Kitakyushu
International
Techno-cooperative
Association

NEWS
No.24
2018
April

P2 A Message from the President
P4 FY2018 Operation Policy
P5 Highlight of Training Courses
P9 Introduction of Activities of Former Participants
P10 Recent Activities for Overseas Cooperation
P11 International Friendship Program
P12 Appreciation for Enterprise visit

Tour of ZEH (Net Zero Energy House)

Daiana-san giving a speech at theclosing ceremony“Energy Efficiency and Conservation Technology in Commercial and Residential Sector (A)” Course
This is a training course for transferring energy conservation technology utilized for residences, office buildings andcommercial facilities to South American countries. In Latin America, there are some countries where industry is developed tosome degree. However, energy conservation activities are not yet on track and are used only for the energy conservation of
government and municipal buildings, but is being used as a model case for promoting the activities. Under such circumstances,
the need for technical training on energy conservation (for buildings and commercial facilities) in commercial and residential
sector is becoming strong. Please see page 5 for details.

Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative Association

A Message from the President

Policy of Managementfor FY 2018
Hideki FURUNO, President
President Trump, with his declared policy of “America First” has announced that he will pull out of the Paris Agreement,
the international framework for measures to cope with global warming, and reports in the mass media worry about the effectthis and other such actions will have on international cooperation. In addition, there are an increasing number of reports that
foretell a change in the global balance of power, with China and its growing trend towards power politics starting to play alarger role in the international community while America seems to have started to turn inwards on itself. This is likely to havean effect on cooperation in the Asian region, where Japan is located.
Furthermore, the threat from North Korea’s nuclear missiles shows absolutely no sign of abating. As part of theinternational community, Japan too is starting to feel the effects of the current international situation, including troubles suchas those. However, the domestic situation remains calm as the October 22 elections last year did not lead to any majorchanges in the Japanese political system.
Under these conditions, KITA has been undergoing an
overhaul of our set-up since 2011, based upon thefollowing medium and long term perspectives.
KITA’s Medium and Long Term Policies
1. Accumulation of KITA’s assets
2. Investigation of “what is typical of KITA” and theadvantages of being based in Kitakyushu
Based on these policies, we started to promote the three
new guidelines below in FY2017 and plan to get resultsfrom them during the two-year period ending in FY2018. In
addition, with the exception of some themes, we havealmost achieved the aims in our plan for FY2017, as outlined
below.
1. Enhance and improve project capabilities with theaim of establishing the KITA brand
1) Training brand: Reliable implementation, from thegrasp of local needs to follow-up on outcomes(1) Further enrich the content of our training courses
a. Accurately grasp the participants’ needs andprovide sound solutions
b. Respond to increasing diversification andspecialization, and further develop andupgrade training sites
These two themes (a. and b.) have been steadily
put into practice in our everyday activities.
(2) Create structures aimed at receiving orders for
new training courses
a. Improve follow-up on participants after they
have completed their training course, and get
an accurate grasp of local needs
We are moving forward with this theme intandem with theme (1) of further enriching ourtraining courses.
b. Identify new training needs and continue to

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KITA NEWS No.24

promote the diagnosis of training issues
Last year we received orders for two new
courses: Integrated Water Resources
Management, and On-site Wastewater
Treatment System.
c. Create fee-paying training courses
Changes occurred in relation to this theme after
later events in Vietnam. It has been decided tocarry over this theme to next year and beyond,including challenges shared with JICA
headquarters.
2) Technical assistance brand: Continuing projects
intended for the public benefit, pioneering the global
expansion of small to medium-sized Kitakyushu
companies, and cultivating profit-making business(1) Continue to implement projects intended for the
public benefit
We continue to make smooth progress.
(2) Pioneer the global expansion of small to
medium-sized Kitakyushu companies and study
profit-making businessWe are expanding our consulting business forsmall to medium-sized Kitakyushu companies
and increasing the number of technicalassistance projects. However, there are issues inthe development of profit-making business thatneed to be settled legally. It is clear that moretime is required so I have decided to carry overthis theme to next year and beyond.
(3) Coordinate with the Asian Center for Low Carbon
Society
Our coordination action has become more
dynamic and both the Asian Center for Low
Carbon Society and KITA are seeing results from it.
(4) Enhance our maintenance training projects:

utilize the Kitakyushu Maintenance Engineering
Society (KME）KITA took over its running from the second half of
FY2016. No problems have arisen and things aregoing well.
2. Further promote the streamlining of project
management
1) Clarifying the respective roles of organizations andoperations, and boosting coordination between
organizations
・Streamline administrative work and reduce costs
This is an eternal challenge, but we are making
steady progress in our daily activities.
2) Promoting effective use of the IT infrastructure andimproving its functions
We are making efforts for improvement on a daily
basis, and are in the process of implementing what
can be done within our investment limitations.
3. Establish ourselves as a public interest incorporated
foundation, and ensure transparency, fairness anddisclosure1) Scrupulously protecting information and providing full
disclosure
We are promoting thorough internal and external
controls that adhere strictly to Japan’s Personal
Information Protection Act.
2) Preparation of the relevant documents for external

audits by the Cabinet Office and Kitakyushu
municipal government
We have prepared these whenever necessary and,as a result, have successfully prepared a substantial
collection of documents.
3) Securing daily manners as a public interest
incorporated foundation
We are making every effort to do so, referring indetail to Cabinet Office directives and so on.
As indicated above, we are getting results almost
exactly as scheduled. FY2017 was a year in which we
collaborated even more closely with partners such as the
Kitakyushu municipal government and JICA Kyushu, and
we also focused on intensifying related overseas
activities. We have been pushing forward for nearly sevenyears now with the medium and long term policies I
constantly advocate for KITA, and our efforts since FY2015
to establish the 'KITA brand' as one of the fruits of our
medium and long term policies, a step to give added clarity
to their image, have now continued for three years. We
are approaching the phase where we will reap the
benefits of the Master Plan. We will further increase ourefforts and push forward undaunted.
The KITA brand is the core concept of the ten-year KITA
Master Plan launched in FY2015. We will steadily
implement the guidelines below, which have theestablishment of the KITA brand as their central focus, inthe second half of the two-year period of FY2017-18.

FY2018 Policy
1. Enhance and improve project capabilities with theaim of establishing the KITA brand
1) Training brand: Reliable implementation, from thegrasp of local needs to follow-up on outcomes(1) Further enrich the content of our training courses
a. Accurately grasp the participants’ needs andprovide sound solutions
b. Respond to increasing diversification andspecialization, and further develop and upgrade
training sites(2) Create structures aimed at receiving orders for
new training courses
a. Improve follow-up on participants after they
have completed their training course, and get
an accurate grasp of local needs
b. Identify new training needs and continue topromote the diagnosis of training issues
2) Technical assistance brand: Continuing projects
intended for the public benefit, pioneering the global
expansion of small to medium-sized Kitakyushu
companies, and cultivating profit-making business(1) Continue to implement projects intended for the
public benefit(2) Develop profit-making business by establishing it
within the Technical Cooperation Division at theBusiness Development Center(3) Coordinate with the Asian Center for Low Carbon
Society(4) Enhance our maintenance training projects: utilize
the Kitakyushu Maintenance Engineering Society(KME)
2. Further promote the streamlining of project
management
1) Clarifying the respective roles of organizations andoperations, and boosting coordination between
organizations
・Streamline administrative work and reduce costs
2) Promoting effective use of the IT infrastructure andimproving its functions
3. Establish ourselves as a public interest
incorporated foundation, and ensure transparency,
fairness and disclosure1) Scrupulously protecting information and providing full
disclosure
2) Preparation of the relevant documents for external
audits by the Cabinet Office and Kitakyushu
municipal government3) Securing daily manners as a public interest
incorporated foundation

KITA NEWS No.24

3

FY2018 Operational Policy
Training Division
Yuichi TERADA, Vice President, Director of the Training DivisionWe, the Training Division, have been
producing various schemes for atransformation from the past position of“a contract training organization of
JICA”to“an organization transmitting
information”for these two years, under
the theme of promoting the“Master
Plan.”In particular, the term of eachtraining course was largely reduced
from 70 days or longer in the years up to FY 2012 to 27 days in
FY 2016 and FY 2017. In the course of reducing the term, fromthe viewpoint of enabling the participants to master the resultsof training surely, we have been promoting the penetration of
methods for finding solutions to issues by utilizing IAS (Issue
Analysis Sheet) and putting it into the training and sustaining
the methods there.
Also we have been giving guidance to prepare the Action
Plan mostly focused on“task”, and have introduced andutilized the Useful Information Sheet. Though not being enough,the direction of operational reform is becoming clear. Part ofthese KITA's efforts in the training activity was introduced in
JICA's public relations magazine“Mundi”, July 2017, with atheme of“Utilizing the heritage of modern Japan for global
energy conservation.”Furthermore, the training course forpeople of Japanese descent,“Promotion of Japanese foodbusiness”won the“Good Approach Prize”of JICA.

