ISSUE NO.

62• S

UMMER 2007

[JETAA ACTIVITIES] Prime Minister Abe meets with former participants of the JET Programme ........... 1[JLGC UPDATE] A Greeting from the New Directors ............................................................................. 2[JLGC UPDATE] A Message from the New JLGC Assistant Directors................................................... 3[JLGC RESEARCHER’S EYE] Japan Enacts Education Reform Bills......................................................... 4[JLGC RESEARCHER’S EYE] My Introduction to Japanese American History .......................................... 5[SISTER STATE / CITY] Maryland - Kanagawa / Thunder Bay - Gifu City................................................... 6[CORRESPONDENCE FROM FORMER JLGC MEMBER] Return to Okinawa ................................................. 7[DESIGNATED CITY] City of Saitama ...................................................................................................... 8

JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER (CLAIR, NEW YORK)

Prime Minister Abe meets with former participantsof the JET Programme
Robert Tuck / JETAA New York President
J E T A A

A C T I V I T I E S

been twenty years since the
JET program began. Shortly
after being introduced to theassembled JETs, Abe madesure in a short speech to noteboth the milestone and theincalculable value to Japan ofhaving had 20,000 Americans
participate in the program
since it began, remarking thatit had served to “shorten the
distance between Japan andPrime Minister Abe meets with the President of JETAANY
the United States”. Indeed itapanese Prime Minister Shinzohas! Things have changed a lot sinceAbe’s visit to the United States on
1987; one wonders if the first JETs
April 27th, 2007 was his firstimagined that trade friction as a key
official visit to these shores and his firstissue in US-Japan relations would give
trip to Camp David. It was also his first
way to debate as to whether the Red
meeting with JETAA New York. AlongSox got a good deal with Matsuzaka.
with Mr. Hiroshi Sasaki of the JLGC, I
Concluding his speech, Abe and his
and two other JETAANY members
wife proceeded to work their way(Secretary Carol Elk and Linda Kim)around the room, making a point of
had the considerable honor of being
shaking hands with and talking to
invited to the Ambassador’s Residence
everyone in attendance, including
in Washington D.C. in order to meetyours truly. He asked when and where
the Prime Minister alongside past JETs
I had been stationed in Japan, whether
from all over the country. While mostI had picked up the local dialect at all,were from the DC metropolitan area,
and what I was doing now; when I told
some had come from as far away as
him I was studying for a Ph.D. in
Alaska and Oregon, and they wereJapanese literature, he seemed
equally diverse in terms of their JET
somewhat surprised (though speaking
experience. Some, like myself, hadfrom experience, that’s not an
returned relatively recently, some had
uncommon reaction). Each of us thenbeen in Japan ten or more years ago,
had the chance to speak with his wife,and one or two numbered among those
Deputy Cabinet Secretary Shimomura,semi-mythical beings who were theinstrumentalincreating
andvery first JETs to set out at thestrengthening the JET program andprogram’s inception in 1987.
Ambassador Kato-, too. And finally, thePart of the point of thisPrime Minister was good enough togathering, of course, was that it haspose for an individual photo with eachJ

JLGC NewsLetter No. 62 • © 2007 Japan Local Government Centerand every one of the fifty or so of us inattendance.
It was a polished performance by
the Prime Minister. I suspect that after
spending the morning discussing
matters of state with US President
George W. Bush, he was happy to havethe chance to do something a little more
light-hearted. I think everyone there
was suitably impressed that he waswilling to take a little extra time to meet
and talk to us, a courtesy that heads ofstate do not always manage to extend.
With individual photos over, so too was
the reception, and we were left with alittle time to explore the Ambassador’sresidence. Then it was time to return to
New York.
Only three weeks into thepresidency of JETAANY, and I’d met
the Japanese Prime Minister in
Washington DC. My only concern
arisingfromanotherwise
unforgettable day is that when the highpoint comes so soon, there can only be
one way to go for the remaining two
years...

Masthead:
The Asagao,
or Morning Glory, is one of the mostpopular summer flowers in Japan.
It opens in the morning and closes
in late afternoon. In the language offlowers, it signifies short-lived love.

