Kitakyushu
International
Techno-cooperative
Association

NEWS
No.22
2017
April

P2 A Message from the President
P4 FY2017 Operational Policy
P5 Training Courses Digest (First half of FY2016)
P9 Recent Activities for Overseas Development Cooperation
P10 News & Topics● Speech of thanks at the closing ceremony● Opening Ceremony of the National Environmental Research andTraining Institute Kitakyushu Office
P12 International Friendship Program− Opening ceremony of the national Environmental Research and Training Institute Kitakyushu Office −The National Environmental Research and Training Institute Kitakyushu Office was set up in KITA and a ceremony to markits opening was held on October 24, 2016. The opening ceremony was attended by Yoshimi OKUNUSHI, who is Director
General of both the Ministry of the Environment’s Environmental Policy Bureau and the National Environmental Research andTraining Institute, as well as by Akie OOMAGARI, the Vice Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture, Deputy Mayor of Kitakyushu
Kazuhide UMEMOTO and Hideki FURUNO, President of KITA.

Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative Association

A Message from President

Policy of Management for FY 2017
This year sees the start of a new administration in the
US under highly-individualistic President Trump. Various
predictions are being made, such as that nationalism
might become more widespread around the world, or that
there might be a major change to the trend for free trade,however our primary wish is that the harmonious
relationship between Japan and the United States willcontinue.
KITA, meanwhile, has been undergoing an overhaul of
our set-up since 2011, based upon the following 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
We also formulated the KITA Master Plan covering thedecade from FY2015, and the actions in it have picked up
speed in FY2016. The Master Plan is based upon our
medium and long term policies, and in FY2016 we
continued to implement the four business guidelines
below, as we had in FY2015. In addition, we have almost
completed our plan for FY2016, 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 outcomesa) Comprehension of local needsb) Providing solutions and effective expertise,
information and experiencec) Building a win-win relationship between the
countries participated in a training course and thecompanies collaborated in itd) Reliable follow-up on the outcomes of training
coursese) Greater utilization of networks with former
participants overseas
As a result of our pursuing these themes, weare in the process of realizing KITA’s firstproject utilizing a JICA grassroots project(Vietnam TAC). We have proposed to JICA a
method that utilizes their grassroots projectsystem to boost the capabilities of training run
for small and medium-sized companies at theTechnical Assistance Center (TAC) for small
and medium-sized companies in Vietnam, andare waiting to hear whether our proposal has
been accepted.
(2) Technical assistance brand: Global deployment ofsmall and medium-sized Kitakyushu companiesa) Support for small and medium-sized Kitakyushu
companies starting up activities overseas

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KITA NEWS No.22

Hideki FURUNO, President
KITA’s first full-scale consulting solution,technical assistance for public organizations
overseas in the JICA project to support small
and medium-sized companies expanding
overseas, was adopted by JICA in January
2016. The contract was concluded in June 2016,
and steady progress is now being made with apreliminary study of potential cases, our current
theme.
b) Proactive collaboration to launch activities
overseas with related organizations
Kitakyushu municipal government
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
Collaborations with the Kitakyushu municipal
government and JICA are particularly active.
c) Aggressively boosting our brand awarenessoverseas via activities such as overseas seminars
and forums
We try hard to boost our visibility each time wecarry out overseas activities, and awareness of
KITA abroad is steadily growing.
d) Greater utilization of networks with former
participants overseas
We are expanding our networks with eachproject, with a particular focus on Vietnam.
2. Formulate and implement the KITA Master Plan
(1) Final draft of the KITA Master Plan (10-year plan)
Giving concrete form to the scheme to establish
the KITA brandWe have explained to the city of Kitakyushu,
completed KITA decision-making procedures,and started giving concrete form to the scheme
to establish the KITA brand.
(2) Start to move forward with the KITA Master Plan
Starting work on the realization of the KITA
brand
We have started work on the realization of theKITA brand and this project is picking up speed.
3. Further promote the streamlining of project
management(1) Clarifying the respective roles of organizations andoperations, and boosting coordination between
organizations
Streamlining administrative work and reducing
costs
We are continuing our action on this enduringissue.
(2) Promoting effective use of the IT infrastructure andimproving its functions
This is a challenge we are tackling as a matterof routine and we are making daily progress.
4. Establish ourselves as a public interest incorporated
foundation, and ensure transparency, fairness anddisclosure(1) Scrupulously protecting information and providing
full disclosureThis has become an established practice, andwe are now in the process of promoting morethorough enforcement.
(2) Preparation of the relevant documents for external
audits by the Cabinet Office and Kitakyushu
municipal government
We have completed our preparations for theaudits required by the rules, including the
Cabinet Office audit.
As indicated above, we are getting results almost
exactly as scheduled.
FY2016 was a year in which we collaborated even moreclosely with partners such as the Kitakyushu municipal
government and JICA Kyushu, and these strong
cooperative relationships continued to help us to intensify
overseas activities, just as they did last year. Also, in
FY2016 we were able to get on track with establishing the
KITA brand, one of the fruits of our medium and long term
policies.
The KITA brand is the core concept of the ten-year KITA
Master Plan, and I have set the themes on the right as our
FY2017 guidelines, aimed at completing the KITA Master
Plan, centered around the establishment of the KITA
brand, in FY2024.

