Kitakyushu
International
Techno-cooperative
Association

NEWS
No.17
2014
October2
3
4
5

A message from President
KITA information
Retirement and New Executive Director Message
Results of training courses implemented
in the last half of FY2013
6 Highlight of KITA training courses
8 Recent activities for overseas development
cooperation
10 News & Topics
11 KITA International Friendship Programs
12 Reports from former participants

Visiting a SPINA’s shopping martin Sakura Street

Food inspection training at Kitakyushu Life Science Center

Securing food sanitation is everyone’s wish
The training course of “Reinforcement of Administrative Capacity for Food Sanitation” isdesigned to deal with the food safety issues confronting the countries and to cover such subjects
as basic knowledge about pathogenic microbes that have an impact on food safety, nutritional
problems and the measures taken to ensure food safety throughout the processes fromproduction to consumption in the food industry.
Please see the article on page 8 for more details

Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative Association

A Message from President

Regarding FY 2013
Annual Report andFY 2014 Annual Plan
Hideki FURUNO, President
Circumstances are changing at a bewildering

FY2014, but we will continue to follow the five

pace in places such as South East Asia, theguidelines given below, which are based upon

Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe, all of

our medium and long term policies, just as we

which have a close connection with the future of

did in FY2013.

Japan. We need to pay close attention to

1. Intensifying the surveying and finding ofchanges in the circumstances surrounding ouroverseas needs and the building ofcountry, and to promote operations based upon

networks with overseas

government guidelines as we coordinate with

2. Enhancing and improving the project

JICA and the city of Kitakyushu. KITA provides

capabilities of training and technicalsupport for activities that deploy Japan’s fortes

cooperation

overseas. What we should be aiming for are
activities that can be transmitted from
Kitakyushu and that capitalize on the special
qualities of Kitakyushu.

3. Getting KITA’s current account balance
firmly into the black
4. Promoting a three-year plan for the
maintenance of our IT infrastructure

In accordance with those viewpoints, we are

5. Establishing ourselves as a public interest

now in our fourth year since KITA took our firstincorporated foundation: securing

step towards a full-blown overhaul of our set-up

transparency and fairness, and disclosing

from a medium and long term perspective. Since

information

assuming the office of President in January 2011
I have verbalized our basic policy as

Our track record for the 33 years between“ A c c u m u l a t i o n o f K I TA’s a s s e t s ” a n d

FY1980 and FY2013 shows the participation of 150“Investigation of 'what is typical of KITA' andcountries and a total of 7,453 participants in our'the advantages of being based in Kitakyushu'”.

courses.

These two points were reaffirmed as KITA’s
medium and long term policies at the start of

Although it is important to further build up the

FY2013. I will devote myself to further studies in

number of participants, I believe that it is evenaccordance with these policies.

more essential to draw upon previous participants,

Thanks to everyone’s efforts, our FY2013

who are valuable assets for KITA from now on.

business performance was able to stay in theblack even though our operations were
downsized.
The business environment will be harsh in

2

KITA NEWS No.17

I would like to ask for your continued support.

KITA information
The five management guidelines in accordance with KITA’s medium and long term policies
ー KITA will pour our efforts into implementing the following five guidelines over the two fiscal years from FY2013 to FY2014 ー
K I TA has deci de d t o p r o m o t e t h e f o l l o w i n g f i v e
guidelines set in accordance with KITA’s medium and longterm policies over the two years from F Y2013 to F Y 2014
and eventually to realize them by FY2014.
(1) Intensify the surveying and finding out of overseas
needs and building of overseas networks
The following three points will be promoted with thehighest priority for the sake of accumulating assets
for KITA.
1) Find out and share needs in collaboration with JICA
and related administrative divisions of Kitakyushu
municipal government2) Find out and summarize overseas needs and create
programs on a regular basis
3) Develop and launch an overseas human resources
da t abase t o es t ablish ne t w or k s w i t h f or mer
participants overseas

3) Formulation and implementation of an annual plan(3) Get KITA’s current account balance firmly into theblack
The following will be promoted for the improvement of
KITA’s financial strength, a prerequisite for KITA’s
further growth1) Impr ove t he accur acy o f K I TA’s income andexpenditure plan and establish a medium and longterm forecast2) Enhance profitability in each division of KITA
(4) Promote a three-year plan for the maintenance of our IT
infrastructure
KITA’s IT infrastructure is being developed over thethree fiscal years from FY2012 to FY2014.
1) Complete development of the work support system
which is the core of our IT infrastructure2) E xpand utilization of our IT infrastructure andpromote introductory training in the use of our work
support system(2) Enhance and improve the project capabilities oftraining and technical cooperation
For the enhancement and improvement of project
capabilities, it is essential to consolidate partnerships
with the parties concerned and always to proceedwith tasks in a planned way.
1) Closer cooperation between KITA divisions as well
as between KITA’s projects2) Consolidation of partnerships with JICA and related
administrative divisions of Kitakyushu municipal
government(5) Establish ourselves as a public interest incorporated
foundation: ensure transparency and fairness, anddisclose information
KITA will stabilize the operation of our reformed public
interest corporation system within three years of
being recognized as a public interest incorporated
foundation.