PAGE 1

A Greeting from the New Directors
Ryuichi Kohama, Toru Mukaikubo / Directors of JLGC
J L G CU P D A T E

ello, my name is Ryuichi
Kohama.
I
havebeen
appointed director of the Japan
Local Government Center, New York,(JLGC) beginning June 1, 2007. I havethe honor of succeeding Erena Niwa whoworked here for more than two years.
Some of the important tasks ourcenter performs include: promoting themutual exchange of ideas and activities
among Japanese, American and Canadian
local authorities, supporting the JET
Programme, introducing the Japanese
local administration system to local
authorities in the United States andCanada, conducting research concerning
issues pertaining to American andCanadian local governments, andassisting the overseas activities of Japanese
local authorities. Since local-levelinternationalization is ubiquitous today,H

J L G C

PAGE 2

I look forward to getting to know
you and working with you. Also, I lookforward to visiting a variety of wonderfulplaces in the United States and Canada
while cultivating international exchange
and mutual understanding.
Finally, I should like to thank you
for welcoming me and for the assistance
I know I will be given during my stayhere.

culture. Hiroshima City is well known
for its initiatives supporting andnurturing the world wide peace
movement and I am thankful for mysmall part in furthering it.
I am not a stranger in the UnitedStates having briefly visited New York
City in May 2005 to support Hiroshima
City’sparticipationintheNonproliferation Treaty Conference heldat the United Nations. At thisconference, the Mayor of Hiroshima Cityand mayors from all over the world
gathered to support peace through theeradication of nuclear weapons.
My first visit to the United States
was in 1996. I was fortunate to be able
to live in America for three months. I
visited many interesting places in theurban cities of New York, Washington
D.C., Boston and San Francisco. I also
enjoyed my experiences in smaller cities
such as Des Moines, Iowa and Freeport,
Illinois. During the time I spent in allthese cities, I learnt about local
governments in the United States. I
especially enjoyed my home stays with
American families.
For the next two years, I lookforward to working with many state andlocal government officials in the UnitedStates and Canada. New York City is a
vibrant and exciting place to live andbeing able to work and enjoy everything
the Big Apple has to offer is a dreamcome true!

Ryuichi Kohama

U P D A T E

ello. My name is Toru
Mukaikubo and I have recently
been appointed to serve as
director at the Japan Local Government
Center. I began my duties on June 1,
2007.
The Japan Local Government
Center was established in 1989 to foster,develop and cultivate at the sub-national
level,aninternational
mutualunderstanding between Japan and othernations. Our mission promotes theexchange of ideas relating to local
government
administration
andmanagement.
For the past twenty-three years, I
worked as an employee of the city ofHiroshima in Japan. During this period,
I held many job positions and worked on
numerous
projects
including:establishing a new city university,
supporting
small
and
mediumbusinesses, promoting the tourism
industry and promulgating a peaceH

JLGC’s purpose is as important as ever.
This year will be unique for the
JLGC NY office because it now has one
executive director and two directors. As
one of the two new directors, I am incharge of the JET Programme, assisting
the overseas activities of Japanese local
authorities and general affairs andaccounting within the office.
I have been employed with theTokyo Metropolitan Government inJapan for thirteen years. During thisperiod, I worked for different
departments such as the Bureau of
Housing, Bureau of Port and Harbor,and for the headquarters of the Governorof Tokyo. In many respects, Tokyo like
New York City is experiencing municipal
problems that require solutions. I am
pleased to be given the opportunity towork in New York.