FY2017 Guidelines

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 outcomesa) Further enrich the content of our training courses
Accurately grasp the participants’ needs andprovide sound solutions

Respond to increasing diversification andspecialization, and further develop and upgrade
training sitesb) Create structures aimed at receiving orders for
new training courses
Improve follow-up on participants after they
have completed their training course, and get an
accurate grasp of local needs
Identify new training needs and continue topromote the eduction of training issues
Create paid-for training coursesc) Building a win-win relationship between the
countries participated in a training course and thecompanies collaborated in it(2) Technical assistance brand: Continue with projects
intended for the public benefit, pioneer the global
expansion of small to medium-sized Kitakyushu
companies, and cultivate profit-making businessa) Continue to implement projects intended for the
public benefitb) Develop profit-making business by establishing it
within the Technical Cooperation Division at theBusiness Development Centerc) Coordinate with the Asian Center for Low Carbon
Societyd) 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
Streamlining administrative work and reducing
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 disclosure(1) Scrupulously protecting information and providing
full disclosure(2) Preparation of the relevant documents for external
audits by the Cabinet Office and Kitakyushu
municipal government(3) Securing daily manners as a public interest
incorporated foundation
In addition to making steady progress with the KITA
Master Plan, which came into full swing in FY2016, I
intend that we will power forward towards completion of
the plan in FY2024 whilst not neglecting to appropriately
absorb any changes in our situation.

KITA NEWS No.22

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FY2017 Operational Policy
Training Division
Yuichi TERADA, Director of the Training Division
In the year 2016, both in Japan andoverseas, people encountered various
things: the earthquake in Kumamoto,Brexit, the best efforts of the JapaneseTeam in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic
Games, the triumph of Donald Trump in
the US presidential election, etc.
Additionally, it is still fresh in ourmemory that more typhoons passed through the JapaneseIslands than usual.
Meanwhile we, the Training Division, launched ourselves on“the first year of Master Plan” and, though with unsteadysteps, we produced various schemes for a transformationfrom the past position of “a contract training organization of
JICA” to “an organization transmitting information”. The
schemes include: penetration and adoption of a method forfinding solutions by utilizing IAS (Issue Analysis Sheet) into thetraining course, guidance to prepare Action Plan mostly
focused on TASK, research in South American countries(Paraguay and Argentina) for confirming the needs of training
in the target countries and improving the follow-up after
training, attendance to JICA's three follow-up visits to Mexico,Central America and Africa, and the creation of JICA
grassroots project as a source for establishing paid training
courses.
We are going to make much of the following matters tofurther strengthen the capability to perform training programs
and improve the contents of the programs, for “enhancing the
KITA brand”. We would be grateful for your continued
cooperation.
(1)Further improvement of training programs*Precise recognition of participants' needs and giving
reliable solutions*Further development and enhancement of training
facilities and enterprises which respond to thedeepening diversification and specialties(2)Construction of a system for receiving the order of new
training courses*Improving the follow-up for participants and grasping
the needs in the target countries*Digging up new needs for training courses andextraction of training subjects*Promoting the preparation for establishing paid training
courses