FY2013 Annual Report

FY2014 Annual Plan

Ⅰ. Annual Report
We have promoted the above five guidelines since theirlaunch in F Y 2 0 13 . T hey have all been implemen t edthoroughly and have progressed almos t completely
according to plan.
In the settlement of accounts income did not attain ourbudget projection, but our income and expenditure balance(profits) did. It has been a year in which we made steadyprogress with regard to our medium and long term policies.

I. Annual Plan
Based on our FY2013 performance, we will refine the above
five guidelines into more detailed plans and aim to achieve ourtargets in FY2014. No particular impediments have arisen in
their implementation from FY2013 that would prevent us fromachieving our F Y2014 targets. We anticipate that we willachieve practically all our objectives if we continue to makeconcerted efforts in FY2014.

Ⅱ. Income and expenditure
Current income: 280,436,000 JPY
Current expenditure : 273,607,000 JPY

Ⅱ. Income and expenditure plan
Current income: 304,092,000 JPY
Current expenditure : 303,520,000 JPY

KITA NEWS No.17

3

Greeting of retirement and new appointment■Technical Cooperation Division

Retirement Message

Dr. Ken-ichi FUJIMOTO

I resigned from the post ofmunicipal government and related organizations, we were able

E xecutive Director of the
Te c h n i c a l C o o p e r a t i o n

to build networks with many countries.
We built networks with South East Asian countries such as

Division on March 31, 2014.

Vietnam and Thailand, as well as with Russia and its neighbors,

I served in that position forthree years, star ting fromcountries in the Middle Eas t , Turkey and Taiwan. It is
anticipated that we will be able to leverage these networks to

April 1, 2011. Many people

develop new projects. I am confident that the development ofgave me their support duringthat time, and I was able tonew projects will help to improve KITA’s financial standing.
Project development, and the enhancement and improvement

complete my duties withoutof our project capabilities, require coordination and exchanges

any serious errors. Thank youof information with related administrative divisions ofKitakyushu municipal government and the Training Division ofvery much.
As Executive Director of the Technical Cooperation Division I
did all that I could to somehow give material form to "what is
typical of KITA" and "the advantages of being based in
Kitakyushu", as per one of KITA’s basic policies. During mytenure I endeavored to capitalize on "what is typical of KITA"
and "the advantages of being based in Kitakyushu" while

KITA. We ask all the parties concerned for their support.
I joined KITA in 2004 so I was employed here for ten years.
During that time I went on 43 business trips to 9 countries,
including some in the Middle East. I am grateful for being

surveying overseas needs and building overseas networks.

granted such precious experiences.
My successor as E xecutive Director of the TechnicalCooperation Division is Tomoharu ASAHARA. I ask you all to

For tunately, thanks to the hard work of ever yone in theTechnical Cooperation Division and to support from Kitakyushu

give him the same support you gave me.
I pray for KITA's further development and progress.

A Message from the New Executive Director
I’ve been appointed Mr.
Fujimoto’s successor as theE xecutive Director of the
Te c h n i c a l C o o p e r a t i o n
Division. I still lackexperience and humbly ask
for your support.
I joined Nippon S teelCorporation in July 1971 andwas assigned to the Yahata
Tomoharu ASAHARA
Steel Works, since which I
have lived in Kitakyushu City for 40 years, although I wastransferred to Hikari City for three years. I retired last year, butjust as I was thinking that I could still do something for
Kitakyushu, I came across the work being done at KITA. It has
been six months since I started to help out in the TechnicalCooperation Division, and I get the impression that the work iseven tougher than I initially thought. This is because the4

KITA NEWS No.17

Technical Cooperation Division’s work does not have the strong
and stable underpinning that JICA does; it is formed each yearby the building-up of individual projects. Be that as it may,fortunately during Mr. Fujimoto's tenure the division built up an
expansive network with the Industry and Economics Bureau
and the Environment Bureau of the City of Kitakyushu , JETRO,
the Japan-Korea Indus trial Technology Co-Operation
Foundation, and ROTOBO. I intend to further expand our
fiduciar y relations with this net work and develop new
operations for the Technical Cooperation Division. I also feelthat from now on we need to place greater emphasis on
consulting work with its higher profit ratios. Wide-ranging
exper tise and the abilit y to analyze information will be
indispensable for this. I want all the members of the TechnicalCooperation Division to work hard and study diligently, tacklet h i s as a u n i t e d t eam , an d b u i l d a n e w op e r a t i o nal
infrastructure for KITA. I ask you all for your cooperation.