Toru Mukaikubo
JLGC NewsLetter No. 62 • © 2007 Japan Local Government Center

A Message fromthe New JLGC Assistant Directors
Sho Nakazono, Kaoru Fujiwara, Kazumitsu Tanaka, Satoru Kimura, Shinya Bando, Hidenori Inoue, Takashi Daito / Assistant Directors of JLGC
J L G CU P D A T E

Hi! My name is Sho
Nakazono and I am
from the City of
Sakai. Sakai became adesignated city in April
2006 affording it thepotential to progress inmany new areas. It will
be a great honor to represent Sakai City during
my two year stay at the Japan Local
Government Center in New York City. As an
architectural engineer I am looking forward tovisiting as many places as possible to observe avariety of building styles and designs.
I am eager to make new connections in the
United States and renew old relationships madeyears ago when I lived in New York.
7
Hello! My name is
Kaoru Fujiwara. It is agreat pleasure to meetyou. I am a detective
with
the
Tokyo
Metropolitan Police
Department. I wastransferred from theTokyo Metropolitan Police Department towork for two years at the Japan Local
Government Center in New York City.
During my stay in New York, I shall continue
to cultivate the strong relationship between the
New York City Police Department and theTokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The
job of city police to protect citizens from crimeand accidents is becoming all the more
important as recent trends indicate higher
criminal activity perpetrated by international
crime groups. While working at JLGC, I would
like to investigate and research measures used
to combat criminal activity by illegal
immigrants in order to assist Japanese police
dealing with similar problems as Japanese cities
diversify.
7
My name is Kaz Tanaka
and I am from
Yamagata Prefecture.
Yamagata is located at
the northern part ofJapan and you can reach
there in two and one
half hours by bullet
train (Shinkansen) from Tokyo. The prefecture
is famous for its beautiful mountains, delicious
JLGC NewsLetter No. 62 • © 2007 Japan Local Government Center

assortment of fruits, such as cherry, peach andpear and for its tasty beef. The Yamagata
landscape features historical temples andshrines and fabulous hot springs. If you visit
Yamagata, you can enjoy traditional as well as
modern Japan.
My job at the Japan Local Government Center
is to introduce Yamagata to American people
and to promote industrial, educational andcultural exchanges between the United States
and Yamagata. If you are interested in visiting
Yamagata Prefecture, please let me know.
7
Hello! My name isSatoru Kimura. I am
glad to be living andworking in New York.
It will be a greatand certainly uniqueexperience for me toreside in the UnitedStates.
I am originally from Saitama City located in thecentral part of the Kanto Plain in Japan.
Saitama City is a beautiful place to visit as I
explain in my article included in this newsletter.
Please enjoy it! I'd like to communicate withmany people in America and to get to know
American culture. Also, my goal is to learn
about how the American local government
system operates and to share information about
Japanese local governments with my Americancounterparts.
7
Hello! My name is
Shinya Bando and I am
the first representativefrom Wakayama City towork for the Japan
Local
Government
Center (JLGC) in New
York City.
Let me introduce Wakayama City.
Wakayama City is situated in the northern partof Wakayama Prefecture. Wakayama City isfamous for its beautiful beaches and themagnificent ocean views from the top of
Wakayama Castle. If you like the sun and surf,
I am sure you will enjoy our pristine beaches.
I am interested in environmentalism. I
should like to focus my research on how local
government policies and practices protect theenvironment from pollution.
While in NY, I would like to meet a lot of

people and experience different cultures. I shallmake the most of this wonderful opportunity.
7
Hello! My name isHidenori Inoue. I am
originally from the
Ministry of Internal
Affairs and Communications where I assisted
in the preparation of
the Ministry’s budget
and the planning of local government bonds.
Also, I had an opportunity to work for
Kagoshima Prefecture government where I
provided financial advice and guidance tomunicipalities in Kagoshima Prefecture. While
working at the Japan Local Government Centerin New York, I should like to research American
and Canadian local government, specificallyissues relating to taxation and finance.
I came to New York City with my wife anddaughter. I know that living in a foreigncountry will be a valuable experience for us;
therefore, I would like to visit many places withmy family. I also hope to improve upon my
English language ability and by talking to a lotof people I will be able to better understand thelanguage and culture.
7
Hi! My name is Takashi
Daito and I am thesecond person from thecity of Hamamatsu towork at JLGC.
LocatedbetweenTokyo and Osaka,
Hamamatsu is an
attractive city which has a beautiful lake,magnificent beaches, and dramatic mountain
ranges. The people of Hamamatsu are friendly,
and are said to have an adventurous spirit.
Hamamatsu is the birthplace of Soichiro
Honda, the founder of Honda Motor.
Automobile and motorcycle manufacturing is amajor industry in Hamamatsu. Furthermore,
Hamamatsu City is trying to promote newindustries such as optical electronics.
With a sense of adventure, I look forward tomeeting new people and experiencing many
new situations while living and working in the
United States.