Technical Cooperation Division
Tomoharu ASAHARA, Director of the Technical Cooperation Division
As the first year of executing theMaster Plan, the Technical Cooperation
Division worked on the reformation of
the operational structure andorganization in the fiscal year 2016. As
a result, we could launch our steadyfirst step such as receiving the firstorder of a consulting project andrejoining Kitakyushu Maintenance Engineering Society (KME)
to KITA. In the fiscal year 2017, we are intending to advancetwo pillars of activity: “projects for public interest”, which isthe basic role of KITA and “development of new projects” incooperation with related divisions in good balance.
(1)Promotion of projects for public interest
Collecting information, carrying out research and holding
lectures, related to City of Kitakyushu
Supporting overseas business development ofenterprises based in Kitakyushu City
Technical assistance and dispatching technicalpersonnel for international environmental cooperation,etc., which City of Kitakyushu is promoting

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KITA NEWS No.22

All the above are to be advanced as before in close
cooperation with divisions, organizations, etc. relating to Cityof Kitakyushu.
(2)Development of new projects
Accomplishing the current consulting project anddeveloping new projects to receive orders
Developing various training courses (Atmosphereenvironment improvement training between China andJapan, National Environmental Research and Training
Institute, etc.) to receive orders
Vitalizing KME's activities, that is, expanding the field ofactivities
We could obtain a lot of know-how through the execution of
the consulting project which we are now working on.
However, at the same time, it turned out that highly advanced
information-collecting skill and report making-out ability are
required in order to carry out a project. In the fiscal year 2017,
through the execution of projects, we are going to evaluate
whether we can carry out new projects continuously with thecurrent personnel lineup of KITA, as well as considering thecooperation with outside consulting firms.

Highlights of KITA Training Courses

Training Courses Digest(First half of FY2016)

Courses started from
April 1, 2016 to
September 30, 2016
1) Training Course
2) Training period
3) Course Leader

1) Capacity Development for Entrepreneurs and
MSMEs Activation in African Countries
2) May 14, 2016 to June 18, 2016
3) Mr. M. KOSUGII really appreciate your hard work not only in thelectures but also in the field tours. I enjoyed the time
together with you all during the training and I was
absolutely impressed by your positive thinking in order toimprove your countr y and your vitalit y with full of
curiosity.
Please aim to vitalize MSMEs in your countr y byutilizing what you have seen in Japan as a hint. I wish foryour future success in your respective countries.

1) Water Environment Administration
2) May 8, 2016 to June 29, 2016
3) Mr. A. KIDO

1) Small and Medium Enterprises / Local Industry
Promotion for Latin America (B)2) June 7, 2016 to July 8, 2016
3) Mr. K. KAWASAKI

I appreciate your efforts to complete the long-term
training. You might be very tired from tight schedule in an
unfamiliar country. But I think you have learned a lot inthis training.
I sincerely hope that the outcome of this training will be
useful for your future activities after return. I wish foryour good health and success.

I appreciate your efforts to complete the training.
You might be very tired from a tight schedule in an
unfamiliar country.
I sincerely hope that the result from the training will be
useful for your future activities after return.
I wish for your good health and success.

KITA NEWS No.22

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Highlights of KITA Training Courses

61) Developed Market Oriented Export Promotion
Strategy / Marketing Strategy (B)2) June 25, 2016 to July 30, 2016
3) Mr. Y. NAKASHIMA

1) Policy Planning for Efficiency and Conservation (B)2) July 3, 2016 to August 6, 2016
3) Mr. K. KAWAGUCHII think you could realize how to integrate practicallyselling know-how and product manufacturing together
during this 1month.
I sincerely hope that you would find out unique and highqualit y product which is reflected your culture andhistorical background and nurture it to be an export
champion.

How was your stay in Japan during this hot and humid 5
weeks? You had participated in this training with various
issues. Have you achieved the goal?
I hope what you have learned and experienced in Japan
will be useful to improve energy ef ficiency of yourcountry and the quality of your work in the future. Please
implement your action plan step by step.

1) Advancement of Solid Waste Management
Technologies (Advance, Technique) (A)2) July 10, 2016 to September 10, 2016
3) Mr. T. SASHIWA

1) Geothermal Drilling Management
2) July 5, 2016 to August 10, 2016
3) Mr. Y. TAKASAKI

Have you kept your interest in this training program
until the end? I believe you became quite knowledgeable
while staying in Japan, then you will get wider capacityand options to tackle against many difficulties you may
face afterward.
I’m always ready if you need some of my advice orconsultation. Hope all goes well both for professionallyand personally!

