Kitakyushu
International
Techno-cooperative
Association

NEWS
No.16
2014
April

2 A message from President
3 Results of training courses implemented in
the first half of FY2013
4 Highlights of KITA training courses
7 Recent activities for overseas development
cooperation
10 News & Topics

Training in JICA Kyushu

Exchanges with former participants back home
The course leaders engaged in the technical training are actively deepening interchanges withthe former participants in various ways even after they have completed their courses.
“Follow-up of the former participants” is offered as very helpful means of technical assistanceto the former participants to be conducted in their own countries.

Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative Association

A Message from President
Policy of Management for FY 2014
Since the latter half of lastyear we have been able tosense opportunities for theJapanese economy to improveas a result of Abenomics. The
media tell us that the US
remains in good shape while
China has bottomed out, andthe news tells us that even in
Hideki FURUNO, President Europe a faint light at the endof the tunnel is becoming visible. The latter half of lastyear also saw a gradual increase in grounds for
optimism in the regions around Japan.
It was also the year in which KITA took a serious step
towards overhauling our set-up from a medium and longterm perspective.
I have continued to advocate the two points below
ever since I was appointed in January 2011, and lastyear they were once again established as KITA's
medium and long term policies.
KITA’s Medium and Long Term Policies
1. Accumulation of KITA’s assets
2. Investigation of “what is typical of KITA and“the advantages of being based in Kitakyushu
Last year we set five management guidelines basedon these policies last year, and I think that we were able
to step forward steadily in our first year working underthose guidelines.
KITA is expected to play a part in Kitakyushu, as oneof the world’s eco-cities, acting as a leader in the 'green
growth' of Asian cities, and it is also expected to play apart in spurring on Kitakyushu innovations via 'people
power' (the power of the private sector). In order to fulfill
this role whilst collaborating with JICA, we have carriedout surveys exploring overseas needs and built overseas
networks. We have completed development of ouroverseas human resources database which will form thenucleus of our construction of networks with former
participants overseas and ensure their reliability.
We reinforced and improved our human resources as
the basis of strengthening and improving our project
capabilities. We secured new forces and madeadvances in diversifying our human resources. We havealso started to establish work routines that will
incorporate the fruits of our exploratory surveys ofoverseas needs and setting up of overseas networks into
our project capabilities.
With regard to getting KITA's current account balance
firmly into the black, we are steadily fine-tuning the planand the resulting countermeasures to improve income
and expenditure are taking clear shape.
Course leader training is going well for the installationof the centerpiece of our system infrastructure, a system
to provide support for training program work, and wehope to launch full-scale use in 2014.

2

KITA NEWS No.16

Our management as a public interest incorporated
foundation is steadily becoming entrenched, and generaletiquette is pretty well established.
We are thus making steady progress with our five2013 management guidelines, and in the coming year we
will pour our efforts into the following guidelines so that
we can achieve fitting results for their final year.
1. Intensify surveying and finding out overseas needs
and building 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 government(2) Find out and summarize overseas needs and create
programs on a regular basis(3) Establish networks with former participants overseas(Use of an overseas human resources database)
2. Enhance and improve the project capabilities oftraining and technical cooperation
For the enhancement and improvement of the project
capability, it is essential to consolidate partnership withthe parties concerned and always to proceed with tasks
in a planned way.
(1) Closer cooperation between KITA divisions(2) Establishment of a system for cooperation with JICA
and related administrative divisions of Kitakyushu
municipal government(3) Formulation and implementation of the annual plan
3. Get KITA’s current account balance firmly into
the black
The following will be promoted for the improvement of
KITA’s financial strength, a prerequisite for KITA’s further
growth.
(1) Improve the accuracy of KITA’s income andexpenditure plan and establish a medium and long term
forecast(2) Secure profitability in each division of KITA
4. Promote a three-year plan for the maintenanceof our IT infrastructure
KITA’s IT infrastructure is being developed over thethree fiscal years from FY2012 to FY2014.
(1) Implement and make effective use of our three-yearplan
5. Establish ourselves as a public interest incorporated
foundation: secure transparency and disclose
information
Two years have passed since we were recognized asa public interest incorporated foundation. Operation of
the new system is about to go into full swing.
Finally, I intend to press forward with further
strengthening and energizing KITA, and to contribute toboosting the status of Kitakyushu and Japan.

