memorial
Volunteer Western Japan Chapter (earthquake
survivors) to create collages celebratinginternational exchange and understanding.
The alumni, being old pros at this kind ofactivity, worked well with their lively groupof students and volunteers, creating somevery impressive collages, which were thendisplayed in the city for everyone to enjoy.
It was an appropriate end to this year’s
gathering, underscoring the potential for JET
participants to build on their experience andcontinue contributing to strong, productive
grass-roots ties between Japan and their homecountries.

One of the genki collage teams

DESIGNATED CITY

The Flowery City, “Chiba”
by Masanori Sato
Assistant Director of JLGC

Toshikeikan Citizen’s Festival
at center of the city, Chuo Park

As The Flowery City
Chiba City is situated approximately
40km east from the center of Tokyo and
30km from Narita International Airport andcomprises 6 wards: Chuo, Hanamigawa,Inage, Wakaba, Midori and Mihama.
Geographically friendly
and with a benevolent
climate, Chiba City is amodern and progressive
city, yet it retains
its historic and rural
charms. Chiba City is
known as “The Flowery
Chihana-chan
City”
in Japan because
It is a fairy ofan Oga lotus.
it is blessed with highprecipitation and warm
climate which encourages the blossomingof beautiful flowers throughout the year.
Celebrating “The Flowery City” a number ofactivities relating to flowers throughout thecity are promoted. Citizens recently createdthe world’s largest flower garden on landadjoining Takasu Kojima Park in Mihama.
Other flower projects highlight the sense of

seasons in the major parks within the city.
In 2004, with the cooperation of citizens,
daffodil bulbs were planted in Hanashima
Park in Hanamigawa.
The city flower is the Oga Lotus. The
Oga Lotus is an ancient variety of lotus thatwas germinated and cultivated by the late
Dr. Ichiro Oga, from seeds excavated at anarchaeological site on the Hanamigawa River.
As a source of pride and an archaeologicalwonder containing the mysteries of theancient world, the Oga Lotus was made theofficial flower of Chiba City.
The city’s image as “The Flowery City,
Chiba” is promoted throughout Japan and theworld character “Chihana-chan” was chosenby popular vote and is the city’s logo. The
city is committed to beautification and works
closely with the citizens and the corporate
sector on various projects.
Serving as a “business center” in thecapital region
Chiba City continues to develop
as a business center within the capitalregion. Specifically, the Makuhari New
City in Mihama, one of the largest urban
development project areas in Japan, has abeautiful urban landscape and is worthy of themoniker “Futuristic and International City”.
The New City is a thriving international
business complex where many Japaneseand international businesses have decided toestablish their headquarters. Costco is a primeexample of a conglomerate that expanded theiroperation into the center and many customers
from the city enjoy shopping there.
The New City contains many attractive
recreation facilities. Makuhari Messe, isa famous international convention centerand holds international trade shows andconferences. The Chiba Marine Stadium, isthe home of the Chiba Lotte Marines baseballteam. The stadium is used for many outdoor
concerts as well.

The Oga Lotus

Chiba City is bristling with a variety ofbusiness activity centered around the sports,
and commerce industries in the new city
center, Soga in Chuo. The city is moving
ahead with the construction of the Chiba
City Soga Sports Park. The Soga Stadium,with a seating capacity of 18,500, will be
the home of a professional soccer team, JEF
United Chiba.
The Flowery City, Chiba extends a warm
welcome to you. You will be able to enjoy amodern bustling city and at the same time beable to relax and smell the flowers. For more
information go to:
http://www.city.chiba.jp/index-e.html

The Makuhari New City

3

Issue 55 Fall 2005

SPECIAL FEATUREThe Japan Hall of Fame on Exhibit
at the International Museum of Surgical Scienceby Maki Tomikawa
Assistant Director of JLGC