Congratulations on completing this training program. I
am very glad that all of you have been fine and achieved
the initial goal of the training.
I hope you could utilize the results acquired throughvisiting Japanese advanced drilling site and lectures
which include new technologies, to enhance
implementing system of drilling for the purpose ofdevelopment of geothermal resources in your country. I
wish your continued health and success.

KITA NEWS No.22

Highlights of KITA Training Courses

1) Renewable Energy in Grid-Mainly on Photovoltaic (A)2) July 10, 2016 to August 20, 2016
3) Mr. J. KAWASAKI1) Renewable Energy Course for African Countries
2) July 24, 2016 to August 10, 2016
3) Mr. S. YAZU

It was quite tough 6-weeks training schedule withoutside practice and site visiting tour of mega solar in thehottest season in Japan.
Your team work was splendid and I really appreciatesharing fruit ful time together. You were per fectly
punctual in various situations as I asked in the beginning.
I hope what you have learned in this training will be usefulto resolve your issues and connected to yourdevelopment in the future.

I appreciate your ef for ts to complete the training
course. Though it was a short period, I believe you havelearned a lot on the renewable energy of Japan.
Please implement improvement activities in order toachieve result to develop your country, utilizing usefulknowledge and technologies from the training. I am surewhat you have learned and experienced in Japan will be
useful for your work. I wish for your future success.

1) High Efficient & Clean Thermal Power
2) August 21, 2016 to September 10, 2016
3) Mr. T. FUJII
It is my best pleasure if all of 8 participants from 5
coun t r ies have had enjoyable t ime and go t goodexperiences and information in this JICA program.
I expect peace and prosperous future of all our nations
and also hope the eternal friendship between Japan andevery your nation.

1) Practical Human Resource Development
in Electrical and Electronic Engineering for Africa
2) August 20, 2016 to October 15, 2016
3) Mr. M. TOMITA
T hank you ver y much for your hard work for the
long-term training. I have implemented this course,
Human Resource Developmen t in E lec t r ical andElectronic Engineering for Africa, centering on practicaltraining.
I hope you would plan and implement similar course forthe teachers of neighboring countries and the technicallevel of whole African countries will be improved in the
future.

KITA NEWS No.22

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Highlights of KITA Training Courses

81) Iran: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy2) August 28, 2016 to September 17, 2016
3) Mr. Y. TERADA

1) Management of Composting Project (B)2) August 21, 2016 to September 22, 20163) Dr. K. KIDO

I really appreciate all of your effort to complete thistraining course. I tried to provide as many on-site training
sessions as possible in this short-term training.
Though sometimes there was not enough time to havelunch, it would be great if you could think of this as aresult of my effort to provide beneficial training for you. I
sincerely hope this training will help you to take a great
leap forward after you return to your country.

How was the training and the life in Kitakyushu fora b o u t 4 w e e k s? I w a s v e r y i m p r e s s e d b y y o u r
enthusias tic at titude toward the training. I could
understand that your countries and local governments
are already actively involved in composting of raw
garbage, which accounts for 60% of total waste, forwaste reduction.
Please improve waste issues applying training result toyour coun t r y and make e f f or t t o conser ve clean
environment.

1) Kazakhstan: Promotion of Energy Conservationin Industry Sector
2) August 21, 2016 to October 1, 20163) Dr. T. UEYAMA

1) Developed Market Oriented Promotion Strategy/
Marketing Strategy (C)2) September 3, 2016 to October 8, 2016
3) Mr. Y. IO

I designed this training course af ter I visited andunderstood the situation of your country 2 years ago. The
ef for t for energy conser vation of your countr y is
gradually arranged but it is still insufficient.
Though it is difficult for you all to be satisfied with all
the contents of the training, how was it?
I hope this training in Japan will be your lifetime
memories and a chance for your future progress.

Congratulations on completing this training course. I
am very glad that all of you have been fine and achieved
the initial goal of the training.
I hope that the technique and information you learned
and discussed together in this training will be effectively
utilized in your job after returning home. Understand thepresent situation of your country, set your goal and thenplan strategy and tactics clearly to achieve the goal andcarry out the plans step by step.