This fiscal year, we are going to make much of the following
matters in order to further strengthen the capability of
performing the training courses toward the“enhancement of
the KITA brand.”(1)Further improvement of training programs*Providing sound solutions to the participants even under asituation where the term of the training course is largely
reduced*Further development and upgrading of training sites,
responding to the increasing diversification andspecialization*Reduction of disparity among participants' countries andimprovement of training efficiency (Some solutions shouldbe thought of especially for the countries which haven't
shown the effects of training, instead of sending
participants many times.)(2)Construction of structures aimed at receiving orders for
new training courses*Improving the follow-up on participants after hey havecompleted their training course, and getting an accurate
grasp of local needs*Identifying new training needs and extraction of training
subjects

Technical Cooperation Division
Tomoharu ASAHARA, Director of the Technical Cooperation Division
In the fiscal year 2017, the second
year of executing the Master Plan, theTechnical Cooperation Division workedon the reformation of operational
structure by positively enhancing humanresources, that is, inviting people to be
key persons. As a result, we
successfully completed the consulting
project (a survey for the implementationof JICA's Support for SMEs Overseas Business Development)
which we adopted last year for the first time. Subsequently tothis success, we also succeeded to be adopted a new project.
These consecutive two successes are thought to be the fruit ofhuman resource enhancement and lots of know-how
indispensable for carrying out the consulting services,
acquired through the execution of that project. We also
deepened the cooperation with Kitakyushu Asian Center for
Low Carbon Society, through which we newly adopted JICA's
grassroots technical cooperation project. We really feel that
our activities have been expanded in various fields.
In the fiscal year 2018, we are intending to make further
efforts in expanding our activities in cooperation with related
divisions, regarding the“projects for public benefit”and

4

KITA NEWS No.24“development of new projects”as the pillars of our activities.
(1)Promotion of projects for public benefit
Collecting information, carrying out research and holding
lectures, related to the Kitakyushu municipal government
Supporting overseas business development ofenterprises based in Kitakyushu City
Technical assistance and dispatching technicalpersonnel for international environmental cooperation,etc., which the Kitakyushu municipal government is
promoting＊All the above are to be advanced as before in close
cooperation with related departments in the Kitakyushu
municipal government.
(2)Development of new projects
Accomplishing the entrusted consulting project,advancing to the next step, and developing new projects
Developing various training courses (training entrusted
by National Environmental Research and Training
Institute, Ministry of the Environment, study tour in Japan
by VJCC or CJCC, etc.)
Vitalizing and expanding the KME’s activities

Highlights of KITA Training Courses
Strong need still remains for the energy conservation course focused on buildings in developing countries.
“ Energy Efficiency and Conservation Technology in Commercial and Residential Sector (A) ”
Dr. Takatsugu UEYAMA, Course Leader
T his is a t r aining cour se f or t r ans f er r ing ener g yconservation technology utilized for residences, officebuildings and commercial facilities to South Americancountries. In the developing countries where industry is not
yet developed, energy conservation in the private sector isregarded as an important challenge. In Latin America, there
are some countries where industry is developed to somedegree. However, energy conservation activities are not yeton track and are used only for the energy conservation of
government and municipal buildings, but is being used as amodel case for promoting the activities. Under suchcircumstances, the need for technical training on energy
conservation (for buildings and commercial facilities) incommercial and residential sector is becoming strong.
This course covers Japan's system for promoting energy

conservation, energy conservation diagnosis and energy
conservation technology as much as possible in a limited
period of seven weeks. Because the energy conservation
activities involve miscellaneous matters, the constitution ofsubjects for the participants at some degree of advanced
level must be so prepared as to enable them to grasp thewhole picture systematically. As a result, the curriculum
came to include a variety of topics.
In addition, I kept in mind to provide a course to givesatisfaction to participants by incorporating actual practice,practical exercise, visit to enterprises and site observation
abundantly into impor tant subjects. The course was
successfully completed on October 6 and, according to aquestionnaire to the participants, evaluated as a course of
more satisfaction than ever, scoring 94 points out of 100.