1. Results of JICA training courses implemented in the last half of FY2013№ classiﬁcation

Title of training course

Number ofParticipants

CourseLeader2013
8

1

Industrial Pollution Control Management

11

Junji.KAWASAKI

2

Waste management Technique (B)

13

T.SASHIWA

Waste management Technique (C)5

K.KIDO

Environmental Technology for Low-Carbon Society

11

S.YAZU

5

Management of Composting Project (B)9K.KIDO

6

Environmental Education

14

K.HARAGUCHI

7

Industrial Wastewater Treatment Techniques(B)6

K.SHINOHARA

Operation and Maintenance of Sewerage System and Waste
Water Treatment Technique

10

H.SUETA

9

Kosovo Capacity Development in Waste Water Treatment Sector

8

H.SUETA10

Maintenance Management for Productivity Improvement

8

Junichi.KAWASAKI

Practical Technology for Mechatronics and Robots

8

M.TANIGUCHI

Cleaner Production in Process Industries for Latin American Countries

8

T.ABE

13

Practical Corporate Management for Productivity Improvement throughPractical KAIZEN and Quality Control Methods for Viet Nam

6

T.MIYAMOTO

14

Energy Conservation Techniques(2)16

T.UEYAMA

15ENERGY CONSERVATION TECHNIUES FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZEDENTERPRISES IN INDIA

10

S.YAMATO

16

Energy Conservation Technology and Machine Condition Diagnosis
Technique(A)7

T.UEYAMA

17

Energy Conservation Technology and Machine Condition Diagnosis
Technique(B)9T.UEYAMA

Policy Planning for Energy Eﬃciency & Conservation (B)8

K.KAWAGUCHI

Solar Power Generation Technology (B)

16

T.UEYAMA

20

Alternative Power Generation Technology for Low Carbon Society (B)

14

T.FUJII

21

Alternative Power Generation Technology for Low Carbon Society (C)8

S.YAZU

22

Promotion of Energy Conservation in Commercial and Residential Sector (A)10

K.KAWAGUCHI

23

Promotion of Energy Conservation in Commercial and Residential Sector (B)

11

K.KAWAGUCHI

24

Vocational Training for its Application to Business for Central andSouth America

15

T.MIYAMOTO

Reinforcement of Administrative Capacity for Food Sanitation

11

K.NAKAHARA

Training Program for Local Activation

6

Y.MIKI

Capacity Development for Entrepreneurs and MSMEs Activation in African
Countries (B)

9Y.MIKI

3

Envionment
management

4

Water

8

resource

11
12

18
19

Production
technology

Energyconservation

25 Job training
and
26 Healthcare
27

9

2014

10

11

12

1

2

3

1/15

10/23

9/2

4
4/12

12/20

2/16

4/19

2/16

4/19

10/3

11/6

11/30

11/1

12/3

1/13

10/17

3/8

11/1

2/16

4/25

1/19

8/30

4/26

11/21

3/4 3/14

1/15

10/15

2/25

10/31

8/14

11/6

11/7

11/10

12/18

12/12

2/26

10/28

11/27

2/2

8/26

5/2

3/7

10/10

2/2

1/26

1/13

10/7

3/20

2/22

2/28

10/24

11/8

12/12

2. Participants visiting Japan in the last half of FY2013●Participants classiﬁed by area（Number and a ratio）
Oceania（19/5％）
Europe（35/9％）
Southeast Asia
（61/15％）Africa（67/17 ％）

Total
394

Asia

（175/44％）

East Asia（85/22％）Central America（98/25％）Central Asia（12/3％）
Middle and Near East（17/4％）

KITA NEWS No.17

5

Highlights of KITA training courses
Words of thanks to SAO Electric Corporation for the unfailing cooperation extended to the training courses〜 A venue that offers our participants many learning opportunities in a form that is easy to understand 〜
Tadashi MIYAMOTO, Course Leader
SAO Electric Corporation is a company that has always
been engaged in the “Practical production management”
training courses. A s mos t of the par ticipant s aremanagers or mid-level executives ofsmall-and-medium-sized en terprises, preference wasgiven to hands-on learning about what is practiced in themedium - sized en t er pr ises . S A O E lec t r ic C or pora t ion
employs 15 5 per sonnel, t he major i t y of w hom are
par t-timers, producing reactors or the like for electricalsystems.
T he pr oduc t ion o f gener al - pur pose i t ems has been
shif ted overseas, narrowing down their domes tic
production to high-mix, low-volume production or to quick
delivery items, resulting in the current manufacturing of a
product mix of 2,000 items with 1,500 orders received and
12 , 0 0 0 uni t s pr oduced a mon t h . T he busines s is on as teady footing, including the supply of product s to N Y
Subway. Full disclosure of information is realized throughthe office L AN and 60 personal computers with regard tot he 5 S s , K ai zen Teian (an e f f ec t i ve s t a f f sugge s t ions y s t em) , Q C circle ac t i v i t ies , r eal - t ime managemen t
information and so on.
The day-long participation from the morning meeting ateight twenty a.m. to the close of work at five p.m. and thegathering and exchange of opinions with the employees ata typical Japanese eatery nearby gave the participants achance to get to know the whole truth about asmall-and-medium-sized enterprise in Japan, leaving themw i t h v i v i d m e m o r ie s . S o m e o f t he s nap s h o t s w i l l be
displayed in executive offices back in their homelands. We
look for ward to S AO Elect ric Corporat ion’s con t inued
cooperation in our training courses.
Visiting a morning meeting