PAGE 3

Japan Enacts Education Reform Bills
Seth Benjamin / JLGC Senior Researcher
J L G CR E S E A R C H E R ’ Sn the current session of the Japanese
National Diet, the ruling party,
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),
submitted three bills to begin the processof reforming education in Japan. Each ofthese bills has been passed by bothhouses of the National Diet and has
become law. Education reform has been
and is one of the most important policy
areas for the current Prime Minister,Shinzo Abe.
Before becoming prime minister,Shinzo Abe had published a book, titled
Utsukushii kuni e (Toward a Beautiful
Country). In that book, he spoke about
the importance of reform in Japan’s
educational system. Almost immediately
he became prime minister, Shinzo Abe
set up an ‘Education Rebuilding
Council’. As he said, at the time,“Restrengthening Japan’s education
system is one of the most important
items on the Cabinet’s agenda”. Indeed,
he added how dispiriting it was to hear
about what he called “heart-wrenchingnews such as children committing suicide
because they were bullied. Experts today
point to declines in children’s morals andacademic abilities, and the families andcommunities in which children grow up
are said to be less and less capable atfilling the educational roles they oncedid”. The thrust of the prime minister’sreforms is to recreate the spirit of ‘love ofcountry’, which can be found in thewords of Shoin Yoshida who was
executed in 1859 for plotting against theTokugawa Shogunate’s treaties with theAmerican Commodore Perry. The
opening words of his isho ryukonroku (asort of last will and testament), written
the night before he was executed, began“though my life may end on the Musashi
Plain, my Japanese spirit shall be left yet
in this land”.
This, then, is the background to
the push for education reform in thecurrent Abe Administration. Late in2006, the Education Rebuilding Council

I

PAGE 4E Y E

made its first report to the prime
minister with the aim of defining clearly
what the principles for education reform
were. Thus, the first-ever revision to the1947 Fundamental Law of Education
actually was made at the end of 2006 andstipulated that Japanese children should
be taught a respect for the tradition andculture of Japan as well as a love ofcountry and the community in which
they grow up. Nevertheless, a respect andan appreciation for other countries,
together with a desire to embrace aninternational spirit, also were to be just as
important.
With its second report to thePrime Minister, the Education Rebuilding
Council made recommendations for
specific changes to the structure of theeducational
systeminJapan.
Subsequently, in late June 2007, theNational Diet passed three bills that will
have an impact on how Japan’s children
will spend their schooling days in the
future. The major changes are as follows:
ESchool Education Law:
7The first change involves aligning the
School Education Law with therevision to the Fundamental Law of
Education to include the teaching of‘love of country’ and discipline tostudents as a goal of Japanese
education.
7Academic guidelines for elementary,junior high and high schools will be
adjusted. Textbooks reflecting suchadjustment will be available shortly
thereafter.
7More managerial posts will be allowed
in kindergarten, elementary and juniorhigh schools. These include viceprincipal, managing teacher andadvising teacher. The aim of these
positions is to improve schooloversight and the instruction ofteachers and students.
EEducation Personnel
Certification Law:
7Teachers will be required to renew

their certification every ten years, inorder to update their skills. It is
expected that roughly 100,000
teachers will take the 30-hour training
course each year. The local board ofeducation will determine whether or
not the teacher is competent.
ELocal Education Administration
Law:
7The change to this law allows theeducation minister to order boards ofeducation to take remedial action if
the minister considers that they havenot followed the education laws. (Thischange is, in part, a response to thewidespread acknowledgement that
more than 650 high schools in the lastacademic year had not offered enoughof the required classes for students tograduate.)
7Also, at least one parent of a student
must be allowed to sit on the local
board of education.
Of course, it is too soon to knowwhat effect these changes will have.
Education, however, is always uppermostin the mind of society when it is going
through uncertain times.

