Kitakyushu
International
Techno-cooperative
Association

NEWS
No.20
2016
April

2 A Message from the Presiden
4 FY2016 Operation Policy
5 Highlight of Training Courses
7 Recent Activities of Former Participants
9 Recent Activities for Overseas Development Cooperation
11 News & Topics● Visit of JICA President KITAOKA to KITA
● International Friendship Program
12 ● Completion of Water Environment Improvement Training, Kunming CHINA− Visit of JICA President Shinichi KITAOKA to KITA −On Dec.3rd 2015, JICA President Shinichi KITAOKA visited KITA and had a familiar talk with KITA
executives mainly on current situations and issues of overseas technological cooperation.
Exchanging opinions for future cooperation, we believe the visit has strengthened the partnership between
JICA and KITA. For more information, please refer to page 11.

Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative Association

A Message from President

Policy of Management for FY 2016
The media is increasingly reporting about a slowdownof China's economic growth. This is likely to have no small
impact on business trends in Japan as well. Economic
expansion in other emerging nations is also slowing down
so there are concerns of a ripple effect on other parts ofAsia as well as Japan, and of course on the global
economy.
In addition, the extremely complex international conflictin the Middle East was the cause of terrorist attacks invarious regions. As a result, not only did financial
uncertainty gradually start to increase in the latter half of2015, it was also a year that saw an expansion of global
social unrest, including security problems.
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
Based on these policies, we have promoted the following
four guidelines since FY2015 and plan to get results fromthem during the two-year period ending in FY2016. In
addition, we have almost completed our plan for FY2015,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
courses
Via repeated discussion and research eachtime a training course is run, we are enrichingcontent with regard to challenges a) to d) andgradually getting closer to attaining our
objectivese) Greater utilization of networks with former
participants overseas
We are expanding and consolidating our
networks of former participants, and also
making more active use of them.
(2) Technical assistance brand : Global deployment ofsmall and medium-sized Kitakyushu companiesa) Support for small and medium-sized Kitakyushu
companies starting up activities overseas (act asa coordinator)
Finding out the needs of overseas companies
and matching them with what Kitakyushu
companies can offer
Expanding markets by proactively launchingactivities overseas and establishing production
systems such as joint ventures with overseas

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KITA NEWS No.20

Hideki FURUNO, President
companies
In regard to the above, we are steadily
developing overseas activities and so on, with aparticular focus on Vietnam.
b) Proactive collaboration to launch activities
overseas with related organizations
Kitakyushu municipal government
Japan Association for Trade with Russia and NIS(ROTOBO)
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East
(JCCME)
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
Collaborations with the Kitakyushu municipal
government and JICA are particularly active,
and we are focusing on those whilst also
proceeding with other collaborations.
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) FY2015: Final draft of the KITA Master Plan (10-year
plan)
Giving concrete form to the scheme to establish
the KITA brandWe have finished drafting our master plan, andare now in the process of explaining it to the
Kitakyushu municipal government and moving
forward with KITA decision-making procedures.
We have also started giving concrete form to
the scheme to establish the KITA brand.
(2) FY2015: Start to move forward with the KITA Master
Plan
Starting work on the realization of the KITA
brand

Implementation of the master plan is scheduled
to start in the fourth quarter of FY2015, andarrangements are in place to give tangible form
to the KITA brand.
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
Preparations aimed at implementing concretemeasures as of FY2016 are almost complete.
(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 is already becoming habitual, but we areworking to promote still greater thoroughness.
(2) Preparation of the relevant documents for external
audits by the Cabinet Office and Kitakyushu
municipal government
Preparations for the audit are almost complete
but are scheduled to continue on theassumption that some tasks still remain giventhat we have no experience of a Cabinet Officeaudit.
As indicated above, we are getting results almost
exactly as scheduled.
FY2015 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 helped to intensify overseas
activities.
We have been pushing forward for nearly five years
now with the medium and long term policies I constantly
advocate for KITA, and a two-year project was launched
for FY2015-16 to establish the 'KITA brand' as one of the
fruits of our medium and long term policies, a step that will
give added clarity to their image.
This KITA brand is the core concept of the ten-year KITA
Master Plan launched in FY2015. During the two-year
period of FY2015-16 we will steadily implement theguidelines below, which have the establishment of the
KITA brand as their central focus.