The gathering
at an izakaya joinedby the participants

Human social ties transcending space and time
“Environmental Education”
Kiyoshi HARAGUCHI, Course Leader
T he “E nv ironmen t al E duca t ion” t raining cour se f or
government officials from various different countries was
r u n i n Oc t o b e r 2 0 13 an d las t e d ab o u t o n e m o n t h . 16
government officials from 14 countries around the world,from regions like Asia, Africa and L atin A merica,
participated in the course, which was designed so that, in
addition to lectures and practical training, the participants
co u l d e x p er ience f o r t he m s e l v e s t he en v i r o n m en t aleducation given in primary schools and junior high schools
and activities at the grass-roots level.
Impor tant points in environmental education are 1) the
cul t ivat ion of leaders, 2) educat ion programs, 3)
educational facilities and 4) networks, and the curriculum
was so arranged that an understanding may be promoted
about the function of these four items, and about how to
use resources that the participants can find close to hand.
Scenes typical of environmental education emphasizing
human social ties were seen from time to time, such as thepar t icipan t s being near to tears w hile lis tening to t helecture from a victim of Minamata Disease, the elementary

6

KITA NEWS No.17

school children keeping near to the participants even after
they had finished lunch, and the par ticipant s tr ying tocommunicate with the citizens by means of gestures.
Since environmental education is as universal as peaceeducation or human-rights education, I sincerely wish thatenvironmental education may spread not only throughout
Japan but also transcend national borders andgenerations.

With the environmental volunteers from the Wakamatsu Cosmos Circle

Exploring Japan’s history, culture and resurrection“Industrial Wastewater Treatment Techniques (B)”Kazuhisa SHINOHARA, Course Leader
T he t wo -mon t h coun t r y focused t raining cour seof ”Industrial Wastewater Treatment Techniques (B)”, held
exclusively for V ietnam, has jus t been completed. T he
par ticipants were administrative of ficials facing various
problems back home and t herefore were mo t ivated insearching for tips and solutions to their respective problems
during this round of training.
T h e p ar t ici p an t s l ear n e d ear n e s t l y ab o u t Jap an ’senvironment-related history, measures against pollution,
treatment techniques, etc. via lectures, on-site training andcase studies designed to enhance their technical capabilities
in the field of industrial wastewater treatment, and actively
asked questions about anything they were unsure of or neededclarifying.
Inspired by the enthusiastic and sincere talks given by thelecturers and the guides at the companies visi ted, theparticipants seem to have achieved excellent results in getting
clues to the solution of their respective problems. The subjects
arousing their strongest interest included denitrification by the“PEGASUS system”, decoloration and deodorization by the“ozone system” and advanced treatment via “septic tanks”.
During the course, events were held such as a luncheon
party where Vietnamese dishes were served and coverage ofthe training course by NHK. Opportunities were provided tocome into contact with Japan’s history and culture at World

Heritage sites and Gion in
Kyo t o. T he t raged y anddisaster displayed in the
Minamata Disease Museum
and the Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Museum moved Vietnamese dishes(Raw spring rolls and pho: Handmade
the participants to tears. All
by the female participants)
these things demonstrate
the fruitfulness of this training course.
In conclusion, I sincerely hope that what the participants
experienced and learned in Japan may serve as the first step
toward the solution of the environmental issues assigned totheir respective workplaces and that they may participate
actively in efforts to achieve environmental preservation in
Vietnam.

Presents to small children:
Making paper bags from waste paper(At Kitakyushu Environment Museum)The first on-site training: Lab testing oforganic wastewater treatment(At NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN
Eco-Tech Corporation)

The newly-designed course on energy conservation techniques for general industry in India completed to favorable reviews“Energy Conservation Techniques (2)”
Dr. Takatsugu UEYAMA, Shunsuke YAMATO, Course Leaders
Three training courses of “Energy Conservation Techniques
for India” have been held each year: two for industry and one
for small-and-medium-sized enterprises. Over the past five
years, there has been a shift in the participants on the courses
for industry from mainly administrators to mainly corporate
employees. This has led to requests for the presentation of
more specific techniques in the courses. In response to this,the two courses for industry were separated into a course forthe electrical power industry and another for general industry
in order to realize a more specialized framework.
Two rounds of courses for general industry were held during
F Y2012 and F Y2013. However, the F Y2012 course was notfavorabl y assessed by t he par t icipan t s . T he negat i ve
assessment was attributable to the fact that although theparticipants expected to learn only techniques specific to theindus t r y t hey wor ked in, t he cour se pr ov ided energ yconservation techniques commonly applicable to all industries.
Industry-specific techniques should be obtained individually by
the industry or the company on a paid-for basis and are notsuitable subjects for training attended by random industries.