Junior high school students attending classes.

JLGC NewsLetter No. 62 • © 2007 Japan Local Government CenterMy Introduction to
Japanese American History
Stephen Fasano / JLGC Senior Researcher
J L G CR E S E A R C H E R ’ S

Volunteer docent giving a tour to interested children.

O

ne of the many pleasures about
being a researcher is that you
always have the opportunity toself educate and learn about subjects thatsomehow escape the traditional
education process. I have been working
as a researcher at the Japan Local
Government for seventeen years. During
this time, I have learned many thingsfrom my Japanese colleagues about Japanand about being Japanese and living andworking in America.
What I did not know and fully
understand was the history and plight ofJapanese Americans living in the UnitedStates. My curiosity about this subject
piqued during a business trip to
California where the Japan Local
Government Center hosts a pre-departure
dinner for American and Canadiangovernment officials who visit Japan as
participants of the CLAIR Fellowship
Program. Prior to the dinner, the grouplistened to a presentation on the historyof Little Tokyo, an ethnic JapaneseAmerican district in downtown Los
Angeles. The group was treated to a tourof one of the original Japan town’s visiting
small stores and taking photographs ofhistoric monuments located near theJapanese American National Museum.
The Japanese American National
Museum is a striking venue located in the
JLGC NewsLetter No. 62 • © 2007 Japan Local Government Center

E Y E

Photograph by Don Farberhistoric district of the Little Tokyoneighborhood in downtown Los Angeles.
It is the only museum in the UnitedStates dedicated to sharing the experienceof Americans of Japanese ancestry.
Founded in 1985, the Japanese American
National Museum has chronicled morethan 130 years of Japanese American
history. From 1985 to 1992, the Museum
raised funds to renovate a former
Buddhist temple, which became the first
headquarters for the institution. In 1999,
the National Museum opened its brandnew Pavilion which contains the Manabi
and Sumi Hirasaki National Resource
Center that serves researchers, writers,
students, family historians, filmmakers
and other museum visitors both onsite
and online through its reference, researchand reproduction services.
I recalled my earlier visit to theJapanese American National Museum
and was astounded to view thedifficulties encountered by JapaneseAmericans during the first half of the20th century in the United States.
Needless to say, as a researcher with abasic instinct to attain further
information, I could not resist thetemptation to explore what was for me
the beginning of a new and fascinating
understanding of minorities in America.
According to the 2000 UnitedStates Census, there are 796,700
Japanese Americans with the highest
concentrations in California, Hawaii,
New York, Illinois and Washington. In
addition there are another 300,000 to
400,000 individuals who self identify
themselves as Japanese and at least one
other race.
The
Japanese
Americanexperience in the United States spans
more than a century. It can be analyzed
in three periods: First, 1868-1924 was
the major period of Japaneseimmigration to Hawaii and the UnitedStates and the beginning of organizedefforts against Japanese Americans
culminating in the Immigration Act of1924, which barred further immigrationfrom Japan. The period 1924-1941
represented Japanese settlement andcommunity development and theemergence of the nisei, American born
Japanese Americans. The period 19411945 were the years of war time
incarceration and 1945 to the present,
the post war recovery period when
Japanese Americans rebuilt their lives
and communities.
One of the best reference books
written about the history of JapaneseAmericans is: Japanese American
History: An A to Z Reference from 1868to the Present. Edited by Brian Niiya, itis the first work of its kind to provide an
overview of the Japanese American
experience. It is an encyclopedia thatreflects the current knowledge in the fieldof Japanese American studies. The bookhighlights the achievements of the braveissei pioneers and their descendents, thethird and fourth generation JapaneseAmericans whose names are easily
recognizable: U.S. Senators Daniel
Inouye and Spark Matsunaga, former
Congressmen Norman Mineta andRobert Matsui, sculptor Isamu Noguchi,
actor George Takei, astronaut Ellison
Onizuka and Olympic gold medalist
Kristi Yamaguchi.
PAGE 5