FY2016 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) Support for small and medium-sized Kitakyushu
companies starting up activities overseas (act asa coordinator)b) 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(2) Technical assistance brand: Global deployment ofsmall and medium-sized Kitakyushu companiesa) Support for small and medium-sized Kitakyushu
companies starting up activities overseas (act asa coordinator)
Finding out the needs of overseas companies
and matching them with what Kitakyushu
companies can offer
Expanding markets by proactively launchingactivities overseas and establishing production
systems such as joint ventures with overseas
companiesb) Proactive collaboration to launch activities
overseas with related organizations
Kitakyushu municipal government
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)c) Aggressively boosting our brand awarenessoverseas via activities such as overseas seminars
and forumsd) Greater utilization of networks with former
participants overseas
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 brand(2) Start to move forward with the KITA Master Plan
Starting work on the realization of the KITA
brand
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(2) Promoting effective use of the IT infrastructure andimproving its functions
4. Establish ourselves as a public interest incorporated
foundation, and ensure transparency, fairness anddisclosure(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
As outlined above, during FY2016 I intend to shape the
KITA brand which was given a clear outline in FY2015, andto build up the momentum to power forward with the KITA
Master Plan during the next decade.

KITA NEWS No.20

3

FY2016 Operational Policy
Training Division
Dr. Masakatsu UENO, Vice President, Director of the Training Division
On the occasion of its
registration in 2012 as a public
interest incorporated
foundation, KITA summarized
the characteristics and ideal
direction of the training courses
implemented by the trainingd i v i s i o n o f K I TA a s K I TA’s
training brand. The core of the training brand consists of“providing solutions”, in other words, providing a key to thesolution of problems that the participants have. To this end,
we have been emphasizing the following in theimplementation of training courses:
1) Clarification of issues to be solved (collaboration withthe participants)- Practical use of the IAS (Issue Analysis Sheet)
2) Provision of appropriate and correct information to

help solve the problems- Provision of information needed by the participants
rather than the information we want to offer
For the clarification of problems, we make use of the IAS.
The first target for this year is to further improve ourdiagnosis capabilities by making practical use of the IAS.
The second target is to promote the sharing andintegration of information obtained from the participants.
Every year, we undertake about 40 training courses withparticipants from about 90 countries. When KITA sharesinternally and integrates the information obtained from therespective training courses, deeper understanding will bemade possible about the problems that the participating
countries are facing. My intention this year is to proactively
promote such integrated understanding and to apply the
results to enrich the curricula.

Technical Cooperation Division
Tomoharu ASAHARA, Managing Director, Technical Cooperation Division
The technical cooperation
division will take the first steadystep toward the reformation of
our business structure andsystem this year, the first yearof the implementation of the
newly-established master plan.
1) We will perform our role asa primary body promoting international businesses,
taking “the environment” and “Asia” as our
keywords.
2) We will reform our business structure, which is highly
dependent on public services, to become
profit-oriented and capable of autonomy.
Specific activities(1) Continuation of the public service-related business,
one of the fundamental roles of KITA
- Assistance for the overseas business developmentof enterprises in Kitakyushu, plus information

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KITA NEWS No.20

gathering, reconnaissance and lectures in responseto the needs of the city of Kitakyushu- Assistance for the environmental international
cooperation, environmental business and urban
infrastructure business promoted by the city of
Kitakyushu(2) Development of a new domain of profit-oriented
businesses- Consulting work to assist enterprises in Kitakyushu
and the city of Kitakyushu in doing their business(The key to success is human resources. We will
therefore actively seek competent retired officials
and employees.)- Incorporation of the Kitakyushu MaintenanceEngineering Society (KME) to enrich and enlarge themaintenance engineering training business,
including expansion into new fields such as
acceptance of trainees from abroad- Development of commissioned training courses invarious fields