① Results of JICA training courses implemented in the ﬁrst half of FY2013№

classiﬁcation

Number ofParticipants

Title of training course

Air Pollution Source Management

6

A.KidoWaste management Technique (A)10

S.Hraguchi

3

Management of Composting Project (A)9

T.Sashiwa

4

Industrial Wastewater Treatment Techniques(A)8J.Kawasaki

Water Environment Administration

10

T.Ueyama

7

K.Kawasaki

6

T.Miyamoto

9

M.Kosugi

16

S.Yamato

14

T.Fujii

10

Y.Miki9

N.Kyura10

Y.Miki1

Environment
management2

FY2013CourseLeader5

6

5/8

Dissemination of Productivity Improvement Activity in the6

Latin-American Countries
Production
technology

7

Practical Corporate Management for Productivity
Improvement through Practical KAIZEN and Quality Control
Methods for Viet Nam
Promotion of Cleaner Production for Southeast European

8

Countries
Energy Conservation Techniques for India (1)9Energyconservation
10

11

12

13

Alternative Power Generation Technology for Low Carbon
Society (A)Small and Medium Enterprises/Local Industry Activation forCentral and South American Countries

Practical Human Resource Development in Electrical andJob training
and Healthcare Electronic Engineering for Africa
Capacity Development for Entrepreneurs and MSMEs
Activation in African Countries (A)

8

7/7

8/10

6/16

9/7

6/23

7/13

7/20

6/5

7/21

8/3

7/6

5/23

8/2

6/25

5/8

9

9/7

7/24

Water
resource
5

7

6/21

6/13

8/10

7/10

7/22

5/8

9/21

6/7

13 training courses in total were implemented in FY2013.
All the courses were a well-balanced combination of lectures and site visits, and were concluded without any trouble, keeping safetyﬁrst and foremost.
The participants were of many diﬀerent nationalities and, to our joy, praised the JICA training courses as being very meaningful.

② Participants visiting Japan in the ﬁrst half of FY2013●Participants classiﬁed by area（Number and a ratio）
Oceania（11/9％）

124 participants in total joined
the JICA-KITA training courses

Europe（12/10％）

Southeast Asia
（28/23％）in the ﬁrst half of FY2013.

Asia（48/39％）Central America（23/18％）

East Asia（14/11％）Africa（30/24％）

Middle and Near East（4/3％）
Central Asia（2/2％）

KITA NEWS No.16

3

Highlights of KITA training courses
The Ever-Increasing Importance of Low-Carbonization Approaches「 Environmental Technology for Low-Carbon Society 」
Shoji YAZU, Course Leader
As is widely known, the sharply increasing emission ofcarbon dioxide as well as the spread of environmental pollutionin Asian regions that have a close relationship with Japan is
becoming a threat to the global environment and there is anurgent need to take measures against it. In this context, thetraining course “Environmental Technology for Low-Carbon
Societ y” was hosted by JICA Kyushu. This course waslaunched in September 2011 and held three times before
coming to an end in October 2013.
32 participants in total from 11 countries in the Asian region
visited Japan to join the course. This round of the course was
successfully concluded, renewing the participant’s awarenessof the importance of environmental improvement and energy
saving, as well as resulting in the sharing of a good deal of
information. The participants returned home after having
confidently given a presentation of their action plan, which was
a compilation of what they had learned in this course to help toresolve the problems of their own countries. The results of thiscourse are expected to bear full fruit from now on.

Japan has overcome serious pollution issues throughenor mous ef f or t s and now is wor k ing t o es t ablish a
recycling-oriented society with the purpose of environmental
protection and the effective use of resources. For healthyurbanization in the course of economic growth, and for theprosperit y of their countries, I sincerely hope that theknowledge and technology learned in Japan may fully be put topractical use.
At Megasolar Omuta
Generating Station, Kyushu ElectricPower Co., Inc.