Kanagawa Women’s Council Visit Maryland
for Seminar on Health and Aging
Shinya Bando / Assistant Director of JLGC
S I S T E R

S T A T E

delegation of ten members of the
Kanagawa Women’s Council from
Kanagawa, Japan visited Maryland
for an international woman’s health andaging seminar hosted by members of the
Maryland-Kanagawa Sister States Women’sIssues Subcommittee. Kanagawa Prefecture is
Maryland’s second oldest Sister-State, having
celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006.
The sister state relationshipbetween Kanagawa and Maryland began in
1981 when the governor of Kanagawa
attended a meeting of the Japan-U.S.
governors to deepen understandings with
American governors. Subsequently, theEmbassy of Japan and the United States
Department of State served as go betweens
as Kanagawa and Maryland agreed to enter
into a sister-state relationship. The formal
agreement signed in April 1981 pledgedthat “with mutual prosperity and happinessas their shared objective, both states will
endeavor to bring about better
understanding and closer cooperation
through the implementation of exchange
programs in various fields.” Althoughoriginally intended to focus on economic
development the relationship during theintervening years has blossomed to include
exchanges and events in areas such as
education, sports, art, culture, seniorcitizens and women’s issues. In fact, this is
the third time the Kanagawa Women’sA

Council has visited Maryland!

Kanagawa Women’s Council presentation on health and aging issues

During this recent visit, thedelegation’s itinerary included tours of theAnnapolis Senior Center and the Bates
Senior Residence facility.
On sitepresentations included lectures by various
consultants for the aging and aging issues.
Moving to Baltimore, the delegation visited
the Maryland State Medical Society(MedChi) where the featured speakers were
Gloria G. Lawlah, Secretary of the
Maryland Department of Aging and Dr.
Steven Gambert, the Physician in Chief atSinai Hospital. Members of the Kanagawa
Women’s Council and the Maryland Sister
States Women’s Issues Subcommittee also
spoke about women’s health and aging in
the United States and in Japan and a lively
discussion ensued after the informative
presentations were completed.
After the seminar, the members of

the Kanagawa Women’s Council visited the
Maryland State Arts Council. They enjoyedviewing Landscape & Nature: A View from
Maryland, an exquisite exhibit of Maryland
artists’ works with plans to travel toKanagawa. Before this exhibit, an ardent
volunteer from Kanagawa was able to havenumerous ukiyo-e prints sent from
Kanagawa and displayed in Maryland. This
example of cultural exchange is indicative ofa proactive sister state relationship.
The Kanagawa Women’s Council
exudes the passionate interest that embodies
the Kanagawa / Maryland sister state
relationship these past 25 years. Exchanges
continue as a result of the hard work anddiligent effort of the many volunteers from
Kanagawa and Maryland. With this type ofcommitment, there is a growing confidence
that the relationship will continue
successfully for the next 25 years.

Members of Kanagawa Women’s Council and Maryland officials

Gifu City and Thunder Bay“Renewing Sister-City Relations”
Keitaro Tanaka / Assistant Director of JLGC
S I S T E R

C I T Yhe cities of Gifu in Japan and Thunder
Bay in Ontario, Canada recently
celebrated their new sister-city
partnership. The signing ceremony held at

T

Mr. Shigemitsu Hosoe, Mayor of Gifu, and Ms. Lynn
Peterson, Mayor of Thunder Bay, exchanging city flags.

PAGE 6

Gifu City Hall on May 28th, 2007,
culminated with the exchange of city flags.
The twinning agreement with Gifu
City is a continuation of Thunder Bay’s
relationship with the former town of Yanaizu,
Japan which recently became part of Gifu City.
The friendship between Thunder Bay and thetown of Yanaizu began in 1988 when Gifu
Shotoku Gakuen University located in Yanaizu
town began operating student exchange
programs with Lakehead University located inThunder Bay. The successful program bore
fruit and a “Friendship City” agreement was
signed in 1997. Now with the new sister-city
agreement Gifu City and Thunder Bay will

Gifu City officials, citizens and members of Thunder Bay'sdelegation discussing new opportunities for exchange programs.