Highlights of KITA Training Courses
Expected Discovery of Champion Articles for Sale
「Developed Market Oriented Export Promotion Strategy / Marketing Strategy (B)」Course
Yasunori NAKASHIMA, Course Leader
This course was newly introduced for the purpose ofpromoting the export of articles made from local resources
and as a result, to stimulate and vitalize local industries. Ten
par t icipan t s f r om si x coun t r ies (E t hiopia, Malaw i,
Mozambique, Sudan, Swaziland and Tanzania) joined thiscourse of about one month.
The fundamentals of marketing exist in “producing
merchandise that sells”. In other words, both “sales
k n o w - h o w ” an d t h e “cap aci t y t o p r o duce qual i t ymerchandise” are essential for better marketing. However,the participants did not seem to have been favored with
opportunities to specifically practice both. This courset herefore included as many workshops, t raining
opportunities in companies and lectures by persons activeon the front lines as possible.
As a result, the participants seem to have learned fromexperience the way to amalgamate both “sales know-how”
and the“capacity to produce quality merchandise” in apractical manner.

Africa has tremendous latent potential in terms of humanand material resources. I strongly hope that the participants
will discover unique and high-quality goods that reflect thecultural and historical backgrounds of their countries, andwill lovingly develop them into “champion merchandise”.
Workshop on marketingstrategies

Sampling superfoods at the
Harajuku branch of
Seikatsu-no-ki

Kitakyushu’s Experience as an “Environmentally-Advanced City” Go Global!
「Urban Management for Sustainable Urban Development (A)」Course
Yukito IO, Course Leader
In recent years, various environmental issues havesurfaced in developing countries as well due to the progressof industrialization, population increase, urban centralizationand so on, forcing the countries to face the challenge of
implementing sustainable urban development plans toimpr ove t he si t ua t ion . T he ci t y o f K i t ak y ushu wasconfronted with urban problems such as environmental
pollution issues and transformation of the indus trial
structure, but implemented various measures and policies
and continued developing as a sustainable city until it is now
highly appraised as an “OECD Green Growth City”.
Against such a background, JICA Kyushu has decided tohold a training course targeting key officials from the central
governments and local governments of developing countries
so that they can learn from the experiences and policies of
the city of Kitakyushu, develop the capacity to dealing withurban management and formulate sustainable urban plans.
This session was the first of the training courses to be heldin Japan and was attended by ten participants from Asian
coun t r ies . O f f icials f rom K i t ak y ushu Ci t y Hall w i t hexperiences relevant to the subject were mainly invited as
lecturers to speak about their experiences, and discussions
w er e h e l d o n h o w t o ad v ance “s u s t ai nab l e u r ban
development” in developing countries. The course included

visits to places such as the Kitakyushu Eco-Town and theHigashida Comprehensive Development Project site, and an
in t roduc t ion t o t he progress of “sus t ainable urban
development projects” undertaken around the world was
also included in the course. The session was well received
and another two sessions are planned to be held this fiscal
year.
Training at JICA Kyushu
International Center