Actual practice on energy conservation by using an inverter

Tour of ZEH (Net Zero Energy House)＝Speech of thanks at the closing ceremony＝■Representative

Daiana-san from Argentina■Closing Ceremony

Oct. 06, 2017

■Course period

Aug.20,2017 to Oct.07, 2017

The time has come to say“good-bye.”In this opportunity, I
looked back at the days of the training course. Now I have amix of various feelings including loneliness, happiness andspirit of motivation. The loneliness is that I am leaving
Kitakyushu where I spent about fifty days and to which I feelat tached. On the other hand, the happiness is that I am
returning to my country and can see my beloved family,
friends and colleagues again. Furthermore, the spirit ofmotivation, as if inspired, is that I go back to my regular duties
and wish to promptly utilize all of the knowledge I haveacquired in this training.
I am unable to return to my country without saying thankyou to each of the people at JICA and KITA. Wonderful
lecturers, particularly, Dt. Ueyama the Course Leader, guided

our study and were constantly beside us.
Lastly, I must not forget saying thank you to my colleagues
who became my second family members for about t womonths. They interacted me with a smile, and we exchanged
views to a deeper level and also went for a trip together,sharing the same time. I believe that the completion of thistraining owes to high ambitions and a lot of efforts of all thepeople concerned. We are returning to our countries happily
and with a feeling of tremendous thanks.
Arigato gozaimashita!
Sayonara!!

The closing ceremony

KITA NEWS No.24

5

Highlights of KITA Training Courses
Change Knowledge into Intelligence.
“ Developed Market Oriented Export Promotion Strategy / Marketing Strategy (B) ”
Yasunori NAKASHIMA, Course Leader
This B course is one of the five JICA training courses
given the same title, intended for five countries (Ethiopia,
Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Sudan and Tanzania) in the East
Africa region, made up of nine participants and held for aperiod of five weeks.
The participants were mainly administrative officials andpeople in chambers of commerce and indus tr y and,
therefore, many of them had knowledge of this field but had
somewhat a weakness in how to use the knowledge.
Consequently, this course was designed to aim at apractical training just fitting the actual state, give a hint for
a new merchandise or a new application, and show a pathfor embodying such merchandise or application based on
the concept of this training, that is, merchandise quality
and market-in approach.
I believe that the course was operated basically as aimed
and could be linked to the Action Plan to embody thepotential merchandise of participants' countries.
In A f r ica, t here are lo t s of merchandise hav ing a
potential to be the champion merchandise rooted in thecultures and histories there. I strongly hope that theparticipants utilize the intelligence acquired through thetraining and actualize that the wonderful merchandise of
African countries can be seen not only in Japan but
anywhere around the world as well.
Market research(Tanga Market)

Workshop for developing
African souvenir

Let’s increase the exports to Japan and advanced western countries.
“ Developed Market Oriented Export Promotion Strategy / Marketing Strategy (C) ”
Yukito IO, Course Leader
With an aim of researching and developing original andhigh-quality merchandise reflecting the culture and historyof each country as well as increasing the exports of suchmerchandise to advanced countries, this training course
has been held since F Y 2015 for the officials engaged inexport promotion in each country. This training course isintended to contribute to the improvement of expor t
promotion measures of each country through lectures ont he shi f t f r om “P r oduc t- ou t”t o “Mar ke t- in”− t he
fundamental techniques. And the study of cases thatsucceeded in Japan.
This time, the training course was held from September
to October with ten participants from seven countries in
Latin America. First, we welcomed them and provided an
introduction study. Then, during the training course, theparticipants studied the recent marketing theories andexpor t promotion strategies, etc., as well as visiting
companies such as KYOKUTO FADIE CORP. and TSUJIRI
CORP., and observed the actual state of sales promotion
activities for coffee and powdered green tea. They also
observed “World Specialty Coffee EXPO”just being held inTokyo and learned about the reality of international trade
fairs.

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KITA NEWS No.24

The participants of this training course were so vigorous
and act i ve as to hold group discussions posi t i vel y.
Completing the training course, they seemed to have aconviction that they could increase exports to advanced
countries. I look for ward to hearing about theimplementation of their Action Plans after they return totheir countries.
In front of the original store
of TSUJIRI CORP.