KITA NEWS No.22

Thanks Speech at the Closing Ceremony
Speech of Thanks at the Closing Ceremony from a Representative of
All the Participants who Completed This Training Course
・Representative：Ms. BUGTONG Anne Aubrey De
Guzman from Philippines
・Training course：Operation and Maintenance ofSewerage System (B)・C o u r s e p e r i o d：Jan. 11, 2016 to Mar. 05, 2016

This day marks the 53rd day of our stay here in Japan. And
for most of us, if not all, this was the first time to sojourn inthis culturally and historically rich country. The generosity of
the Japanese people have brought all of us from different
parts of the world in this beautiful country not only learn theirtechnical practices in the field of sewerage operation andmaintenance but to also experience their unique culture. Ourlearning was not limited within the confines of the seminarroom but we have been given the opportunity to experience it
as well. So today, before we return to our respective
countries to “pay-forward” allow me to express our profoundgratitude in behalf of the 7 governments that we arerepresenting and the nations who will be benefitting fromthis training.
To the Kitakyushu International Techno-Cooperative
Association (KITA) whose technical expertise and time havebeen devoted to developing minds of technical personnel into
becoming specialists and experts in their own field, we would
like to say “domo arigato gozaimashita.” In this changing

・Representative：Mr. Sarabjot Singh Saini
Energy Conservation
・Training course：Techniques for India
・C o u r s e p e r i o d：Sep. 24, 2015
to November 5, 2015

I would like to thank Government of Japan and India fororganizing this training for “Energy Conservation Techniques
for India” through JICA. When we were starting from India
for this training, we just expected that this training course
would provide us detailed insights of various technologies
used in Japanese power plants for energy efficiency throughlectures and interactive plant visits. I am very thankful to
JICA and KITA that this training course is so well organized
and coordinated that it certainly exceeds our expectations.
Moreover, travelling across the different cities of Japan
really help us to experience the rich Japanese culture andunderstand the Japanese people perspective towards
energy conservation and work culture.
I think all 11 of us must be agreed with the fact that wehave observed here in Japan that attitude of people is very
positive towards energy conservation and I think, thededication, hard work and discipline of Japanese people are
the major driving force responsible for development of thiscountry.

times where world leaders are focused on achieving super
power status, and environmental conservation takes a backseat that international technical cooperation aimed atachieving sustainable development are very much needed.
To all our brilliant lecturers who unselfishly shared theirtechnical expertise in the field of sewerage planning, design,operation and maintenance, as well as all the various
technologies which support the sewerage system, we thankyou so much for the invaluable knowledge that you have
conveyed to us through our lectures and site visits.
From the representatives of Albania, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Jamaica, Mauritius, Palestine and the Republic of thePhilippines, Domo Arigato Gozaimashita, Nihon.
(As in the original speech script)

Therefore, apart from learning technical know how, we aretaking back the experience we had here with people as it is
so inspirational in itself. Needless to mention the highstandards of hospitality we receive in each and every place
we visited. Such as plants visits, sightseeing, local market
shops, everywhere we can feel warm hospitality.
I believe that the knowledge we gain from here willdefinitely useful for all of us in our professional as well as
personal life. Certainly, we go back to our country andpromote energy efficiency and make energy conservation away of life. Once again I thank you JICA, KITA, our beloved
coordinators, JICA KIC Centre staff and lecturers for giving
us enriched lifetime experience.
(As in the original speech script)