At Kitakyushu
Environment Museum

Making Garbage into Compost is like Hatching Eggs into Chicks「 Management of Composting Project (A) 」
Tsutomu SASHIWA, Course Leader
Nine participants from seven countries joined the present
course of “Management of Composting Project”. Considering
the rather short training period of just over two weeks, thecurriculum was designed to introduce as many occasions ofhands-on observations as possible so that the participants
could understand the technology and the management
methodology from experience, with the hope that these will be
used as models or references that will be of help under theconditions in their own countries. The participants consisted
not only of adminis trat ive of f icers involved in was temanagement aiming at the reduction of waste, but also of
personnel engaged in agricultural land reform. Therefore there
were differences in their way of looking at composting, which
furnished us wi th much information. T he reason why
composting accounts for an outstandingly great part of therecycling of waste in developing countries is considered to bethat the facilities are easier to install due to the lower
investment costs, and that the ratio of organic waste iscomparatively high. However, to ensure the feasibility ofcomposting as a business, many issues still need to be solved,
and they have to be dealt with one by one. What comes to mind

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KITA NEWS No.16

in particular is that success will not easily be achieved withoutceaseless efforts and careful consideration from the persons
in charge. In other words, I wish it to be recognized that,
although the composting business doesn’t seem to need muchmoney or technology, these have to be augmented bysomething else.

At the Imari Hachigame Plan

CompostAdministrative Officers from Developing Countries Struggling against Pollution by Industrial Wastewater「 Industrial Wastewater Treatment Techniques (A) 」
Junji KAWASAKI, Course Leader
The city of Kitakyushu where this course took place has ahistory of excellently overcoming the intense pollution issues
that arose from its characteristics as one Japan’s four largest
industrial areas. This training course was held from June to
September 2013 for the purpose of providing administrative
officers from developing countries who are in charge ofenvironmental protection with the information obtained fromthe bitter experiences of this country and the policies andtechnologies adopted to improve the si tuat ion. Eightparticipants joined the course from seven Southeast Asian andMiddle Eastern countries. The curriculum included such
subjects of interest as the management of water quality
preservation, water treatment technologies accompanied by
the demonstration tests and visits to a variety of enterprises
adopting such technologies. The training was also carried out
in the Kyoto and Tokyo areas, as well as in Kitakyushu, with aview to providing the participants with a deeper understandingof the present situation in Japan. Furthermore, opportunities
were arranged during leisure time for social gatherings withlocal people, coach trips, homestays and so on to make theparticipants acquainted with Japanese culture and traditions. I
hope that what the participants learnt in the course may be ofhelp in their jobs, and that the ties between the participating
countries and Japan may become closer.
At Yamamoto Industries, Ltd.

At the Lake Biwa Museum

The Newly Programmed Course on Energy Conservation Techniques for the Power Industries in India Concluded with Favorable Comments「 (India) Energy Conservation Techniques (1) 」
Dr. Takatsugu UEYAMA, Shunsuke YAMATO, Course Leader
T h e C o u n t r y - F ocu s e d Tr ai n i n g C o u r s e i n E n e r g y
Conservation Techniques for India has been held every year
and consists of two industry-oriented courses. Five years haveelapsed since it was first established, during which time
requests were made for more specific techniques as theprofessional backgrounds of the participants changed frombeing mainly administrative officers or consultants to mainlycompany employees. To deal with this and satisf y more
specialized needs than before, the two industry-oriented
courses were differentiated into one course for the powerindustries and the other for industries in general.
The course for the power industries was designed toinclude: 1. maintenance and improvement of the efficiency of
power generators; 2. reduction of auxiliary power consumption;
3. energy conservation by the end users. The point is that thetechniques necessary for the above-mentioned items 2 and 3
are the same and it was hoped that the power industries would
not only pursue energy conservation of their own but, in the
future, play a leading role in energy conservation activities
nationwide in cooperation with the government. Item 1 wasintended to raise awareness of the importance of maintenance,

taking it into consideration that, whereas power plants inJapan maintain the designed efficiency even after 30 years ofoperation, those in India undergo an efficiency reduction of
10% or more. The course held from June 25 to August 1, 2013
was at tended by one person from the government, fiveauditors, six persons from the power companies and three
persons from private power generation companies, which is awell-balanced composition conforming to our intent. The
course produced a high degree of satis faction in theparticipants and their action plans were completed excellently.
Visits to all types of thermal
power plants