In the middle ofgroup discussion at workshop.

I look forward to your success.
“ Operation and Maintenance of Sewerage System (B) ”
Hajime SUETA, Course Leader
This training course is titled as "Operation and Maintenanceof Sewerage System", but the contents of the training covers
whole sewerage system. The participants this time wereseven people from India, Vietnam, Samoa, Papua New Guinea,
Panama, Morocco and Liberia. However the actual state ofsewerage system in their countries differs from each other.
The participants having different backgrounds of seweragesystems together challenged the acquisition of extensive
knowledge in the field of sewerage systems for about twomonths. The participants took part in the training reallyearnestly, seeming to think of the future of their own countries.
They were lively, active in raising lots of questions in thelectures and at the sites of enterprise/factory visits, and there
were also some participants who never missed taking notes
even at the sites. In addition, their team work was excellent.
However, the knowledge acquired through the hard work
may not immediately be useful in their home countries. So, it isnecessary for each of the participants to modify and apply theacquired knowledge, according to the situation of their own
country. In the two-month training, what the participantsstudied is merely the fundamentals of sewerage systems, inother words, the surface layer. So, it is important for theparticipants to make further efforts from now on.
I would be more than happy if the participants deepen theknowledge acquired through this course and heighten it to be
useful for practical activities in their own countries.
Commemorative photo
after the end of a lecture

Demonstration of anoil separation tank

Realization of high necessity for small-scale sewage treatment plants in developing countries“ Water Environment Administration ”
Azuma KIDO, Course Leader
Started in FY 2015, the "Water Environment Administration"
course marked the 3rd year this time and received sevenparticipants from six countries: Afghanistan, Cambodia,
Ethiopia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and Uganda.
This course is intended to make the participants acquire thecomprehensive knowledge about planning and implementationof administrative policy related to water environment
preservation.
In this training course of water environment administration,
the participants were provided with a lecture on Basic
Environment Act and Water Pollution Prevention Act,observation of actual state in the implementation of water
environment administration in Kitakyushu City, and a visit to
Minamata Disease Municipal Museum. Furthermore, for thewater qualit y monitoring, all the par ticipants visitedenterprises and had observation and actual practice on site.
In addition, for the water pollution prevention technology,
they observed and studied city water treatment technology,
sewage treatment technology, industrial wastewater
treatment technology, principle and manufacture process of
septic tanks, and small-scale sewage treatment method
utilizing soil remediation process.
In the countries to which the participants belong, there areurgent issues such as assurance of drinking water source,
sewage water treatment , and indus trial was tewater
treatment. However, I found it most necessary to introduce
relatively low-cost sewage treatment technology such as
small-scale sewage treatment using a septic tank or soil
remediation process because it is difficult to secure theconstruction cost for a large-scale sewage treatment plant.
Visit to Sewage
Treatment Plant

Visit to Minamata Disease
Municipal Museum

KITA NEWS No.24

7

Highlights of KITA Training Courses
Utilizing the results of follow-up survey for the following training course“ Management of Composting Project (B) ”
Dr. Kozo KIDO, Course Leader
This training course is intended for Latin Americancountries, having reached the 5th session this time. I
visited Costa Rica and El Salvador for the follow-up surveyof this course in December, 2016. The number of target
participants was five, and they were the members of 3rd
and 4th training courses. Those related to theenvironmental education according to their Action Plan
were working on the spread of composting to the children
at schools based on the reference materials prepared
there.
They were making compost from school lunch leftovers
and using it for a small farm, aiming at the creation of arecycling-oriented society. Others were making efforts forthe establishment and operation of a compost center byapplying Takakura-t ype composting method utilizing
leftovers from the City Hall restaurant in cooperation with
JOCV (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers).
There were large-scale composting facilities (60 t x 4units) constructed by the national government, which wereintended to produce early-matured and good-qualit ycompos t by applying the Takakura-t ype compos tingmethod. All the activities were examples to be a model for
L at in A merican coun t ries . In t his t raining course, I
discussed w i t h par t icipan t s and gave ins t ruct ions,referring to these results.
Compost made frompruned tree branch