initiate a fresh approach to furthering
exchange programs that will bear additional
success and more importantly be long lasting.
JLGC NewsLetter No. 62 • © 2007 Japan Local Government Center

Return to Okinawa
Rediscovering My Life and Work
Takao Aharen / Senior Staff of Military Base Affairs Division, Okinawa Prefectural Government (Former Assistant Director of Japan Local Government Center)C O R R E S P O N D E N C E

F R O MF O R M E R

J L G Cdivisions must respond to inquiries fromthe members of the Assembly. At times,
more than 300 questions out of a total of
about 1,300 questions pertain to themilitary bases.
Often, I haveopportunities to receive visitors who areinterested in learning more about the
military base issue. In addition to our
professional staff, Coordinators forInternational Relations from the Japan
Exchange and Teaching Program (JET
Program) play an important role inassisting foreign visitors by serving as
facilitators and interpreters.
The issue of American militaryforces in Japan and especially Okinawa isa sensitive topic and I personally hopethat this issue will continue to behandled smoothly. Perhaps a solution canbe attained by consensus of all the stakeholders including the United States
government, Japanese government andOkinawa prefecture and municipal
governments.
On a less serious note has anyone
heard of the latest Okinawan
fashion craze called kariyushi
wear? If you can visualize a
Hawaiian shirt, you have got
the idea. Kariyushi wear isdesigned and manufactured in
Okinawa and believe it or not
it can be worn for formal aswell as casual occasions. The
Okinawan term, “kariyushi”
means something red-letter or
lucky. Originally, kariyushi
Okinawa government building (left)
wear appeared in Okinawa inand the Okinawa Assembly building (right)
the 1970’s, and it became
popular outside of Okinawa when world
I returned to work for Okinawa
leaders including the President of thePrefectural Government, and was
United States and the Prime Minister ofassigned a job with the Military Base
Canada wore it at the G8 summit held in
Affairs Division beginning April 2007.
Okinawa in 2000.
My duties include compiling andFrom April through November
recording statistics, and preparing
Okinawa promotes the wearing of
responses for the Prefectural Assembly
kariyushi.
Throughout the entire
which meets four times a year. When theprefecture, you can see it worn
Assembly is in session, the Military Baseeverywhere. Even the Governor wears
Affairs Division, and other relatedA

fter completing my two year
work assignment at the Japan
Local Government Center in
New York City, I returned to myhometown in Okinawa, Japan. I
thoroughly enjoyed my life and work
during my time in New York City. I
accomplished many things and met many
interesting people. Indeed, I was a bit
hesitant to return to Japan even though I
missed my family and friends there.
Okinawa is an island prefecture
located southwest of mainland Japan andhas the distinction of being the only subtropical region in Japan. Okinawa
accounts for a mere 0.6 % of Japan’s total
land area, yet hosts vast United States
military bases, which represent
approximately 74.6% of all facilities
exclusively used by U.S. Forces in Japan.
United States military presence on
Okinawa is a contentious issue amongst
the Okinawan people. Government
policy has advocated for a reduction andrealignment of the military bases.

JLGC NewsLetter No. 62 • © 2007 Japan Local Government Center

M E M B E R

kariyushi! The national government
encourages kariyushi promotion as an
example of “cool biz” casual wear. Since
the national government actively
promotes greenhouse gas reduction bykeeping the temperature of offices at
82.4 degrees Fahrenheit even the Prime
Minister and members of his Cabinet
have begun to wear kariyushi!

