Monday, January 24, 2022 | The Japan Times | 7

sustainable japan

ESG promotional content
produced by The Japan Times Cube

Fascination with anime widened to respect for diversity, resilience

UAE Ambassador Alfaheem
grew up with Japan
Name: Shihab Alfaheem
Title: UAE Ambassador
URL: www.mofaic.gov.ae/
Hometown: Abu Dhabi
Years in Japan: 1

Leaders & Readers
JOE MUNTALCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Shihab Alfaheem’s current assignment
as the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador
to Japan represents much more than justanother stop in a diplomatic career. For
Alfaheem, it marks the return to a country
that inspired him as a child and formed his
career.
Alfaheem’s first encounter with Japancame at a young age watching Japanese
animation programs such as “UFO Robot
Grendizer,” “Captain Tsubasa” and others
that used to air on UAE TV channels.
The flow of cultural productions fromJapan to Alfaheem’s television and otherhouseholds across the UAE was a byproduct of the cultural, economic and diplomatic exchange between the two countries
that formally began in May 1972, sixmonths after the unification of the UAE in
December of 1971.
Alfaheem grew up amid this UAE-Japan
exchange, which shaped his life’s trajectory. What started as a fascination withJapanese animation gradually developed
into a deeply personal relationship withthe country where he now serves asambassador.

Before assuming his current post in
December 2020, Alfaheem worked as a
diplomat in various capacities with the
UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which
he entered in 2012. Prior to becoming a
diplomat, he worked in the oil and banking industries, where he got his first tasteof life in Japan. In 2003, Alfaheem’s former employer, Abu Dhabi National Oil
Co., stationed him in the city of Beppu in
Kyushu for a one-year on-the-job training program. Over the course of that year,
Alfaheem became so enamored with Japanthat he made sure to come back and visit
at least once a year. “I really like the diversity of Japan,” he said. “Whether it’s Osaka,
Fukuoka or Kagoshima, each place showsa different face of the country. There is somuch to explore, and I am very happy forthe chance to serve here.”
Alfaheem’s decision to become a diplomat was inspired by his desire to “giveback” to his country. “The contributions I
can make as a diplomat to further enhance
our relationships with Japan and othercountries around the world inspires me towake up every day,” he said. “Last year the
UAE celebrated the 50th anniversary of
its founding, and I want to do everything I
can to ensure that my country continues
to progress and improve its connections
around the world.”
Diplomatic relations between the UAE
and Japan formally began in May 1972, but
Japan has had a presence in the UAE since
as early as 1955, when Toyota established its
first distribution agreements in the region.
In addition to trade, which has generally
centered on automobile imports fromJapan and oil exports from the UAE, thetwo countries have engaged in collaborative projects such as the Emirates Mars Mission, the UAE’s first interplanetary spaceprobe, which launched from the Tanegashima Space Center last year.
Alfaheem noted that Japan is an important partner in the field of sustainable
power generation. “Japan has played a significant role in our efforts to pursue renewable energy,” he said, “and we’re working
on several different projects related to solar
power and carbon capturing.” Shipmentsof blue ammonia from the UAE to Japan
illustrate this partnership. A low-carbon
carrier fuel for hydrogen, blue ammonia
is expected to significantly contribute todecarbonization efforts across multiple sectors. In August 2021, the UAE sent its firstcargo of blue ammonia to Japan.
Last year, the UAE became the first country in the region to pledge to reach netzero carbon emissions by 2050. One might
wonder whether a country with a historical economic reliance on oil exports cangenuinely address sustainability. Alfaheem
addressed this skepticism, explaining thatthe push for sustainability is not necessarily
irreconcilable with the UAE’s history as anoil country. “Even though we are an oil producing country, we are looking for sustainability. We want to celebrate the last day ofsending a barrel of oil. We can only do thatby being fully prepared.”
As part of its energy strategy for 2050,
the UAE intends to increase the proportion of clean energy in its total energy mix
from 25% to 50% and reduce its carbon
footprint of power generation by 70%.
To this end, in 2021 the UAE government
announced it will invest approximately

Sumo and travel to 31
prefectures
Shihab Alfaheem is the United ArabEmirates’ ambassador to Japan.
Prior to assuming his current post in
December 2020, Alfaheem served as
chief of protocol in the UAE Ministry ofForeign Affairs, where he had frequentencounters with Japan. Before becoming a diplomat, he worked in the banking and oil industries, which led to his
first professional assignment in Japan in
2003, when the Abu Dhabi National Oil
Co. stationed him in the city of Beppu in
Kyushu and Tokyo for a one-year training program.
When he is not busy with diplomaticduties or traveling to different parts ofJapan to give the UAE Cup in Sumo tournaments, a bimonthly tradition thatbegan in 1979, Alfaheem enjoys traveling across Japan, exploring its sights andregional culture. He has been to 31 ofJapan’s 47 prefectures, with his favorite
place so far being Aoshima in Miyazaki
Prefecture.