Plenty of practical work and drills
introduced to deepen
the participants’ understanding

KITA NEWS No.16

5

Highlights of KITA training courses
Assistance for Fledgling Small-and-Medium Enterprises in Manufacturing Industries in Vietnam「 (Vietnam) Practical Business Management for Productivity Improvement Activities (A) 」
Tadashi MIYAMOTO, Course Leader
This year will be the fourth year of the course “(Vietnam)
Practical Business Management for Productivity Improvement
Activities”. In the first two years, there were between 10 and 12
participants on each course, at their own request; however, thelarge number of participants often proved distracting during thesite visits, lectures and practical work. This time, at the request of
the participants, the course was reorganized to consist of two
separate courses open to groups from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh
respectively, each group consisting of six persons. An immediate
effect was observed. The level of earnestness of all the persons
involved in the course drastically changed. As the participants
were at the executive level, the two weeks to attend the course
was the longest that they could be absent from their companies.
They are from companies that were founded around ten years
ago, have around one hundred employees and annual sales of 150
to 200 million yen and are run by business operators in their 30s to
40s, working in friendly rivalry. State-run enterprises and private
enterprises coexist and are aiming towards the same vision. They
learn from experience that knowledge is made into wisdom

through practice. Back home, as close comrades they will put into
practice what they have learned, providing mutual support andserving as a source of knowledge to share their wisdom withthose around them. There is a constant stream of inquiries:“Defects in the metal-molded products cannot be removed.”“The load is beyond our capacit y. The delivery time getsdisordered when outsourced.” “We want to introduce a new andpowerful machine.” “We want to move to a new factory.” “Wewant to study further even on a paid-for basis.” Assistance forthis growing country and its people, and interaction with them,will encourage coexistence in an ever-expanding world.
After the training at Mitsubishi Nagasaki
Machinery MFG. Co., Ltd.
~Gathering around a thank-you painting~

Wrapping up an improvement
proposal after a site observation

The Course Joyfully Accomplished Thanks to the Good Teamwork of the Participants「 (Latin America) Dissemination of Productivity Improvement Activity 」
Katsuhiko KAWASAKI, Course Leader
Seven participants from South American and Caribbean
Coast regions joined the above-mentioned course this year. It
was held with the purpose of boosting the capabilities andnumbers of the staf fers in charge of giving guidance tosmall -and - medium -sized en t er pr ises on produc t i v i t y
improvement activities, including KAIZEN and 5S.
The course was focused on production control, quality
control and production technology. Although the participants
seemed in actuality to have a superficial understanding ofvarious control methodologies, they were unsure of how they
could put such methodologies into practice due to their scante x p e r i e nce o f han d s - o n ac t i v i t i e s o n s i t e . V i s i t s t osmall-and-medium-sized enterprises were incorporated into thecurriculum to see how the methodologies were applied andoperated in the actual activity. Things that impressed themincluded the active voluntary improvement activity centered on
the 5S activity, disclosure and sharing of information in an open
way, good communication between the top management andthe workers, and the high quality level of workers. They seemedt o have sensed t he f undamen t als o f t he pr oduc t i v i t y
improvement activities in Japan. As all the participants were

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KITA NEWS No.16

serious and maintained good teamwork, the course proceeded
pleasantly. Most of their efforts were put into the preparation of
their own action plans, which will become an example of thei m p r o v e m e n t p l a n n e e d e d w h e n g i v i n g g u i d a n ce t osmall-and-medium-sized enterprises in their own countries.
After repeated corrections, plans fitting in the QC story on thebasis of the data were finally completed. This seemed to havegiven them the greatest feeling of accomplishment.
Due to the differences in labor customs and culture between
the said regions and Japan, I am well aware that Japanesesystems would not apply just as they are. However, I sincerely
hope that the par ticipants will pursue the productivit y
improvement activity in their own way by customizing what they
have learned in Japan so as to fit in with their own countries ororganizations.