Compost made fromhousehold andrestaurant refuse

A pleasant training course was completed with excellent team work of participants.
“ Small and Medium Enterprises / Local Industry Promotion for Latin America (B) ”
Katsuhiko KAWASAKI, Course Leader
The objective of this course is to enhance the capability ofadministrative officials in the Latin America region, who havebeen super vising SMEs in their own countries for the
purpose of vitalizing those enterprises. In FY 2017, thirteen
par ticipants at tended this course from nine countries
including Argentina, Columbia and Ecuador.
Through the training course, the participants learned about
the policies and measures for supporting SMEs of national
government, municipal governments and chambers ofcommerce and industry, and the actual activities of SMEs forindependently enhancing themselves. In the session atenterprises and factories they visited, the participants
seemed to find the basics of management particularly in 5S
activities and Kaizen activities. All of the participants were
earnest and enjoyed training with an excellent team work.
One of the important tasks in supervising SMEs in theirown countries is to make an improvement plan. During thetraining course, the participants made a plan (Action Plan) to
improve t heir t heme. A f ter many t imes of repeatedmodification, they completed their own Action Plan: not amere idea but a plan along logical QC lines. This seemed to be
the greatest sense of accomplishment to every participant.

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KITA NEWS No.24

The work habits and cultures in the Latin America region
differ from those in Japan. So the Japan-style method may
not be applied as it is, but I hope that the participants will
arrange their Action Plan according to manner of their own
countries or organizations, and develop their own activities
for supporting SMEs.
After a factory visit

Lecture in front of numerous
bulletin board objects
for company improvement

Introduction of Lively Activity of a Former Participant■ Kazakhstan
Former Participant

Dr. Takatsugu UEYAMA, Course Leader

Mr. USHAKOV Vadim

Training Course

Promotion of Energy Conservation in Industrial Sector

Course Period

Aug.08, 2015 to Sep.19, 2015

The “Promotion of Energy Conservation in Industrial
Sector” course for Kazakhstan was held t wice in 2015
and 2016.
Mr. Vadim was a participant in the 2015 training courseand carried out an actual practice at Asia Auto Corp.,
which is an automobile assembly factory of knockdown
production system. He was the most serious among the
12 par t icipan t s and go t t he highes t score in t he
Example of improvement: 112V-fluorescent lamps
examination to measure the training effect.
were replaced with 72V-LED lamps.
At that time, I gave him a special tribute to express myrespect. After Mr. Vadim returned to his country, he seemed to achieve various plans under a superior who
understood his work. I expect him to utilize the results of JICA training and achieve satisfactory results
continuously in his country. Mr. Vadim, thank you for your letter. I expect great things of him in the future,
looking forward to receiving the next report.

■ PeruDr. Kozo KIDO, Course Leader

Former Participant

Mr. HUAYANAY E. Edgar Moises

Training Course

Management of Composting Project (B)Course Period

Aug.21, 2016 to Sep.22, 2016

T he “JIC A Managemen t of C ompos t Projec t (B) ” is a cour se
intended for civil servants in Latin American countries. This course
marked the 5th year in 2017. Mr. Edgar from Peru was the participant
in F Y2016. When we read the activity report after he returned to his
countr y, we understood that he was expanding the experiences
obtained through the JICA training course to other cities, such as
positive promotion of environmental education and composting
activities.
As for the introduction of livestock waste composting technology
newly adopted in the Action Plan, I was glad as a course leader tohear that the results of training were useful for him in practicing thist e c h n o l o g y i n c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h a u n i v e r s i t y. I v i s i t e d f i v e
Vegetables cultivated by use of compost producedin the Environment Preservation Center
participants in Costa Rica and El Salvador to follow up this course in
December, 2016. The result of the composting course was really excellent, and all the participants werepracticing their Action Plan positively by applying Takakura-type composting method. I felt the significanceof the training course for Latin American countries.