KITA NEWS No.22

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Recent Activities for Overseas Development Cooperation
Technical Seminar on the Treatment of High Concentration Organic Wastewater in Hai Phong City
Support for overseas business expansion of J-FILS Co., LTD.
Tomoharu ASAHARA, Director of the Technical Cooperation Division
Toshikatsu MIYATA, Executive Technical Advisor
KITA is supporting the overseas business expansion of an
enzyme-based high concentration organic wastewater
treatment system developed by J-FILS Co., LTD. This project
was approved in 2016 as “JICA SMEs Overseas Business
Expansion Support Project – Feasibility survey for Project
Execution.”
J-FIL S took a pilot system in Nam Hai fish market in
Sep tember 2 016 and carried ou t a demons t rat ion ofcontinuous treatment using actual wastewater, proving thesuitability of the technology. Based on the result, they held atechnical seminar in Hai Phong City on October 27. There were
90 participants including Son Vice Mayor and representativesof major administrative authorities such as Department of
Science and Technology, Department of Natural Resources
and Environment, Depar tment of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Department of Industry and Trade, Department
of Foreign Affairs as well as Research Institutes such as
Medical University and Ocean University, and enterprises
discharging high concentration organic wastewater, making a
productive Q & A session. At the end of the seminar, Son Vice
Mayor, gave a concluding remark, “ This technology is
expected to contribute a lot to improve the environment of thecity. We are ready to assist a verification test using actual
equipment.”, expressing strong interest and expectation about
this technology. We are going to verify its effectiveness using
an actual treatment system and hope it will lead to overseas
business expansion of J-FILS Co., LTD., also contributing to
the improvement of environment of the city.
Son Vice Mayor, giving opening remarks;
to the right, Mr. Masuda, Senior
Representative of JICA Vietnam Office

Demonstration of the wastewater
treatment system with
TV crews to report

Support to Kitakyushu / Hai Phong SME Owners' Exchange Meeting
Started as a new activity following JICA grassroots technical cooperation project
Toshikatsu MIYATA, Executive Technical Advisor
Cit y of K itak yushu invited the owners of small andmedium-size enterprises (SME) based in the sister city Hai
Phong to have a four-day exchange program, “Kitakyushu / Hai
Phong SME Owners' Exchange Meeting” from October 11,
2016; KITA supported the program. This exchange program isan activity following the JICA Partnership Program (JICA
grassroots technical cooperation project), which City of
Kitakyushu and KITA had continued for five years since 2011.
This new activity is planned to be continued for four years in
the form of a mutual visit.
For the first time, there were 11 par ticipants from 8
enterprises based in Hai Phong City; they had a really intense
program, beginning with the courtesy call on Mayor Kitahashi,followed by lectures on “What is expected of Kitakyushu and
Hai Phong enterprises?” and “Vitalization of personnel andorganizations”, visits to manufacturing companies, andparticipation in the main event "owners' exchange meeting".
On the last day, they attended “Eco-Techno 2016 – Global
Environment Exhibition / Advanced Energy Technology
Exhibition” in session, coming in contact with advanced

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KITA NEWS No.22

technologies.
In the exchange meeting, the main event of the program, 8
Hai Phong enterprises and 9 K itak yushu enterprises
participated; all of them had a very lively discussion including
lunchtime.
In the year 2017, enterprises based in Kitakyushu City aregoing to visit Hai Phong City to have an exchange program.
Courtesy call on Mayor Kitahashi

Interacting in groups
at the exchange meetingNews & Topics
Transfer of Some of the Functions of the Ministry of the Environment’s
National Environmental Research and Training InstituteNaokatsu FUJIWARA, Senior Managing Director, Secretary General
The Office for the Promotion of Overcoming Population
Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan wasestablished by Cabinet decision in September 2014. A basic
policy of transferring government organizations and bodies
was settled on March 22, 2016 and accordingly it was
decided to transfer some of the functions of the Ministry of
the Environment’s National Environmental Research andTraining Institute to Kitakyushu.
The National Environmental Research and Training
Institute Kitakyushu Office was set up in KITA on October24, 2016 and a ceremony to mark its opening was held from16:00 that day. The three training courses scheduled to beheld this fiscal year have been entrusted to KITA, and I havebeen appointed course leader with the role of designing andpreparing the courses, and ensuring that things proceedsmoothly during them.
The opening ceremony took place on the second floor ofInternational Village Center, the building where KITA is
located. It was attended by Yoshimi OKUNUSHI, who is
Director General of both the Ministry of the Environment’s
Environmental Policy Bureau and the Nat ional
Environmental Research and Training Institute, as well as
by A kie OOM AGA RI, the V ice Governor of Fukuoka
Prefecture, Deput y Mayor of K i tak yushu Kazuhide
UMEMOTO and Hideki F URUNO, President of KITA .
Members of the press and other authorized personnel kept
their cameras at the ready during the ceremony, which was
led b y a r epr e s en t a t i ve f r o m t he M i n i s t r y o f t he
Environment and went off without a hitch.
President FURUNO made the following speech on behalfof the local organizations involved: “I would like to express
our sincere gratitude for the transfer of some of thefunctions of the National Environmental Research andTraining Institute to Hirano, here in Yahatahigashi-ku. Thistransfer will further expand the breadth of the domestic andinternational training activities here, and I firmly believethat it will create a base in Japan for training functions
aimed at resolving environmental issues in Japan andoverseas. I intend that KITA will make this transfer an
opportunity to engage in partnerships with environmental
research and training institutes, and to further enhance ourtraining operations. On behalf of local organizations, I would