The participants to the FY213 course were therefore limited
to employees in various industries who are in charge of energy
conservation or in charge of equipment technology, and thenumber of highly-specialized classes in the curriculum wasincreased.
As a result, the level of satisfaction of the participants was
dramatically improved and they produced excellent actionplans. I intend to devise further innovations for next year’s
curriculum and to further improve the course as a whole.
Enhancement of more specialized
techniques common to different
industries.
Practicing the laser centering of a rotary
machine (at TAKADA CORPORATION)

Incorporation of abundant drills andexercises to promote better
understanding.
Practicing pump efficiency
measurement(at CORROCOAT JAPAN)

KITA NEWS No.17

7

Highlights of KITA training courses
Securing food sanitation is everyone’s wish
“Reinforcement of Administrative Capacity for Food Sanitation”
Koji NAKAHARA, Course Leader
The course was held from the middle of January to the endof February this year, inviting from the three countries ofChile, Cook Islands and Mozambique four par ticipants intotal, which is rather a small number of participants for a
training course. Each of the three countries is quite different
from the others in terms of the population, climate, financial
conditions and the food sanitation situations.
This course was designed to deal with the food safet yissues confronting the countries and to cover such subjects
as basic knowledge about pathogenic microbes that have an
impact on food safety, nutritional problems, Japan’s systemof laws and t he roles of t he adminis t rat ion, including
sani t ar y super v ision and quaran t ine con t rol, and t hemeasures t aken to ensure food safe t y t hroughou t t hep r o ce s s e s f r o m p r o d u c t i o n t o c o n s u m p t i o n a t f o o dprocessing factories, wholesale markets, supermarkets andother such places.
In the training course, i t was emphasized for thepar ticipants to get a real feeling of the field through sitev isi t s to s t udy abou t t he food sani t at ion managemen t
implemented at food processing factories, restaurants,
supermarkets, etc. besides the study of theory. What wasparticularly impressive was that the participants earnestly

took notes and raised many questions on their quest to findsolutions to the problems in their respective countries.
Encompassing such a wide-ranging perspective, thistraining course could only be realized with the cooperationof the University of Occupational and Environmental Health,public administrations, food processing companies and thecoordinator during the entire period of the course. I would
l i k e t o t a k e t h i s o p p o r t u n i t y t o e x p r e s s m y s i n ce r eappreciation.
Visiting a SPINA’s shopping martin Sakura Street

Food inspection training at
Kitakyushu Life Science Center

Tremendously moved by the activities of former participants engaged in regional reform in the multiethnic country of Brazil!!
A follow-up of the course “Training to contribute to regional activation (for participants of Japanese descent) ”
Yoshio MIKI, Course Leader
Si x rounds of t he “Educat ion Program for People ofJapanese Descent” promoted by JICA have been held since
2 0 0 7, joined by 2 9 par ticipants in total. Recently I paid
on-site visits to the former par ticipants on a mission tofollow up the progress of their action plans. During the eightdays of my stay, I visited five areas dot ted around the big
country of Brazil.
T h e f o r m e r p ar t i ci p a n t s w e r e f o u n d t o b e m a k i n ginnovations on the basis of the new way of thinking theylearned during their training in Japan to reform not only
ethnic Japanese communities in their area but also Brazilian
ones and Brazilian society.
E xamples of their activities include: 1. the worldwide
awareness campaign based in Tome-acu , now at tracting
attention as the birthplace of the agroforestry; 2. innovative
ac t ion t o es t ablish a “Japan F es t i val ” adap ted t o t heregional societies of Cuiaba and other cities.
To enlarge the circle of people involved, seminars were
held that included a lecture titled “In Search of the Starting
Point for Regional Vitalization (Sub-title: Leading a dynamic
and happy life)”. The seminars were attended by a total of
about 220 people in four different areas, and were a great

8

KITA NEWS No.17

success.
A ll in all, it was “a tour of gratitude and excitement ”
where I was able to meet the former participants again andsee the actual state of their activities.
A seminar at Sao Paulo(attended by 85 people)