Visit toMurasakigawa RiverKITA NEWS No.20

5

Highlights of KITA Training Courses
The Importance of “Seeing Is Believing”!
「Capacity Development for Entrepreneurs and MSMEs Activation in African Countries (A)」Course
Makoto KOSUGI, Course Leader
This course is designed for African countries to launch thepromotion of local indus tries, creation of new jobs,
vitalization of local communities and reduction of poverty inrural areas. The participants were African entrepreneurs
and government officials aiming for regional development.
Ten persons from Botswana, Ethiopia, Lesotho and Zambia
participated in this round of training.
The “One Village One Product” movement and rural
electrification using micro hydropower generation, wind
power generation and photovoltaic power generation wereintroduced as catalysts to get the participants thinking
about promoting enterprises. In the course of facilitation
work with the par ticipants, they became aware of theimportance of “Seeing is believing”, in other words, theimportance of seeing with their own eyes and thinking about
the issues.
Based on information about African infrastructure
acquired in the course, a returned participant from Ethiopia
personally visited a micro hydropower generation facility,

traveling as far as 230 km to investigate its utilization. He
sent me photographs of issues he had identified. I expect
significant progress to be made from now on.
With Mr. Goto, Chairmanof the NPO/ Oita Human
Resource Cultivation andLocal Cultural Interchange
Association

Returned participant Kuma-san from Ethiopia
visiting a micro hydropower generation facility
to carry out an investigation

For a Clear View of What Is Important Now for Waste Management in Countries and Regions「Management of Composting Project (A)」Course
Tsutomu SASHIWA, Course Leader
As this round of the course was intended for practicalapplication, efforts were made to incorporate advanced
technologies and up-to-date information. However, there isno denying that, in due consideration of the situation of thecountries and job-related issues of the participants, thecon t en t s shi f t ed f r om r a t her ad vanced ma t t er s t o
ins t r uc t ion on basic k no w - ho w abou t s olid w as t emanagement with the 3R at its core. Kitakyushu is anindustrialized city and recycling is a growing industry here,
so there are a lot of sites to visit.
From the basic stance of 3R, recycle comes after reduceand reuse but from the perspective of stimulating the
economy or fostering industries, recycling is expected tohave the bigges t ef fect . However, in addi tion to thedevelopment of infrastructure, other important factors in
fos tering recycling indus tries include a tradi tion of
manufacturing skills, human resources, and markets, whichhampers some countries from making an immediate start.
From the situation of the countries of the participants, it
seemed that their interest was centered on comprehensive
waste management, the solution of operational problems
and the effective use of household food leftovers and thelike, rather than on industrialized recycling technology. Oneof the promising methods to gain a clear view of what is

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KITA NEWS No.20

important for the waste management in the countries andregions may be to adopt a portfolio approach with theirsituations expressed in graph form showing itemized
priorities, and to group together countries and regions withsimilar t endencies f or t he purpose o f anal y sis anddiscussion.
Experiencing segregationof household waste

Visit to theTire Chip Center,
Fukuoka

Introduction of Lively Activity of a Former Participant■ INDIADr. Takatsugu UEYAMA, Course Leader

Former Participant

Mr. Jayakumar RaveendranadhanTraining Course

Energy conservation techniques for India

Course Period

Jul.12, 2009 to Aug.08, 2009

The course for the energy conservation techniques for India
started in 2008 as a course on an annual basis, but in 2009, theyear of Kumar-san’s participation, the course was expanded totwice yearly, and then to three times yearly from the next year
onward. During the meantime, the technical capabilities of theparticipants have improved dramatically.
When I received a letter from Kumar-san, I reread his action
plan from the course and was impressed anew by how fine his report had been. In the first paragraph of the report, hestated that he would take systematic action following the example of Japan. According to his letter, he faithfully put
this into practice after returning home and received a commendation from the state. He also wrote that he would deal
with CBM (condition-based maintenance) and that, on this point, he was making a contribution to businessenterprises using the thermograph, one of the tools of CBM. Recently he has set up his own business with thistechnology and is actively involved in consulting work. From what he wrote to me, and from the improvements in thetechnical capabilities of the participants I have seen in recent years, I have a strong sense that this course, which has
continued for eight years now, is making a contribution to the energy conservation programs of India. I pray that
Kumar-san will go on to even greater success.