On a rainy day, to the north of downtown
Chicago, a lot of people including Japanese
medical doctors gathered on March 19, 2005 ina historic lakeside mansion. The occasion was tocelebrate the new exhibit, “Japan Hall of Fame”
which is in the International Museum of Surgical
Science (IMSS).
IMSS is a unique museum which displays
artifacts from the 4000 years of history ofsurgical science. It is housed in a four-story,
elegant, 1917 lakefront mansion in Chicago.
Dr. Max Thorek founded the International
College of Surgeons (ICS) in 1935 and throughhis efforts, donations of objects and artworkfrom many of the national sections of the ICS,
individual surgeons and collectors, and otherinstitutions were collected. It was opened tothe public as the IMSS on September 9, 1954
with the mission of enriching people’s lives byenhancing their appreciation and understandingof the history, development, and advances ofsurgery and related health issues. It houses 22
exhibit galleries and over 7000 medical artifacts
spanning centuries of worldwide medical
history, from acupuncture to X-ray therapy.
There are over 600 sculptures, paintings andprints, primarily portraits of individuals andhistorical depictions of specific procedures andmedical events.
The new exhibit, “The Japan Hall ofFame”, opened at the IMSS on March 19, 2005.
Japanese surgeons have exported many great
medical advances around the world, pioneeringsuch surgical frontiers as ultrasound, anesthetics
and surgical stapling. The exhibit honors some of

Inside of IMSSJLGC Newsletter

Historic Home: The exterior of the mansion

the greatest Japanese surgeons including Komei
Nakayama (1910-2005) who created a suturelesslifting method of surgery for esophagocardial
cancer, and Seishu Hanaoka(1760-1835) who
perfected anesthesia which benefited some 153
breast cancer patients.
At the beginning of the ceremony, thepresident of the IMSS board explained thehistory of IMSS and introduced the board
members to the audience. Then the Consul
General of Japan from Chicago, praised Chicago
and congratulated the IMSS on the opening of
the new exhibit. The president of ICS andJapanese professors also gave presentations.
The mayor and delegates of Naga town where
Seishu Hanaoka was born, came to celebrate
this event. The mayor gave backgroundinformation about Seisyu Hanaoka’s history
and donated a plaque related to Seisyu Hanaoka
to IMSS. Most of the attendees remained at themuseum after the ceremony and enjoyed theexhibit, reflecting on this very interesting aspectof medical history.
Some of the artifacts such as an Austrian
saw with a reversible blade, scalpel blades andurinary catheters, and paintings which illustrated
the development of surgery, frightened me but I
was surprised to learn that some of the medical
tools had already been developed in the Romanera and I was impressed to discover that many
4

Seishu Hanaoka and his mother
who are taking care of his wife, Kae,
who volunteered to help him.

modern tools are just modifications of tools
developed a long time ago.
IMSS not only exhibits amazing collectionsof artifacts and paintings, but also offers
educational opportunities for students. The
most impressive program is “Amputation
Demonstration” which allows students toexperience first-hand, the way amputation
surgeries were performed before the discovery ofanesthesia and before germ theories were posed.
I think this program is useful for students who
may be seeking medicine as their future career.
IMSS continues to add exhibits and I would
like to visit the museum again and see these
new exhibits.
For more Information: http://www.imss.org/

SPECIAL FEATURE

One-Hundred Fifty-Two Years Later – A Goodwill Visit to
Commodore Perry’s Home Town; Newport, Rhode Island
by Tamaki Yoshida
Assistant Director of JLGC