A visit to a Tome-acu
agroforestry site

Recent activities for overseas development cooperation
JICA’s Grass-roots Technical Cooperation Project - A letter of thanks conferredto the Technical Cooperation Division of KITA
Tomoharu ASAHARA, Director of Technical Corporation Division
Since its launch in 2011, the program titled ”A programfor improving plant management of manufacturers in Hai
Phong” , one of JICA's grass-roots technical cooperation
projects, has embraced the ”human resource development
program for enhancement of production management” as
one of its central pillars. In the three years of running thep r o g r am , 11 i n s t r uc t o r s a t t h e H ai P h o n g I n d u s t r i al
Vocational College (HPIVC) and three employees at the
Bureau of Commerce and Indus tr y were invi ted to
Kitakyushu for training to help establish formal courses int he college and t r ain s t uden t s t o become capable o fmanaging production.
A no t her cen t ral pillar is t he ”capaci t y developmen t
program for factor y management in the manufacturing
i n d u s t r i e s ”, w h e r e g u i d a n c e h a s b e e n g i v e n t o 4 5enterprises concerning the 5Ss and other subjects.
A l t hough t he ab o ve - s t a t ed ac t i v i t ie s , co l lec t i vel yter med as t he f irs t phase act ivi t ies, were highl yappreciated, it cannot really be said that a sufficient levelhas been achieved af t er onl y t hree year s , and i t was
t herefore decided to con t inue t he project for ano t her
three years as its second phase to firmly consolidate what
has been achieved so far.

On May 2 2 , 2 0 14 , I v is i t ed Hai P hong t o a t t end t hebriefing session on the completion of the first phase of the
project and the signing ceremony for its second phase,convened at HPIVC. On this occasion, I was unexpectedly
presented by the chief of the Bureau of Commerce andIndustr y with a let ter of thanks and memento inrecognition of our Phase I activities. I made a fresh vow totackle the second phase of the project with all my mightand produce good results.

Conferment of the letter of thanks for the PhaseⅠactivities

Assistance started for business interaction with enterprises inthe Ho Chi Minh region, the southern part of Vietnam
Toshikatsu MIYATA, Michinobu SAITO, Technical Advisors
K I TA has been engaged in as sis t ance f or busines sinteraction between enterprises in the Hanoi and Haiphongregions, in the northern part of Vietnam, and enterprises in
Kitakyushu area in cooperation with the City of Kitakyushu
and JETRO Kitakyushu for three years, during which time
many technical and economical interactions have beencreated and expanded, which is greatly appreciated bymany enterprises in Kitakyushu.
In response to firm reques ts from enterprises in
Kitakyushu to expand such action to the southern part ofVietnam, a project has finally been launched to provide
assistance for business interaction with enterprises in theregion surrounding Ho Chi Minh City in the southern part ofVietnam.
As the start of the project, a survey was conducted to findcandidates for business interaction in Ho Chi Minh City andits suburbs from March 3 to 7, 2014, visiting 18 enterprises
from various industries including founding, mechanical partmanufacturing, machine and plant manufacturing, plate
processing, rubber processing and the processing of plastic
packing bags and containers. The mission was very warmly
welcomed and we could feel the enthusiasm for technicalinteraction or transactions with Japanese enterprises.
Valuable information could be obtained from the enterprises
visited, such as particulars about each enterprise and its
products, and the technologies and equipment it possesses,
and we could sense great potential for businessinteractions.
Business talks are planned in the second half of this year
in the southern part of Vietnam.
The company mottoes in Japanese(At a plate processing company)

The president andthe employees seated in a row
with a Japanese-speaking
employee among them.
(At a rubber processing company)

KITA NEWS No.17

9

News & Topics
KITA was Introduced at the East Asia Knowledge Platform
for Low Carbon Growth Luncheon Meeting
Naokatsu FUJIWARA, Secretary General
Delegates to the East Asia Knowledge Platform for Low
Carbon Growth from the 14 countries of Australia, Cambodia,
China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, thePhilippines, South Korea, Russia, Singapore, Thailand andVietnam were invited to Japan by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs from March 2 to 8, and during their stay they gatheredat the Kitakyushu Yahata Royal Hotel for a luncheon meetingon Thursday March 6.
KITA was invited to this luncheon meeting, which was also
attended by 11 people from other Japanese organizations,
including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office forInternational Environmental Strategies of Kitakyushu
Environment Bureau and the IGES (Institute for Global
Environmental S trategies) Kitak yushu Urban Centre.
Vice-President Ueno and Mr. Fujiwara, the secretary general,
represented KITA at the meeting.

Vice-President Ueno was asked by all the participants to
explain about KITA in the short time available at the luncheon
meeting. He gave an introduction to KITA in English, and ourinternational technological cooperation activities based on a
spirit of volunteerism were strongly endorsed by all thosepresent.