After a meeting with the
5S leaders to exchange ideas

Developing Regions Are Exactly Where the Education of Advanced Technology Is Needed!
「 Human Resource Development of Practical Electrical/Electronic Engineers for the African Region 」
Dr. Nobuhiro KYUURA, Course Leader
The second round of this course was held for two months
from July 2013. Nine par ticipants joined the course fromE g y p t , E t hiopia , K en ya , L iber ia , Namibia , S udan and
Uganda. T he curriculum included inspect ion andmaintenance techniques required in the field, lessons on
the basics of the composition of electronic devices, andp r ac t i c a l t r a i n i n g o n t h e ac t u a l c o m p o s i t i o n o f t h eelec t ronic dev ices . T he cour se consis ted of lec t urescombined w i t h prac t ical t raining and ex per imen t s t o
substantiate what had been taught in the lectures. The
participants had doubled in number from last year’s four tonine and, due to that, the question and answer sessions
tended to be more spirited than last year, of ten leading to
an extension of the time spent on experiments or practicalt r a i n i n g . H o w e v e r, I b e l i e v e t h a t t h e c o u r s e w a s
accomplished satisfactorily for the participants. To my joy,
the questionnaires collected at the end of the course have
proven their satisfaction. One of the things that occurred tome during the course is that developing regions are exactly

where education in advanced technology is needed.
Huge technological strides do not always correspond toa strong need for a product. This training made me realize
anew the impor tance of providing simple explanations ofhigh technologies as well as transferring the knowledge toacquire the techniques to deliver a stable supply of the
product.

Practical training in the maintenance and inspection of the electronic devices

Many Thanks for the Continued Cooperation「 A Message of Gratitude for the Earnest Instruction by the Sun Sun School, a Driving School 」
Dr. Takatsugu UEYAMA, Course Leader
Environmental education is provided everywhere in Japanbut energy-saving education is scarce. In this course, I will
introduce a precious example of energy-saving education:
the Sun Sun School where energy-saving education ispr ov ided f or high school s t uden t s under t he name o f“ E c o - d r i v e e d u c a t i o n ”. T h e s c h o o l i s a b u s i n e s s
establishment so concerned with energy saving that they
have replaced all the conventional instruction cars withhybrid cars. Their admirable initiatives include assistance forhigh school s tudent s in get ting a job by combining the
Eco-drive training with Motor Vehicle Traf fic Manager
education, and by leveraging the qualification acquired via
the latter course and the network established through theformer course conducted at their places of business. In thewake of the decrease in the number of young people, trainees
at driving schools are in a downward trend. However, the Sun
Sun School is expanding its business through a diversity of
initiatives.
The training consists of a lecture followed by practical
Eco-drive training. After taking part in the training, businessare said to have succeeded in cutting fuel consumption anddramatically reducing the number of accidents. Earnest
ins truction was provided during the practical training,offering a good understanding of their company’s initiatives.
We are very grateful to President Rikitake and the staffers
involved for all that they have done, and sincerely hope thatthey will offer us their cooperation in the courses from next
year onwards.
Using the traffic regulation
learning system on a personal
computerPresident Rikitake provides
earnest instruction during the
Eco-drive training in a hybrid car

KITA NEWS No.16

7

Recent activities for overseas development cooperation
Steelworks in the Desert
Kazuya KUDO, Vice President
I v isi t ed t he s t eel w or k s in A bu Dhabi and in S audi
Arabia from the end of January.
Each of these countries has one s teelworks
respectively and is playing a leading role in the iron andsteel industry in the Middle East.
A l t hough coun t r ies in t he M iddle E as t have s o f arreceived benefits from the oil money, they are searchingfor a way to break t heir dependence on oil as soon as
possible for fear of the depletion of oil reserves in the near
future. A s one of the solutions, they are aiming toes tablish a sys tem capable of making enough iron andsteel products in their own countries to satisf y the lively
demand.
Hadeed Steel, a Saudi Arabian state-run steelworks,
produces five million tons of reduced iron annually in its
integrated steelworks which has five direct reduced iron
(DRI) plants. It is amazing that five million tons of iron is
produced annually without using a blast furnace.
The environmental measures are flawless, clearing thenational standards for SOX , NOX , ozone and so on, andsufficient greenbelts are maintained.
The cheap electricity price of about 2 to 3 yen per kWh
is a threat to Japanese electric furnace manufacturers on
the cost front.

