ISSUE #71

OCT, 2011

JLGC NEWS LETTER
Japan Local Government Center ( CLAIR, New York )issue no.71 Oct, 2011

CLAIR Fellowship Exchange
Program 2011 will be held fromOctober 24 to 31 !!
The CLAIR Fellowship Exchange Program has been affording
senior state and local government officials an opportunity to experience Japanese government administration first hand. This year
the program will be held in Tokyo and Miyagi Prefecture.

DATE MASAMUNE, A HEROOF MIYAGI, STOOD UP TO
SAVE TOHOKU-REGION !!

Miyagi was damaged by the horrible earthquake and tsunami
disaster on March 11th. Now Miyagi is on its way to recovery
because of citizens’ efforts and support from all over the world! We
hope during the study tour, participants can inspect and discuss
the earthquake disaster reconstruction in Miyagi.

ISSUE NO.71 OCT 2011

CLAIR Fellowship Exchange
Program 2011 will be held fromOct 24 to 31 (page 1-2)

JETAA Ottawa - JET Alumni
Association for the National
Capital Region, Canada(page 3-4)

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER(CLAIR, NY)

Introducing JLGC’sNew Director(page 5-6)

3 Park Avenue, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10016-5902
212.246.5542 office • 212.246.5617 fax
www.jlgc.org

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OCT, 2011

CLAIR Fellowship Exchange Program 2011 Participants
Ms. Nikki Guilford

Ms. Beverly BellDirector, Office of Management
Consulting and Training

Senior Policy Analyst, The National Emergency Management Association

National Governors Association

The Council of State Governments

Ms. Susan Parnas Frederick

Ms. Beverly Schlotterbeck

Federal Affairs Counsel

Executive Editor, County News,
NACo web site

National Conference of State Legislatures

Public Affairs Department
National Association of Counties

Ms. Kristin Tillquist

Ms. Caryl Arundel

Chief of Staff to the Mayor

Vice Chair

City of Riverside, California

Canadian Urban Institute

Ms. Dana Rohrbough

Mr. Daniel Gatien

Deputy Principal Assistant, Officeof the Secretary of StatePresident

State of Delaware

The Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers ofOntario

Mr. Daniel Perron

October 24, 25 [Tokyo Seminar 1]

Fire Chief and Emergency preparedness Coordinator

Introduction to Japanese Local Government
SystemCity of Sainte-Julie, Quebec

Presentation by Fire and Disaster Management
Agency Official & the Tokyo Fire Department

Welcome Reception
October 26 – 29 [Exchange Event in Miyagi]

Theme:
Disaster Relief andRedevelopment in Miyagi

Workshops (damage, reconstruction,radiation, etc)
Tour of Various Facilities (temporary housing, airport, port,
and the damaged coastal areas, etc)
Japanese cultural experience
October 31 [Tokyo Seminar 2]
Tour of Government Facilities in Tokyo (Tokyo Fire Department, etc)

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ISSUE #71

OCT, 2011

JETAA Ottawa - JET Alumni Association for the National Capital Region, Canada
JETAA Ottawa
is celebrating its
20th anniversary
this year. Formed
in 1991 by earlyparticipants of the JET programme, JETAA Ottawa has grown steadily to include a large, dynamic
group of alumni. Located in Canada’s capital, ourchapter is given many opportunities throughout
the year to work closely with the Embassy of Japan in the recruiting, selecting and training of new
Canadian JETs. Each month, JETAA Ottawa isproud to host events that help bring together JET
alumni and the greater Ottawa community toshare our love for all things Japan.
Our chapter is run by a handful of very
enthusiastic members and over the last two years
we have focused our energies to help shape JETAA
Ottawa into a professional organization. We havevastly improved our website (jetaaottawa.ca) andupgraded our social media presence to include interactions via Facebook, Twitter, etc. With timely
press releases and greater media coverage, JETAA
Ottawa has seen a large increase in attendance ateach public event.

In March, JETAA Ottawa leveraged its
unique position in the Canadian and Japanesecommunities to act as a bridge to bring together
the greater Ottawa community in relief efforts for
the Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami, andnuclear disasters. Teaming up with the CanadaJapan Society of Ottawa, on March 27, 2011,
JETAA Ottawa hosted a charity reception and silent auction to raise funds for the Canadian RedCross Japan Earthquake/Asia-Pacific Tsunami
Relief efforts. We received letters of support fromPrime Minister Stephen Harper and JonathanFried, Canadian Ambassador to Japan, donations
from the Mayor of Ottawa, the Governor of theBank of Canada, and cabinet ministers and senators. Dozens of local businesses and residents
made contributions in all shapes and sizes. Within
two weeks, over 200 donations had been collected
and the Westin Hotel Ottawa generously donatedtheir space and services. Ambassador Kaoru Ishikawa, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, and FukushimaJET Gemma Villanueva gave heartfelt speeches
and performances by Ottawa’s premier taiko group
Otowa Taiko, soprano Noriko Hashimoto and ikebana artist Yumiko Tsunakawa, provided entertainment for over 300 attendees. In one night,
JETAA Ottawa helped raise over $30,000 for relief
efforts in Japan. JETAA Ottawa will continue tosupport Japan’s recovery and reconstruction efforts in the years to come.