HIROMICHI MATONO$163 billion in renewable energy. In linewith these targets, the country’s nationaloil company, Abu Dhabi National Oil
Co. (ADNOC), plans to completely rely

on solar and nuclear power starting inJanuary of this year (though it is important to note that, as recently as 2020,
ADNOC received approval to develop

new oil and gas deposits to boost crude
oil production). Al-Faheem observed thatinvestments in solar power have been particularly successful, enabling the UAE togenerate the world’s cheapest solar power,
at 1.35 cents per kilowatt-hour.
For the remainder of his assignment,
Alfaheem hopes to continue enhancing
UAE-Japan relations amid the push forsustainability. He explained that Japan’s
resilience is a source of inspiration thatboth countries can channel to achieve
diplomatic solutions. “The ganbarō (‘let’s
try our best’) mentality of Japan is something you see all over the country. If there
is a big earthquake, they rebuild and pushforward,” Alfaheem said. “This notion that
one can always come back stronger is
inspiring and mirrors the historical development of my own country, which began
as a group of simple villages and has sincedeveloped into a wealthy nation.”

CCJA winner’s nonprofit Pilcon
seeks contraceptive freedom

Involving locals helps promote
and preserve Japanese geoparks

not be able to protect themselves unlessthey changed the systems that affect women’s health. She said there is a panel run by
MAIKO MURAOKA
the Ministry of Health on a plan to grant
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
over-the-counter access to emergency
contraceptive pills, but “To begin with, theThe number of abortions among womencommittee itself is only for discussing andunder age 20 in Japan was over 11,000 inclarifying what challenges may be brought
2020, according to the Ministry of Health,about, not for making necessary decisions
Labor and Welfare. The rate seems to be
to actually legalize prescription-free morndeclining, but the fact that every day more
ing-after pills.”
than 30 young women endure the mental“In addition, members of the committee
and physical suffering of abortion should
had consisted mainly of men in powerful
not be neglected.
positions in the government and represenAsuka Someya, director of the nontatives of academic medical societies thatprofit organization Pilcon, which is dediare also mostly men,” she said, pointing
cated to addressing issues related to sexualout that the opinions of women — whoand reproductive health and rights, wasare supposed to be the central parties —
selected as one of the five winners of the
had not been reflected. Someya stressedChampion of Change Japan Award (CCJA)
that women have the right to make theirin 2020. CCJA was founded in 2017 by phiown decisions with as little mental andlanthropist Atsuko Toko Fish, who has been
physical burden as possible without being
active in Japan and the U.S., to shed light on
criticized by anyone, and that health carefemale leaders in Japan who address social
professionals are there to support them,issues and needs.
not control them.
The origin of campus enlightenment
Last year, Someya and two other activactivities led by Someya, who was a uniists who cooperate with her participatedversity student herself at the time, was her
in the committee as specialists in the field,
own experience of unexpected pregnancy.
and submitted collected signatures and a
She knew little back then about sexual andrequest to expedite the process of making
reproductive health or Japan’s situation
emergency contraceptive pills available
regarding women’s choices and rights.
without prescriptions. They also madeShe started to gather and share appropriintense lobbying efforts. “We received more
ate and up-to-date knowledge and inforreactions than we expected. For example,
mation about contraception, aiming to
the word ‘emergency contraceptive pill’
prevent women and girls from unwanted
made it into the Twitter trends,” Someya
pregnancy and suffering other sexual andsaid. She noted that something that long
reproductive health issues and to be aware
was taboo is becoming more and moreof their rights.
accepted and recognized as a subject for
The more she worked toward her goal,
open discussion thanks to various new
the more she realized that women would
media, including
social networking
services.
What began as an
on-campus activity that turned into
a nonprofit organization in 2013
has grown into avibrant group of
more than 40 support members
whom Someya
calls “fellows.” In
Atsuko Someya (third from left) hands the signed policy proposal toaddition to themake emergency contraceptives more readily available to the former
continuing advoGender Equality Minister, Seiko Hashimoto (third from right). PILCON

Satoyama~Authentic
Japan

ESG/SDGs

MAIKO MURAOKACONTRIBUTING WRITER

Atsuko Someya (left) leads a lecture on sex
education at a junior high school. PILCON

cacy to realize prescription-free emergency
contraceptive pills, she and her fellows offer
opportunities and tools for both youths
and adults to gain sufficient knowledge
about contraception.
While they mainly give lectures tojunior and senior high school students,
they also strive to reach out to adults,
especially schoolteachers, to help themlearn how they can teach youths about
contraception more effectively. “Older
generations received old, traditional styleof sex education, so we need to update
their knowledge as well,” Someya said. To
this end, Pilcon is launching a new website, named Life Design Online, where
teachers and other adults can deepen theirunderstanding about sexual and reproductive health. They are also developing a
handy kit the size of a lunchbox that contains small models, samples and a booklet
to help explain what kind of contraception methods are available and how to
use them. “We raised the funds to make
300 sets of this kit through crowdfunding,which we deliver to schools and drugstores wishing to use them for educationand demonstration,” Someya said.
Beyond this, she stressed the importance of further efforts to change existing laws and policies related to women’s
health. “Even if the education advances,
the situation will not fully improve if
access to emergency contraceptive pills is
not ensured,” she said
This section highlights theenvironment and a sustainable society. For more information please visit www.
sustainable.japantimes.com