Vice-President Ueno explains about KITA to the delegates from the various countries

Speech of thanks at the closing ceremony from a representative of all theparticipants who completed JICA/KITA training course
・Representative：DACON Ellswor th S t Clair(Mr.) from Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines
・Training course：Alternative Power Generation
Technology for Low Carbon
Society(C)・Course period：Feb. 2, 2014 to Mar. 7, 2014

The course “Alternative Power Generation Technology for
Low Carbon Society(C)” brought together a small group of six
participants, four of which came from the African continent,
while the other two came from two very small islands in the
Caribbean. But although my brothers from Zambia, Cape
Verde and my neighbour from Antigua and Barbuda all shareddifferent backgrounds, we had two things in common. (1) We
all came from Paradise in our own way, and (2) we all left ourparadise and spent the last 5 weeks together in this course.
For us all, the course was a definite success. The training
obtained here in Kitakyushu based on accumulated expertiseand skills related to energy issues will certainly contribute toa s u s t a i n ab l e d e v e l o p m e n t i n o u r c o u n t r i e s . T h eunderstanding of why we should work towards a low carbon
societ y could not be explained any bet ter, than by the
Kitakyushu model.
We live in a country of beautiful sunshine all year around,cool winds from the ocean seas, beautiful beaches and lush

10

KITA NEWS No.17

vegetation and where most live in relaxed lifestyle. We all livein what we call paradise. But we have learnt by our visit here
to Japan, that paradise is not only the physical components ofa country, nor the climate, nor the food, or even the beauty of
the faces of people. It ’s all of ‘the above’ PLUS…thehospitality, respect, humility, and togetherness of a people
working as a collective nation. Japan was indeed a Paradisein every sense of the word, and our experience here in
Kitakyushu will be memorable.

I wish to thank the staff of JICA, KITA, the companies thatallowed us to visit and learn, all the lecturers who took timeout of their busy schedule and, of course, our course leader
and coordinator for a hectic but enjoyable 5 weeks in Japan.
WE LOVE YOU ALL…and WE LOVE JAPAN.
Domo Arigatogozaimashita!

【 KITA International Friendship Programs 】〜 Conveying the Spirit of Japan via the Tea Ceremony 〜

An Interview with Ms. Souga DATE, Professor of the Urasenke Tradition of Tea
Interviewed by Megumi TOYOTA, Director of Secretariat
For this issue I interviewed Ms. Souga DATE, Professor of the
Urasenke Tradition of Tea (hereinafter referred to as the Urasenke), whofor many years has, as a volunteer, instructed overseas participants
about the tea ceremony in KITA’s International Friendship Program, andhas made a huge contribution to participants' experience of Japaneseculture.
ー Why did you first start teaching the tea ceremony to the overseas
participants of KITA?
"It all started around 28 years ago when I was invited to participate
by a member of the Junior Chamber International Kitakyushu, one of
KITA's parent organizations, in the spirit of "offering some tea" in arelaxed atmosphere. I practice the Urasenke style of tea ceremony, andin a lecture the head of the Urasenke used the slogan "peacefulness
through a bowl of tea". Those words impressed me as exemplifying theattitude of a practitioner, namely the wish to open up our hearts by thesharing of a bowl of tea, and to become a bridge to world peace as wellas to Japanese culture, and I too wanted to be of service in some way."
ー What do you take particular care over when you instruct overseas
participants in the tea ceremony?
"The mindset of 'ichi-go ichi-e' (*1) . I would like the dinner party at
the Industry Club of West Japan of the KITA International Friendship
Program to be a memorable moment for participants in the midst of
their training in an unfamiliar country, and also for it to serve as a lull
in which they find peace of mind. The number of utensils used islimited, but I try to incorporate in them things that connect them withthat day, such as the balance of the ceremony as a whole, seasonal
elements or major news stories. The culture of tea became establishedby the natural and spiritual features of Japan, which is somethingimportant that I want to convey. Each time we host a tea ceremony we
aim to realize the significance and mindset of 'harmony, respect,purity and tranquility' (the four most important elements of the tea
ceremony) and at the same time, make it our learning opportunity.
After the tea ceremony, even if it is late in the evening, I always hold am eet ing wi th the volunteer m em bers to exchange i deas. Theinteraction varies depending on the season and on the number ofparticipants, and I consult with the staff of the KITA Secretariat about
this. I believe that doing so creates a conscious bond between the KITA
Secretariat staff and tea ceremony instructors, which enables us toprovide a better moment of respite for the participants."

depart for their homelands, and we can expect them to use theknowledge gained in Japan for their countries. I want to convey thatJapanese people, especially those who are involved in their training
course including the staff of KITA, always share this feeling('ichiza-konryu'), which goes beyond the context of the tea."(*2)'Ichiza-konryu'
In the tea ceremony, creativity and originality are employed to do as much for theguest as possible. Doing so creates understanding between the host and the guests,
producing a pleasant situation. This is what is known as 'ichiza-konryu' and is a very
important part of the tea ceremony.