KITA NEWS No.24

9

Recent Activities for Overseas Development Cooperation
Support for Kitakyushu study tour of VJCC Haiphong Management Seminar
Toshikatsu MIYATA, Executive Technical Advisor
VJCC (Vietnam-Japan Institute for Human Resources
Development) has actively been providing suppor t tocultivate human resources capable of leading Vietnam’s
industrial sector. Subsequently to the management
seminar in Hanoi City and Ho Chi Minh City and, in 2016,
another management seminar started in Haiphong City, asister city of Kitakyushu City.
The Haiphong Management Seminar provides a study
t o u r i n J a p a n f o r o b s e r v i n g t h e ac t u a l s t a t e o fmanagement in Japan after nine months of classroom
lectures. T his t ime, t he s tudy tour mission visi ted
Kitak yushu Cit y, and KITA suppor ted the study tour
t oge t her w i t h related di v isions of t he K i t ak y ushu
Municipal Government.
The study tour in Kitakyushu Cit y was held for theper iod f r om May 2 2 t o 2 6 , 2 0 17, w i t h t wen t y -f i ve
participants including entrepreneurs from Haiphong. The
contents of the study included: (1) policies and measureso f t h e K i t a k y u s h u M u n i ci p a l G o v e r n m e n t ,(2)management strategies of enterprises, and (3) interaction
with people of enterprises. In particular, during the visit toenterprises and the interaction with people there, active
Q&A sessions and exchange of views were observed. In
addition, because Haiphong City and Kitakyushu City aresister cities, a courtesy call on Kenji KITAHASHI, themayor of Kitakyushu City was realized, and all membersof the mission looked so delighted.
The second study tour in Kitakyushu City in May 2018 is
on schedule. We would like to support the study tour tomake it more fulfilling, providing also the experiences
specific to Kitakyushu City.
Visit to an enterprise(Shabondama Soap Co., LTD.)

Courtesy call on the mayor of
Kitakyushu City
(Mayor Kitahashi to the leftmost,with souvenirs
from Haiphong City)

Composting of food waste and establishment of recycle loop
in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Shinsuke TAKEUCHI, Executive Technical Advisor
The Cameron Highlands of Malaysia is a region at analtitude of over 1,500m with rich nature. This region isfamous for sightseeing and also a place of actively
growing vegetables and fruit s by utilizing the coolclimate. However, vegetable or fruit residue (to be called
food waste hereunder) has a lot of water content andcanno t be t rea t ed in t he local incinera t ion plan t .
Therefore, the food waste needs to be transported to thefinal disposal site away about 200km from this region,
causing serious environmental problems.
In this situation and under JICA’s Support for SMEs
Overseas Business Development ＝ Project Formation
Survey ＝ the Merry Corporation conducted a survey in
the Cameron Highlands for one year from November 2017
in order to es tablish a recycle loop for the organic
growing of vegetables and fruits by composting the foodwaste and utilizing the compost produced.
The following shows the major items of survey.
(1) Survey on the establishment of separated food waste
collection system

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KITA NEWS No.24(2) Survey on the compost production using separately
collected food waste(3) Survey on the organic growing of vegetables using the
produced composts(4) Survey on the sale and distribution of grown organic
vegetables
Waste containing a lotof vegetable garbage

Waste carrier vehicle(Loading capacity: 20 tons)

News & Topics
A Trip to See Tobata Gion Yamagasa
Tatsuhiko TAKAI, Director, General Affairs Section
Members of FIVA (*1) organized a trip to see Tobata
G i o n Ya m a g a s a f o r p a r t i c i p a n t s i n t h e W a t e r
Environment Administration course on July 22, 2017.
The students from FIVA borrowed a Japanese-style
room at JICA Kyushu on July 22 where they changed
into yukata (summer kimono) before meeting up withthe course participants in the seminar room.
T he even t began w i t h ever y one in t r oducing
themselves before being split into groups. However,when the course par ticipants saw the kimono-clads t uden t s t hey clear l y could no t wai t t o have t heopportunity to be dressed up in yukata themselves.
W ith the assis tance of specialis ts in teachingpeople how to wear kimono properly, the participants
were dressed in the yukata. T hey seemed to takegreat pride in their appearance and set off happily for
To b a t a , t o o d e l i g h t e d b y t h e e x p e r i e n c e t o b ebothered by how the unfamiliar at tire impeded theirstride.
It was the first time that the festival had been held
since being registered by UNESCO as an intangible
cul t ur al her i t age and Toba t a was ver y cr o w ded
despite the intense heat. The course participants andstudents were divided into several groups in which
they took a closer look at the stalls lining the pathway
to the shrine that took their fancy. In some groups thepar ticipants and students looked like friends and inothers they seemed just like parents and children, butthey all enjoyed the Japanese festival atmosphere.
As dusk falls, the noboriyama (floats decorated
with flags) are transformed into chochinyama (floats
decorated with paper lanterns) and the timed race
which is the main event begins. T he course
participants thoroughly enjoyed the stirring sight as
the pyramids of light paraded past them.
Despite the intense heat and the crowded venue,and having to deal with packed trains on both legs oftheir journey, none of the participants displayed any
signs of fatigue and they all told me how wonderfult he fes t ival was and w hat a great t ime t hey had.
Although the program did not last long, I think that it
was a very memorable day for everyone concerned.