There are 169 UNESCO global geoparks in
44 countries. In Japan, there are 44 national
geoparks certified by the Japan Geopark
Committee, including nine areas that havealso been registered as UNESCO global
geoparks.
Geoparks are not just about protecting
unique geological sites and landscapes. They
provide opportunities for learning how people and nature have interacted up to now inthose areas and how people can sustainably
use their resources to promote their beautyand hand it down to future generations. The
20th Satoyama Cafe, an online talk event
organized by the Japan Times Satoyama
Consortium that was held on Dec. 7, invited
three officials representing San’in Kaigan
Geopark, the Mount Tsukuba Area Geoparkand Shimokita Geopark to share what they
have to offer to visitors as well as to the local
residents.
Kazuya Ando, deputy director of theSan’in Kaigan Geopark Museum of the Earthand Sea, said the geopark — which faces the
Sea of Japan and covers an area larger thanmetropolitan Tokyo — presents evidenceof when and how a stretch of land broke offfrom the Eurasian continent and became
the Japanese archipelago. “The history of the
Earth from the time when the Sea of Japanwas born can be observed in the rocks, strata
and fossils in the area,” he said. Because of its
geological value, the geopark was certified asa UNESCO global geopark in 2010.
The area — which stretches for about
120 kilometers from east to west and 30 km

The Tottori Sand Dunes span about 16 kilometers of coast, are up to 2.4 kilometers wide andabout 70 meters high. SAN’IN KAIGAN GEOPARK

PAGE: 7

Mount Tsukuba, Lake Kasumigaura, and the
Kanto Plain are the main features of the
Geopark. MOUNT TSUKUBA AREA GEOPARKThe Shimokita Geopark is surrounded by the
Tsugaru Strait, the Mutsu Bay and the Pacific
Ocean. SHIMOKITA GEOPARK

from north to south, covering the northernparts of the prefectures of Kyoto, Hyogo
and Tottori — also offers diverse landscapes
including the Tottori Sand Dunes, the townof Iwami’s rocky granite coast and mountains higher than 1,000 meters. “For visitors
to enjoy the scenery of the geopark andmeeting local people, we opened a new
geopark trail that extends 230 km,” Andosaid.
The Mount Tsukuba Area Geopark covers
an area that comprises 20% of the entire prefecture of Ibaraki and has three distinctive
features: Mount Tsukuba, Lake Kasumigaura
and the Kanto Plain.
Yuji Ito, director of the Tsukuba municipal government’s Geopark Department,
explained the importance of the role that
local residents play in preserving and promoting the natural assets of geoparks. Thereis a fossil oyster shell site in Sakihama on
the lakeside of Kasumigaura, but it had been
covered with weeds with little maintenance.
“But as soon as we put up a sign there in 2017that describes what this fossil site is about,the local residents started to voluntarily
clean the site so that the enormous amountof oyster shells stuck in the stratum is visible
again,” he said, adding that now the area isincluded in geopark tours.
The geopark has 55 guides who lead tours,
and Ito explained that they will also be incharge of showing visitors around a new
tourist facility to be opened in 2023. “We areturning an old junior high school building
into a place where we can connect people
and people, and people and culture andnature in the area,” said Ito.
Shimokita Geopark is located on Aomori
Prefecture’s northernmost peninsula, surrounded by seas with three different characters: the wild Tsugaru Strait, the quiet
Mutsu Bay and the dynamic Pacific Ocean.

The geopark is about two-thirds the size ofTokyo.
In addition to the waters that bring a wide
variety of marine resources to the area, thegeopark offers diverse landscapes including gigantic rocks and cliffs, natural forestsand mountains, hot springs, rivers, plains
and sand dunes. “We are making efforts tomake this area sustainable by preserving
and utilizing the resources while nurturing
a love for the hometown and improving theregional value,” said Satoshi Ishikawa, a doctor of science and a promoter of Shimokita
Geopark. Various activities and events are
conducted for and with the locals such as
beach cleanup operations, study meetingsand lectures, tree-planting ceremonies anda camp event for children. He said they alsouse messaging services and other media topromote the area and events for visitors,
including the visitor center, guided tours andmarkets for local products.
Ishikawa stressed that in order to stop
depopulation, it is important to promote thearea to make locals want to stay and visitors
want to come back or even move there, saying the geopark and its resources are sustainable because people live there.
To conclude the session, Ando from San’in
Kaigan Geopark said: “Geoparks make you
realize that human lives are part of thediverse activities of the Earth and reveal
regions’ charms. Now that we are aware thatmany things can be done online, you havethe option to live and work from anywhere
you like.”
This section highlights the environment and asustainable society. For more
information on Satoyama,
ESG and SDG issues, please
visit www. sustainable.japan
times.com