Above: An Islamic mosque
Below: The city of
Abu Dhabi constructedin the desert

Hadeed steelworks in the desert
The towering structures are the
DRI plants

Activities toward Technological and Managerial Capacity Development
for Manufacturing Industries in Haiphong
Dr. Ken-ichi FUJIMOTO, Executive Director of Technical Cooperation Division
The manufacturing industries in Haiphong, Vietnam are
not capable of transacting with Japanese enterprises inVietnam due to insufficient technological and managerial
capaci t y. F or economic developmen t in t he Haiphongregion, raising the level of the technological andmanagerial capacit y of the manufacturing industries is apressing need. We have been engaged in assis ting the
manufacturing indus tries in Haiphong as par t of JICA’s
grass-root project since F Y2011. More specifically, suchassistance included providing training in Kitakyushu fort eacher s a t Hai P hong Indus t r ial Voca t ional C o llege( H P I V C ) a n d g i v i n g g u i d a n c e t o t h e m a n u f ac t u r i n g
industries in Haiphong about the introduction of 5S. As aconsequence of such activities being highly evaluated, arenewed projec t w i t h deeper con ten t was adop ted in
September.
The new project aims to cultivate leading companies
capable of playing a leading role in the economy of the
Haiphong region and to ex pand t ransact ions w i t hcompanies in Kitakyushu. Specifics include: 1. Guidanceon a long term basis to the companies until the resolutionof problems has become firmly es tablished; 2 . Training

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KITA NEWS No.16

lecturers capable of lecturing on business management at
HPIVC and nur turing business managers; 3 . Training in
K i t ak y u s h u f o r t h e b u s i n e s s m anage r s o f p r o m i s i n gcompanies; 4. Installation of an exhibition site displaying
technologies and products of manufacturing industries in
Kitakyushu.

Example of an exhibition panel

Technical Exchanges with the Iron and Steel Industry of Thailand
Mitsuaki KAWASHIMA, Technical Advisor
Memories of the 2011 Thailand floods during the autumn
monsoon are still fresh. The floods have caused extensive
damage in the basin of the Chao Phraya River (the MekongRiver) and the number of directly damaged Japanese-affiliatedenterprises in and around Ayutthaya Province reached 460. In
the aftermath of this disaster, preparations for our survey ofthe iron and steel industry of Thailand started in July. Having
got the background knowledge on the structure of the iron andsteel industry, where the leading role is played by the electric
furnace industry using scraps as raw material, we lef t for
Thailand at the end of September. Thanks to the national
character that has always been pro-Japan, and as most of thesteel manufacturers are under private management, we werereceived by the visited companies and the Iron and SteelInstitute of Thailand in an open way. The answers to ourpreliminary inquiry had been perfectly prepared and we were
lucky that we could accomplish the technical meetings andfactory visits without any delay. As the factories are run withthe electric furnaces operated on night shifts, we became quite
accustomed to early morning visits to factories and daytime
technical meetings. What surprised us most was the high levelof technical capabilities and the consistent aggressiveness andeagerness toward energy saving and productivity improvementthat we could sense in every corner of the workplaces. Steelproduction, which is outstanding in terms of the ASE AN
countries, shows signs of a fur ther leap boosted by theburgeoning demand from the construction, automobile andhome appliances industries. With the annual steel productionof the iron and steel industry of Thailand likely to reach 20
million tons in the near future, we are considering offering
effective assistance jointly with enterprises in Kitakyushu as
the next step.
A visit to an electric
furnace factory