My hope and dream was realized on July
15, 2005 when I was able to visit Newport,
Rhode Island the home of Matthew Calbraith
Perry. One hundred fifty-two years havepassed since he came to Yokosuka, my home
town, with his black ships, opening Japan to
the world.
My first impression of New Port
reminded me of the small town America I had
read about in books and viewed in movies.
Standing on the seashore and breathing in thebracing salt water air I suddenly realized that
Commodore Perry breathed the very sameair. I recalled the “butterfly effect”; that if he
had not made the journey to Japan, I would
not have a reason for being in Newport. I
experienced a sense of destiny that I shouldhave this one in a million chance to travelfrom Yokosuka to visit his home.
After listening intently to the previous
I arrived in Newport to attend the
speakers it became apparent. I picked up
22nd Annual Newport Black Ships Festival
on comments made referring to America’s
representing the Mayor of Yokosuka andnational past time, baseball, specifically New
to offer congratulations to the Mayor andEngland baseball which means the Boston
citizens of Newport. The opening ceremony
Red Sox. Of course living and working inof the festival was held at Touro Park.
New York City, one cannot help being a New
Many prominent citizens, dignitaries
York Yankees fan –so I decided to have aand representatives from Japan
little fun with the audience.
and the United States were in
During my introduction, I
attendance. Japanese speakers
mentioned that I am aincluded; the Honorable Mitsuru
Kitano, Minister for Public
Affairs, Embassy of Japan;
the Honorable Masuo
Nishibayashi, Consul
General of Japan in Boston;Councilthe Honorable Kiyoshi
member
Ms. Colleen
Iketani, former Mayor of
McGrath, center,
Shimoda and myself. Speakers
with her mother, Kathy
andrepresenting the United States
her daughter, Lauren
included the acting Governor of
Rhode Island; the Honorable John Trifero,
Mayor of Newport and Captain Robert
McLaughlin, Commanding Officer, Naval
Station, Newport. Although I practiced
English diligently to prepare to speak in frontof an audience, I forgot an important element
when giving a talk. I needed an ice-breaker tograb the audiences’ interest and attention.
5

Tamaki Yoshida speaking to the distinguished guests
and citizens of Newport

New Yorker and an ardent New York Yankee
baseball fan but that I was a little nervous
speaking in front of so many people whocheered for the Red Sox. I said Newport is
Red Sox territory and although their team isleading the American League East Division, I
expected that to change by the time I returned
to New York City.
Fortunately, the audience accepted mycomment with laughter and good spirit andat that moment I felt that I had indeed made alasting imprint and fulfilled my dream.

Sunset over Newport Harbor
Issue 55 Fall 2005

PREFECTURE TODAY“Okinawa Rising” – An Attractive Tourist Destination
by Takao Aharen
Assistant Director of JLGC

Shuri Castle (Photo provided by Okinawa Commemorative National
Government Park Office)Okinawa is located southwest of Japan, andis comprised of 160 large and small islands (ofwhich 49 are populated). The prefecture spans 1000
kilometers of ocean east to west and 400 kilometers
north to south. Geographically separated from Japan,
Okinawans developed their own distinct dialect
and cultural traditions. Okinawa’s warm climate,
sub-tropical vegetation and beaches as well as its
exceptional arts and handicrafts, attract visitors.
Known for their gracious hospitality, Okinawans
are friendly people who welcome everyone. In fact
they have a popular saying: “Ichariba-chode” whichtranslated means “once we meet we are as brothers
and sisters”.
Culture“Unique” is the best word to describe Okinawan
culture. As an independent country, the Ryukyu
Kingdom lasted until the 19th century (1879).
During the “era of great trade” from the 14th to the16th century, Okinawa prospered due to its favorable
geographical location and brisk maritime trade with
China, Korea, and other Asian countries. As aresult, Okinawan culture evolved, and is presently
reflected in its traditional crafts and performing arts.
Okinawa has a rich history. The Shuri Castle remains,
Nakagusuku Castle ruins and other historic remains
were added to the Register of World Heritage Sites as“The Castles of Ryukyu and Related Sites” in 2000.
Longevity
Okinawan cuisine contributes to the longevityof the Okinawa people. The Okinawan diet is wellJLGC Newsletter

areas. There are two prefectural convention centers:
Bankoku Shinryokan and Okinawa Convention
Center. Okinawans are known for their wonderfulhospitality ingrained with the spirit of their ancestors
and embodied by the term ‘Bankoku Shinryo’,meaning the “bridge among the nations’.