ー Is there anything you would like to tackle next with regard tointernational exchanges, and what are your objectives for the near
future?
"I believe that playing a minor role jointly with KITA connects mewith the participants and with the world. I can't do anything very
dramatic, but I would like in some form or another to serve as a bridge
between the participants and Japanese culture, and to provide
opportunities for the Japanese staff of KITA to rediscover and reaffirm
the good things about Japan as they interact with the participants.
ー I'd like to finish by asking you for a message to the participants.
"I am truly grateful that something which started out with a bowl oftea has continued for so long. I have learned many things from theexperiences I have accumulated almost without realizing. Thank you
for partaking of a bowl of tea infused with our hopes as the heirs toJapanese culture. I will be perfectly content if, after your return toyour homeland, you sometimes recall the words 'tea ceremony' and'maccha' as memories of Japan."
Ms. DATE replied carefully and courteously to each of my questions inthis interview, and her sincerity towards everything shone throughclearly. Ms. DATE, thank you for sparing me some of your precious time.
On behalf of KITA, I hope that for many years to come you will continue
to collaborate with us in opportunities for overseas participants toexperience Japanese culture.
(Ms. DATE is the second
from the right in the front row)(*1) 'Ichi-go ichi-e''Ichi-go' means one lifetime and 'ichi-e' means one single encounter. This phrase
teaches that, even if the same members meet many times in the tea room, the tea
ceremony held that day is always a one-off, so the host and the guests should make a
joint effort in a spirit of mutual consideration.

ー What are the good points about Japanese culture that you want toconvey via the tea ceremony?
"I want to convey 'ichiza-konryu' (*2) . It doesn't apply only to in thetea room. When everyone involved in welcoming the participants treats
them in this spirit, right from the preparatory period before they leave
for Japan, the participants will have enjoyed themselves when they

Serving tea to KITA’s overseas
participants

KITA NEWS No.17

11

Topics~ Action by Former Participants Aiming
to Promote Cleaner Production in South eastern Europe ~Makoto KOSUGI, Course leader
course was established with the aim of providing support for cleaner production (CP) for Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
T hisMontenegro, Serbia, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, countries that are trying to recover fromdisastrous strife and have prioritized EU affiliation as their top national goal. Their economic development is lagging behind and they
all face major issues in terms of production, the environment and infrastructure. The course was held for the second time in October
2012, and in it I introduced actual CP initiatives in Japan and the experiences of leaders of small to medium sized companies, and I
made the participants aware of the need for steady efforts to popularize CP. Various projects have been run since the participants
returned home but , since space is limited, I will only introduce t wo of them. Par ticipants other than Ms DOKIC and Mr.
KARAJANOVSKI have also made good use of the large amount of information and knowledge gleaned from the training in their plans.
I really admire the way in which the participants are working steadily to leverage the things that they learned in order to develop their
homelands.
Mr. Liupcho KARAJANOVSKI

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Ms Natasa DOKIC
from Serbia

Mr. KOSUGICourse leader

Action Taken by Mr. KARAJANOVSKI
Mr. KARAJANOVSKI is a specialist at the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia National Cleaner. Production Center. He wasvery interested in the ideal form for training to popularize CP. After returning home he consulted with the organization he works forand swiftly held workshops to promote CP. He is strongly aware of the need to provide guidance on the CP concept, particularly forthe young students and industrialists who will be of vital importance to the country from now on. He also showed a keen interest inJapanese culture and enjoyed interchanges with young Japanese people on his days off. I expect him to play an active role at the CP
Center and to pass on his Japanese experiences.
Action Taken by Ms DOKIC
Ms DOKIC is the manager in charge of Belgrade's environmental project plans. From the action plan stage, she made trial
calculations for environmental protection aiming to popularize CP and prepared a written proposal for the city. Immediately upon
returning to her homeland she submitted her action plan and financial plan to the organization she works for, and she is now deftly
preparing projects while awaiting approval from the city council. I am particularly impressed by the project aiming for educational
results.
She possesses excellent leadership abilities, for example by acting as a mediator amongst the trainees. She told me, “My attempts
are accompanied with endless difficulties but I will do my best, just as you taught me”. I expect her to continue to play an active role.

All correspondence should be addressed to Administration Bureau of KITA:
International Village Center, 1-1-1 Hirano, Yahatahigashi-ku, Kitakyushu City, JAPAN 805-0062

NEWS

No.17 October 2014
K itakyushu
I nternational
T echno-cooperative
Association (KITA ; kaita)

TEL : +81-93-662-7171 FAX : +81-93-662-7177
E-mail : info@kita.or.jp Web site : http://www.kita.or.jp/english/● Web site in English includes KITA’s outline, recent activities and journals published previously.

TEL & FAX of Other Divisions of KITA are as follows:
Training Division

TEL : +81-93-662-7173 FAX : +81-93-662-7177
Technical Cooperation Division

TEL : +81-93-662-7174 FAX : +81-93-662-7177

E-mail : info@kita.or.jp
E-mail : info@kita.or.jp