like to express our sincere gratitude to the Ministry of theEnvironment for their bold decision to make this transfer,and to the city of Kitakyushu for all the efforts of everyone
involved.” He also expressed our gratitude as the localorganization being entrusted with running these courses,
and announced our determination to ensure that thecourses will proceed smoothly.
After the opening ceremony had finished according toschedule, there was a ceremony to unveil the National
Environmental Research and Training Institute Kitakyushu
Office sign in front of the 4F KITA Technical Cooperation
Division office, which will be in charge of implementing thecourses. The four people who had made speeches at the
opening ceremony cheered in unison as the sign was
unveiled, and with this the events to mark the transfer ofsome of the functions of the Ministry of the Environment’s
National Environmental Research and Training Institute to
Kitakyushu came to a successful conclusion.

President FURUNO giving his speechat the opening ceremony

The unveiling of the National Environmental Research andTraining Institute Kitakyushu Office sign

KITA NEWS No.22

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Topics
A Friendly Stroll around Town with University of Kitakyushu Students
Tatsuhiko TAKAI, Director, General Affairs Sectionn September 3, 2016 a cultural exchange was held

O bet ween members of the Universit y of

Kitakyushu’s FIVA (*1) and participants in the PracticalH u m an R e s o u r ce D e v e l o p m e n t i n E l ec t r ical an dElectronic Engineering for Africa course. The event wascalled “A Stroll around Kokura”. 2016 was a year in which
several typhoons struck Japan, and it was feared that
Typhoon 12 might be close to Kyushu that day and that theevent might have to be canceled. However, we were
fortunate in that there was no rain and the weather hadcooled down slightly on the day.
In the first half of the program the course participants
and the students gave a self-introduction in which theyalso spoke about their respective countries. Most of thes t u den t s w er e f r e s h m en an d t h i s w as t hei r f i r s t
experience of cultural exchange, so they seemed to feel ali t tle awk ward to begin wi th. However, the course
participants interacted warmly with these young people
who they could see wanted to familiarize them with thecity of Kitakyushu, and the atmosphere gradually became
more relaxed.
In the second half, we went for a stroll around the town
dressed in yukata. The participants selected a yukata
they liked from amongst the selection prepared by thekimono teacher, and they beamed with delight when theysaw how they looked after the teacher had helped themto dress properly in yukata.
We w a l k e d ar o u n d Tan ga M ar k e t an d U o m ach i
Gintengai with the FIVA members. Both places werebustling with weekend shoppers, but the foreigners out
for a s troll in yukata really s tood out in the crowd.
W henever t he y dr opped b y a s hop, t he s t a f f andcustomers greeted them warmly, and the participants
were clearly relaxed and enjoying the friendly downtown
atmosphere.
The program only lasted for half a day, but I think that it
will have given the par ticipants lasting memories ofJapanese culture and a great Kitakyushu experience. I
would like to take this opportunity to thank the membersof FIVA and the kimono teacher.

This event was also featured in “Lab. Times”, the PRmagazine of the Universit y of K itak yushu Regional
S y mbiosis E duca t ion C en t er, and made k no w n t ostudents and faculty staff at the university.
*1 FIVA
Fukuoka International Volunteer Association.
An international exchange project at the University of
Kitakyushu.
With “Walk, enjoy, learn. International exchanges in
Kitakyushu” as its slogan, FIVA plans and runs events tofamiliarize overseas visitors with Kitakyushu via cultural
exchanges that will teach them about Japanese culture
and the history of Kitakyushu.

Dialogue with the students

At Uomachi Gintengai

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

NEWS

No.22 April, 2017
K itakyushu
I nternational
T echno-cooperative
Association

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