The scene at a technical meeting

Business Interaction Being Energized with Hanoi and Haiphong Regions, Vietnam
Toshikatsu MIYATA, Michinobu SAITO, Technical Advisor
KITA has been engaged in assisting business interaction
between the Hanoi and Haiphong regions in Vietnam and the
Kitakyushu region in cooperation with the City of Kitakyushu
and JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization).
In September 2013, a mission from the machiner y andmetal industries was dispatched in which seven companies in
Kitakyushu participated.
The itinerary included a visit to the 5th Vietnam-Japan
Exhibition on Supporting Industries in Hanoi co-hosted by
Vietnam and Japan, which also of fered oppor tunities forbusiness talks, followed by visits to 10 factories in Hanoi and
Haiphong the next day and on the third day, the holding ofbusiness talks in Haiphong, a cit y that has concluded a
Friendship and Cooperation Agreement with Kitakyushu.
The business talks in the two cities were so well attended
that people had to wait in long lines for the talks, and fervent
discussions continued beyond the allotted time. A total of 121
sales negotiations were held, including those at the exhibition
and the factory visits and the business talks that took place inthe two cities, far exceeding the previous record. People fromthe participating companies were heard saying, “We wish to

entrust them with our manufacturing”, “We will think about
undertaking a joint business with them”, or “We acquired abe t t er under s t anding o f t he ac t uali t y o f V ie t namese
enterprises”, comments that will boost future businessinteractions.
KITA is committed to promoting and supporting businessinteractions in a wider range of business fields and in agreater number of regions.
Business talks in Hanoi

Corporate presentationin Haiphong

KITA NEWS No.16

9

News & Topics
An encounter with Vietnam, a country of dancing celestial nymphs(A report on the challenge of establishing a new business in Vietnam)~ Introduction of a company cooperating in business expansion overseas ~Kunihiro SHINTOMI, Manager of the Project Department, ATAKA Company Limited
It felt like an unprepared match with unforeseeable
opponents. My encounter with Vietnam started in an
unexpected way. About one year ago, I was in a situation
where I could not help but accept the urgent request
made by a certain person from KITA to give a presentationin Vietnam.
The plan I worked out to cope with this situation was tomake a presentation on the “Biotoilet” that a company run
by one of my friends manufactures.
The Biotoilet is a kind of toilet capable of treating
excrement using microbes.
With skeptical optimism, I prepared documents and left
for Vietnam in high spirits.
Contrar y to my expectations, the response to thepresentation was so great that I went hoarse explaining.
On that occasion, a Vietnamese man came over, wrote
his e-mail address down on my business card and gave it
to me.

According to the interpreter, he was one of the big
shots administrating Ha Long Bay, a notable sightseeing
spot.
Upon returning home, I struggled to write an e-mail in
English, a dictionary in one hand, and my only clue being
the scribble on my business card.
Afterwards, I got a reply saying that he/she would mostcertainly like to meet me.
It has been one year since then, during which time wewere given guidance by the gentlemen from KITA into theminutest details of finding out local par tners, giving
technical assistance on site, preparation of presentation

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KITA NEWS No.16

materials for clients and so on.
Thanks to such help, we could have a demonstration
facility installed and put into operation at Ha Long Bay,and the business has so developed that we eventually
received inquiries for an actual facility.
As I mentioned at the start, the encounter with Vietnam
came out of the blue. However, a dramatic turnaround isbeing seen, one that is way beyond our expectations, forwhich we would like to express our hearty thanks to thegentlemen at KITA.
Vietnam is an amazing country which gives us a senseof potential and new vistas.
I feel in my bones that the people in Vietnam aredependable and take great pride in themselves and theircountry.
Why not pay a visit to Vietnam as if you were a tourist?
Then try the Kitakyushu-brand Biotoilet at Ha LongBay!
We have a big dream of expanding this business into
other sightseeing spots, not only in Vietnam but also inother Southeast Asian countries and then countries thewhole world over.

A Biotoilet installed at Ha Long Bay,a sightseeing spot

An International Goodwill Program~ Walking Tours of Kitakyushu ~Megumi TOYOTA, Director of Secretariat" Walking Tours of K itak yushu" is a new program

Student volunteers from the faculty helped out as tourist

launched in 2012 in the hope that people who have come toguides, making good use of their English and Spanish skills.