Ryukyuan Dancebalanced; rich in protein and vegetables and alongwith an unhurried pace of life and temperate climate
contribute to their longevity. Elderly people in
Okinawa to this day refer to their food as “Kusuimun”
or “Nuchigusui” meaning “medicine” or “medicine
for life”.
Bankoku Shinryokan
http://www.shinryokan.com/e/top.html

Okinawan FoodJapan’s Southern International Gateway
Okinawa was recognized as a major convention
destination when it welcomed the world leaders at
the G8 summit in 2000. Since then, Okinawa has
hosted many world events, most recently the InterAmerican Development Bank meeting held in 2005
at one of Okinawa’s most beautiful resort convention
6

Okinawa Convention Center
http://www.oki-conven.jp/index_e.html

For more information:
http://www.pref.okinawa.jp/english/
Okinawa Prefectural Government
http://www.ocvb.or.jp/
Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau

JLGC UPDATENational Governors’ Association Annual Meetingin Des Moines, Iowa
by Seth B. Benjamin
JLGC Senior Researcher

2005 was the National Governors’
Association’s (NGA’s) 97th annual meeting.
The venue this year was Des Moines, Iowa.
As many people are aware, the NGA is oneof the oldest associations of elected officials
in the United States and each year, in thesummer, the governors get together to discussand exchange views in a bi-partisan way.
Director Hida, assistant directors Masahiro
Nagumo and Takahiro Hino, and seniorresearcher Seth B. Benjamin attended fromthe Japan Local Government Center (JLGC).
Once again, we were most fortunate to have
Mr. Kimitake Kuze, now a newly retired
member of Japan’s House of Councillors,join the meeting.
As we have mentioned before, eachyear at the annual meeting the incoming
chairman of NGA selects a theme, known
as the chairman’s initiative, which he willthen pursue throughout the ensuing yearof his chairmanship. For the 2004-5 year,
NGA chairman Governor Mark Warner (DVirginia) wanted to challenge the governors
to rethink how they viewed the Americanhigh school. His initiative was called “Redesigning the American High School”.
Perhaps, the most important aspect of thisinitiative was to make the high school
relevant to the 21st Century. So, in Des
Moines, at the conclusion of his initiative,
NGA chairman Governor Warner presented
for the meeting a hands-on demonstrationof what current high school seniors thought
about their schooling experiences. This was
the backdrop to a report that was unveiled to
the governors at the meeting, called A Profile
of State Action to Improve America’s HighSchools.
One of the successes of the NGA
chairman’s initiative was announced at themeeting by Governor Warner. As he madeclear at the press conference, Governor
Warner said that, if the states were going to
be serious about improving the Americanhigh school and making it relevant to the 21stCentury, then there had to be agreement on theinformation that the states used to determine

the success or failure of
their high schools. So, he
was pleased to tell everyonepresent that 47 governors
and 12 associations had
signed a compact to reacha common definition for
their high school graduation
rate. Simple though thismay sound, it was a big
step forward for the states.
As Governor Warnercommented, “As chairmanof NGA, I have made it myGovernor Pataki of New York Addresses a Plenary Session
on Global Education Issues
priority to raise national
event was a mini version of the Iowa State
awareness about the urgent need to improve
Fair. That fair is world renowned and theAmerica’s high schools and make them more
subject of a famous musical film, called,challenging and relevant to student needs.
appropriately enough, State Fair. One cannot
However, without better data, our efforts
forget to mention the keynote speech given
will fall short. Because of the inconsistentby New York Times columnist, Thomas
quality of state data on graduation andFriedman, who spoke on the ideas behind his
dropout rates, many states cannot account for
new book, The World is Flat. Again, dovethe status of their students as they progress
tailing with the theme of the meeting, hethrough high school and beyond. The historic
was challenging the governors to think aboutcompact we signed today will help address
the global nature of economic competition
this problem”.
in today’s world. Thus, schooling reform
There were many other highlights to thewas all the more important to face thatmeeting, not least of which was the excellent
challenge.
hospitality of the host state, Iowa. One such
At the end of the meeting, the Association
chose its new chairman, Governor Mike
Huckabee (R-Arkansas) and vice-chairman,
Governor Janet Napolitano (D-Arizona). It
is a tradition of the association to alternate
between Republican and Democrat governors
for the position of chairman. Governor
Huckabee launched his initiative, which hecalled “Healthy America: Wellness WhereWe Live, Work and Learn”.
Since we were fortunate to have Mr.
Kuze attend the meeting, JLGC was able tomeet many of the governors and continue
its fruitful relationship with the National
Governors’ Association staff. Also, at the
splendid evening events, there was a great
opportunity to meet the governors’ staff from
Governor Huckabee of Arkansas plays
many different states. All in all, it was a most
guitar with popular 1970s rock bandsuccessful meeting for JLGC.
REO Speed Wagon
7