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Please visit our website at www.jlgc.org for more information

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ISSUE #71

OCT, 2011

JETAA Ottawa – JET Alumni Associationfor the National Capital Region, CanadaThis August, JETAA Ottawa hosted its 7th annual Japanese
Summer Festival. An estimated 600 people, easily doubling last year’snumbers, participated in the event to sample Japanese traditions, cuisine and pop culture. Special guest Blaise Plant of Monkey Majik (hisbrother Maynard is a JET alumni from Ottawa) performed hit songs
from the band as well as a song that he wrote following the March 11events. As anticipated, he drew in a significant crowd. Our very own
JETAA-dogs, hot dogs with Japanese-flavoured toppings (oroshi, terimayo, and okonomi flavours), proved quite popular in their own rightand were featured on a local TV show. All 375 were served before theend of the festival. If interested, please contact president@jetaaottawa.ca for the recipe.
As JETAA Ottawa continues to grow and build stronger community ties, we look forward to collaborating with alumni across thecontinent.

JETAA Ottawa Website :http://jetaaottawa.ca/

Facebook :http://www.facebook.com/jetaaottawa/

Twitter :http://twitter.com/#!/JETAAOttawa/

Lisa MallinPresident
JETAA Ottawa(jetaaottawa.ca)
JETAA Ottawa members and friends hosted a Charity Relief Reception for Japan on March 27, 2011

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Please visit our website at www.jlgc.org for more information

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OCT, 2011

Introducing JLGC’s
New Director
My name is Takashi Sonohara and I have been
assigned as the new director at the Japan Local
Government Center. Prior to my appointment, I
served as an official at the Tokyo Metropolitan
Government for twenty-six years spending most ofmy time in port administration.
I thought that I might escape the steamy, muggy
Tokyo summer season, but when I arrived in New
York on July 21st, I faced a record breaking heatwave. I had been to New York twice before, including a three week period training at theNY&NJ Port Authority, but those experiences took
place during the winter seasons. So, I was a bit
taken back by the sizzling New York summer andespecially surprised by the hot and humid subwaystations. They felt like sauna baths! I discovered
other quirks about New York’s subways; for example many times the train doors opened in front oflarge stone pillars, schedule changes were routine,
timetables not posted, and delays due to signal
problems. Most surprising was the apparent apathy of the riders who didn’t seem to be upset about
being inconvenienced. In Japan, these issues
would be major complaints from Japanese subway
riders.

In 2009, I spent time in Washington D.C as a temporary student at Georgetown University. I naively thought that this prior American experiencewould prepare me for my time in the Big Apple.
Hoping for the best and not prepared for the worst,
I soon realized I may have underestimated my newchallenge.
First, my apartment in New York was unfurnished, so I had to do quite a bit of shopping foressentials such as; pots, pans, cooking and eatingutensils, cleaning supplies and furniture. But by
far the most annoying problem I incurred was thetrouble I had with the electric company. It seems
that they included the previous tenant’s usage on
my current bill. It took nearly a month for theproblem to be corrected.

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Please visit our website at www.jlgc.org for more information

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ISSUE #71

OCT, 2011

Introducing JLGC’s New Director

And then suddenly, a once in a century earthquake, and a torrential hurricane Irene accompanied by a full mass transit shutdown due to flooded
streets and subway stations. It was a little surreal!
In Japan we have an expression – “A man showingup with the hurricane”. It implies the idea of aman showing up in a new place as a trouble maker. I know that I am not that kind of man, but justin case I tell myself I must work extra hard andexcel in my new job.
New York life is like manning the controls of a super jumbo jet plane. Every day you are confronted
with the unexpected. There are many controls,gauges and switches at your command to deal withthese unexpected occurrences and like an experienced pilot I will need time to learn the Americansystem of doing business and living life. I’m always
telling myself, “I’m here by my choice, not necessity so enjoy yourself”!

Takashi Sonohara

JLGC Blogs:

We Offer Various Information
Related To Japanese Local Governments!
Now JLGC Blogs report on various topics such as
disaster planning and industrial promotion as wellas covering issues relating to Japanese local administration.

“Date Masamune
who was one of themost famous generals in Edo period
helps Miyagi comeback from NaturalDisaster!!”

Date Bushotai goes on tour to thank everyone
most sincerely for all their aid to the disaster area
and to attract more tourists to Tohoku region bymaking an appeal to help the revive the area affected by the March 11th disasters. This is just likethe former New York City Mayor Giuliani did immediately after the September 11th 2001 tragedy,
when he said, “Come to New York and spend yourmoney here”.
For further information or other posts, please
visit our website at www.jlgc.org and click “JLGC
blogs”!

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NY)

Published by Japan Local Government Center
3 Park Avenue, 20th floor, New York, NY 10016 / Tel: 212-246-5542 / Fax:212-246-5617 / E:mail: jlgc@jlgc.org / http://www.jlgc.org

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