I would like to take this opportunity to express mygratitude to the s tudents, who not only took such
good care o f t he par t icipan t s bu t also preparedcarefully for the trip by checking out the festival site
earlier in the day.
*1 FIVA
Fukuoka International Volunteer Association. An international
exchange project at Regional Symbiosis Education Center, The
University of Kitakyushu.
W i t h“Wal k , e n j o y, l ear n . I n t e r na t i o nal e xchan g e s i n
Kitak yushu”as its slogan, FIVA plans and runs events tofamiliarize overseas visitors with Kitak yushu via cultural
exchanges that will teach them about Japanese culture and thehistory of Kitakyushu.

Looking round the stalls

During the timed race

KITA NEWS No.24

11

Topics
Thank You for All You Did for the KITA Training Course!
Experience of How Tough Hygiene Management Is in the Food Industry

Plant
Visit

SHINKO Co., Ltd.

Yasunori NAKASHIMA, Course Leader
paid a visit to SHINKO Co., Ltd. as part of the training
W inetheCapacity Development for Entrepreneurs and

MSMEs Activation in African Countries course. SHINKO Co.,
Ltd. is a confectionery manufacturer in Kitakyushu.
Agriculture is the main industry in most regions of Africa, andhow to provide added value in order to stimulate (local)
industries is a huge challenge. Possible ways to do so would
be to brand the raw materials themselves to add extra value,
and to develop other uses for them by processing crops.
Our visit to SHINKO Co., Ltd. was to get hints that could beapplied in such initiatives to add value to the agriculturalcommodities of the participants’ countries, and also to learn
about hygiene management in the food industry.
Food safety is a vital issue, particularly for developed
countries, not just for Japan. It is an issue that will be
increasingly important, not just for the participants’ own
countries but also if they consider expanding their sights
overseas.
We were told that the basic principles of hygiene management
are “not to bring any contaminants in”, “not to allow
contaminants to spread”, and “to eliminate any contaminants”.
However, this was the first time for the participants to tour afactory where these principles are specifically implemented,
and they were all amazed by the strictness of the series ofprocedures (described below) that were followed before
entering the factory.
(1) Undergo a health check via a questionnaire issued inadvance → (2) Remove watches and bracelets prior to theguided tour → (3) Wear clean work clothes, hat, mask andsterilized footwear → (4) Use an adhesive roller to remove
any hair or dust from the clothes → (5) Wash and dry hands→ (6) Use an alcohol-based disinfectant on the fingers →(7) Pass through an air shower
T here were lot s of things to learn, such as how theprocedures had been put into a manual in easy-to-understanddiagrams, and the many ways to foolproof the process, suchas the door of the air shower booth not opening until theprevious person had finished and exited.
Usually food industry hygiene management means thatNEWS

No.24 April, 2018

K itakyushu
I nternational
T echno-cooperative
A ssociation

visitors observe the food processing from outside, but SHINKO
Co., Ltd. allows us inside to get a close look at the actual work
process and its management. Thanks to this tour of the
production line, the participants were able to review what
they had learned at their desks by seeing actual examples ofsuch things as the active implementation of the 5S, which are
the cornerstone of hygienic processing work, and of importantmanagement points being put into visual form.
SHINKO Co., Ltd. has helped us with our training several
times in the past, and it is a very valuable place for field trips
as participants always make new discoveries during their visit.
I hope that SHINKO Co., Ltd. will continue to offer us theirinvaluable help, though I will make sure that we do notinconvenience them by asking for too many visits or on toolarge a scale.

Observing Production Line

Lecture by President KOSHINOGroup Photo after Training

All correspondence should be addressed to Secretariat 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/english● Web site in English includes KITA’s outline, recent activities and journals published previously.

TEL of Other Divisions of KITA are as follows:

Training Division
TEL: +81-93-662-7173

Technical Cooperation Division
TEL: +81-93-662-7174