Issue 55 Fall 2005

JAPAN TODAY

Experience from New Yorkby Masashi Takahashi
Administrator of Ports and Harbors Development and Promotion Division,
Miyagi Prefecture Government(Former Assistant Director of Japan Local Government Center)

Visitors from the United States orformer JET’s who were stationed in Miyagi
should know kamaboko, a fish cake made offish paste and thickened with starch. Perhaps
they have indulged in gyutan; sliced beef
tongue, grilled and seasoned with salt. But
do they know how these ingredients were
imported and the role Sendai port plays in
the process?
Sendai port is the gateway to Miyagi
Prefecture, home to about 2.3 million people(including 1 million in Sendai city) making
it the largest city in the Tohoku region.
The Tohoku region spreads out over six
prefectures and Sendai port handles imports
and exports of commodities such as rubbers,
manufactured and electronic goods, and theingredients used to make kamaboko andgyutan.

Masashi Takahashi, translating
for ship captain

After being stationed in New York, I
returned to Miyagi prefecture in 2005 and mypresent job assignment requires me to support
the promotion and expansion of Sendai port.
My major role will be to expand the directcontainer routes to the north east coasts of
the United States and Europe. The Tohoku
region is still a bit distressed economicallyand I am concerned that this will make my job
a little more complicated. It may be difficult
to forge ahead with marketing plans that will
attract container services and increase Sendai
port’s visibility as a viable entrance into theregion of Japan that it serves.
While in New York City, however, I was
Japan Local Government Center
666 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10103-0072

able to improveupon my English
language abilities
so I am in a good
position to serveas translator when
my manager
meets executivem e m b e r sof shipping
companies orship captains
who make
Sendai their portof call. During
my two year
stay in America,
I honed my negotiation skills throughinterviews with American and Canadianbusiness and government officials. I believe
my experience in New York will prove to
be a valuable asset when conducting public
relations and preparing marketing strategies
for the Port of Sendai.
Before working at JLGC, I was
responsible for handling public relation
matters for Miyagi Prefecture but had little
experience in promoting effective public
enterprise. My experiences in New Yorktaught me a different way of approachingproblems and implementing solutions.
Motivation is a big part of the American spirit
and I feel that some of that has rubbed off
which will allow me to perform at a higher
level. My goal will be to create and put into
effect a method whereby Sendai port will
increase import and export transactions bymeans of international exchange efforts.
Miyagi Prefecture has a very successful
sister state affiliation with the State of
Delaware, primarily aimed at promoting
and cultivating exchanges while fostering
an understanding of the need to promoteand expand relationships to further theireconomies.
It’s now six months since I have returned
to Japan. I feel fortunate to have had theopportunity to live and work in New York.
8

JCX departing Sendai port
to the west coast of the United States

I learnt a great deal about the importance ofquality public service in the United States.
I studied and witnessed new cutting edge
innovative management practices as well
as some good old fashion management
models that some call relics. The knowledge
acquired from my New York experiences willcertainly help me in my endeavor to work
toward Miyagi prefecture becoming fullyinternationalized.

Featuredin this issue:

CHIBA
city

MIYAGI
PREF.

Yokosuka
CITY

OKINAWA
PREF.

Tel: (212) 246-5542 • Fax: (212) 246-5617
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