The author in kariyushi wear working at the office

I shall never forget myexperiences in America. I currently
spend most of my day working hard at
my new job. Occasionally, I still findtime to check out what is happening in
the United States and Canada because I
would like to stay connected.
I also want to maintain my English
language ability. Finally, I will try to use
what I learned during my two year stayin the United States and keep in touchwith the people I met.
For more information:
EOkinawa Prefectural Government
http://www.pref.okinawa.jp
EFor visitors to Okinawa
http://www.ocvb.or.jp

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Saitama City
“A Dynamic Designated City in Eastern Japan”
Satoru Kimura / Assistant Director of JLGCDESIGNATED

S

CITY

aitama City is the capital of
Saitama-ken and is located in thesoutheastern part of the prefecture.
Saitama City is a new city created on
May 1, 2001, resulting from the mergerof three cities formerly known as Urawa,
Omiya and Yono. On April 1, 2003, thecity of Saitama became the 13th
government designated city in Japan. An
additional
merger with the former
Iwatsuki City on April 1, 2005, has
swelled Saitama City’s population toapproximately 1.2 million solidifying it
as the urban center of the Kanto region.
Historically, the city developed asa railroad town along the NakasendoRoad. Today, Saitama City boasts an
excellent ground transportation systemwith 5 shinkan-sen lines that along with
the JR Railway and private railroads
service the entire city. Saitama City is oneof the major railway junctions in easternJapan. Saitama City features convention
centers including the Saitama Super
Arena one of the world’s largest movablestage systems. Its four different stages
provide venues for concerts. You caneasily reach Saitama City from Tokyo in
about half an hour with convenient
access to neighboring sightseeing resorts.
Saitama City is a sports city. Threestadiums are home to three highly
respected soccer teams that play in Saitama
City: the Urawa Red Diamonds, Omiya
Ardija and Urawa Reds Ladies. The Urawa
Red Diamonds won the J-League andEmperor’s Cup tournaments in the Asia
Championship League. Saitama Stadium2002 hosted the 2002 World Cup
championship games showcasing Saitama
City to Asia and the world.
Saitama is a cultural city. Bonsai,
the art of dwarfing trees or plants bygrowing and training them in containers
according to prescribed techniques wasintroduced to Japan during the
Kamakura period (1185-1333). After theGreat Kanto earthquake, bonsai suppliersin Tokyo moved to other locations andBonsai Village was established inenvirons that are now part of Saitama
City. Currently, there are bonsai in thevillage gardens that exceed 500 years inage and have been declared a nationaltreasure. Bonsai lovers from all over theworld visit to enjoy this precious
experience. Saitama City is the Mecca forbonsai enthusiasts!
Saitama is a museum city;
including the Tougyoku Dolls museum,
the John Lennon museum and the newrailway museum that will open thisOctober. The Tougyoku Dolls museum
is the largest traditional doll museum inIwatsuki Ward exhibiting a wide variety
of dolls. Fun workshops allow visitors toexperience traditional doll making.

Saitama New Urban Center with Saitama Super Arena

Saitama City has a clear vision for
its future. First, it strives to maintain its
image as a dynamic hub city for EasternJapan. The development of the Saitama
New Urban Center will support andextend the transport of goods andservices while serving as an incubator for
creating new service and informationindustries. Second, city officials want tobalance economic development withenvironmental interests. In the center ofthe city are the minuma tanbo (ricefields), to the west is the Arakawa Riverand to the east is the Moto-arakawa
River. These are the foremost natural
resources in the capital region. The green
area of minuma and the waters of the
Arakawa River harbor a variety of floraand fauna. It is Saitama City’s intention
to conserve, recover and create these andother places for their residents andvisitors to enjoy.

Minuma Tanbo

Also, city officials and citizens
hope to encourage the solving ofenvironmental problems in order toattain a rich green city where humans
and nature can coexist. Finally, to be acity that supports a comfortable lifestyleto nurture youth. The city actively
promotes improvement in welfare,education and other social services toenrich human life and to develop a citythat allows everyone in the community
to live their lives to their fullest potential.
The city also aims to nurture youth toenable them to carry forward a new era
and bring unique and attractive culture
into the city.
Saitama City is a comfortable,
exciting and hopeful city for everyone. I
enjoy everything it has to offer and I am
sure that when you visit Saitama City
you will agree. If you have any questions,please contact me! Thank you.
EMore information:
http://www.city.saitama.jp/
en/index.html
E-mail:kimura@jlgc.org(Satoru Kimura)

Published by JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER
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PAGE 8JLGC NewsLetter No. 62 • © 2007 Japan Local Government Center