Japan from overseas to receive training in not Tokyo or

The nine participants, who came from the Environmental

Osaka but Kitakyushu will gain a better knowledge of our

Education course, showed great interest in the solar panels

city and really enjoy their stay here. Walking tours were

installed here and there in the town, as befits Kitakushu asheld four times in 2012 and the participants rated them soan advocate of environmental cities of the future, while athighly that five were held in 2013. The most popular one is

the same time marvelling at the elegance of the old castle

the " Walking Tour of Kokura", which sets off from thetown of Kokura and the beautiful appearance of Kokura

Kyushu International Center where the participants live andcastle in particular, the interesting items displayed in theheads towards Yahat a S t at ion w hile t ak ing in t hehistory museum and inside the castle, and at the classic

sculptures that symbolize "Yahata, town of sculptures". At

Japanese ingenuity revealed in the "mechanical door" andthe station participants are taught how to buy a ticket andwindowless transom in the daimyo's residence in thego through the automatic turnstile, after which we get on

Kokura Castle Garden. They also delighted in information

the train and enjoy the view from the windows en route tothat not even many Kitakyushu citizens know when the

Nishikokura Station. The basic route for our stroll issunlight passes through the unique sculpture installed on

Nishikokura Station ⇒ Tokiwabashi Bridge ⇒ Riverwalk

Taiyo-no-Hashi Bridge entitled "The Fairies of the Seven

Kitakyushu ⇒ Kokura Castle Gardens ⇒ Kokura Castle ⇒Luminaries", the sculpture casts a shadow in the shape of a

Taiyo-no-Hashi Bridge ⇒ Tangaichiba Market ⇒ Uomachi

sunflower, which is the flower chosen to symbolize

Shopping Street⇒ Kokura Gion Drum Festival Statue ⇒Kitakyushu. The tour is a short program that only takes

Kokura Station. The " Walking Tour of Kokura" held onaround five hours but we will continue to hold it so that it

Saturday November 9 was a joint project with T he

can give the participants a few more happy memories of

University of Kitakyushu's Faculty of Foreign Studies.

Kitakyushu.

At the Kokura Castle Garden

Walking through Uomachi Shopping Street

KITA NEWS No.16

11

Topics
Mr. SUETA, a course leader of KITA, has been cultivating relations with former participants in many ways even after
their training ended. We believe that follow-up activities for JICA/KITA participants are useful ways to provide technicalsupport for those who have returned to their respective countries.
We would, therefore, like to introduce a part of his e-mail exchange with Mr. Mark LEKGJONAJ from Albania.

A Report from a former participant〜E-mail Exchange with a Former Participant〜
Hajime SUETA, Course leader

Mr.SUETA

Mr. Mark LEKGJONAJ

of “Operation and Maintenance of Sewerage and Waste Water Treatment Technique (B),” most of
I nthetheparcourse
ticipants were from countries where a sewerage project was about to s tar t . Therefore, all theparticipants were eager to absorb various types of knowledge. Mr. LEKGJONAJ was one of them. He explained water
environmental problems in his country with several pictures and also provided me with a lot of detailed information. I
enjoyed having him on my course.
I exchange e-mails with him from time to time even after he went back to his country. I sent the following e-mail to
him in September.
“There will be a training course on sewerage systems for Kosovo participants from the middle of October this year. I
will be in charge of this course, but I am concerned because the training will be conducted in Albanian.”
He replied, “Feel free to contact me if you need any help with Albanian. I want to help you as much as I can in returnfor you taking care of me in Japan.”I felt so relieved thanks to his message. I sincerely appreciate that I could establish this kind of relationship eventhough we don’t communicate so often.
Nine participants from eight countries participated in this training. Judging from their earnest learning attitudes,
every one of them, including Mr. LEKGJONAJ, must have had a strong desire to somehow improve the seweragesystems of their own countries.
I hope that Mr. LEKGJONAJ will play an important role in his country, using the knowledge he gained in the training
in Japan.

NEWS
No.16 April 2014
K itakyushu
I nternational
T echno-cooperative
Association (KITA ; kaita)

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

TEL : +81-93-662-7171 FAX : +81-93-662-7177
E-mail : info@kita.or.jp Web site : http://www.kita.or.jp/● 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