■ KENYA

Makoto KOSUGI, Course Leader

Former Participant

Ms. KINYUAH Gladys Karen Wangu

Training Course

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

May 02, 2014 to Jun.27, 2014

This course is designed for African countries to launch thepromotion of local industries, creation of new jobs, vitalization of
local communities and reduction of poverty in rural areas. Here I
introduce Gladys-san, a female government official from Kenya’s
Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism.
Driven by a sense of crisis concerning the poor quality and lack ofexport power of domestic small and medium-sized enterprises, she is tackling regional development with great
enthusiasm. Throughout the training course, she displayed strong leadership and played a central role in the group,
always being the first person to raise a hand to ask a question during the visits to enterprises. She was constantly
looking for seeds to start up new businesses, such as opportunities for overseas trainees to be accepted in Japaneseenterprises, each time she got some attractive information. For example, it was Gladys-san who highly evaluated theeffectiveness of the solar lantern. Although there still is a long way to go before implementation, her attitude toward
challenges is amazing and I am pleased to offer my cooperation through exchanges of information. I expect her to go
on to do some remarkable work.

KITA NEWS No.20

7

Introduction of Lively Activity of a Former Participant■ CHINA

Junji KAWASAKI, Course Leader

Former Participant

Ms. LU Jing

Training Course

Industrial Wastewater Treatment Techniques (A)Course Period

Jun. 16, 2013 to Sep. 07, 2013

There is much to say about China’s environmental issues, such as PM 2.5 air
pollution and the existence of a village ravaged by cancer caused by industrial
wastewater. A report by Lu-san, a former participant, arrived from China about the
progress of the research into wastewater treatment technology that she is engaged in
as a university lecturer.
The applied wastewater treatment research using chloroperoxidase as a catalyst
that she is presently undertaking is known to be a difficult process and for this reason
is rarely applied to dye effluent. During her stay in Japan, she acquired a great deal ofknowledge through lectures on the dye effluent treatment theory and on-site visits. In
her report this time she writes about research aiming at a more advanced treatment technique. The university where she
works is in Shaanxi province, China, a central region of inland China along the middle reaches of Huang He (the Yellow
River), famous for the lifelike statues of soldiers and horses in the Museum of the First Qin Emperor. I was amazed by thefact that such advanced research is being carried out in a university in inland China and could also surmise China’s
attitude toward the solution of the environmental issues they are presently facing. If such challenges are continued, I
believe that the environmental pollution issues will undoubtedly be solved in the near future.

■ REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO
Former Participant

Hajime SUETA, Course Leader

Mr. DURAKU Vehbi

Training Course

Capacity Development in Waste Water Treatment Sector

Course Period

Oct. 16, 2014 to Nov. 08, 2014

After completing the training course related to sewage works, thepar ticipants returned home and held a workshop in which they allparticipated and where they also presented reports about the training
course. A report of the workshop arrived from Vehbi-san, one of thecourse participants. According to the report, quite a number of persons
from major water-related organizations of Kosovo attended the workshop,where there were presentations and discussions about subjects essential
for the implementation of sewerage projects, such as the design ofsewage treatment plants, advanced treatments, sludge treatment, the renewal of sewage piping, and sewerage charges.
The report shows the country’s deep interest in sewage works and makes us feel the national determination to pushforward with sewerage projects. Kosovo presently has only one sewage treatment plant. An additional plant will comeinto operation in the city of Prizren two years from now, and another is said to be planned in the suburbs of the capital
city although it will be small in size. It seems that sewerage projects in Kosovo will move forward at a high pace fromnow on. I am very pleased that this workshop is functioning as a venue for brainstorming about the implementation of
sewage works.

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KITA NEWS No.20

Recent Activities for Overseas Development Cooperation
Recent Progress of JICA’s Grassroots Technical Cooperation Projects
Tomoharu ASAHARA, Managing Director, Technical Cooperation Division
Triggered by t he conclusion of t he friendship andcooperation agreement between the city of Kitakyushu andthe city of Haiphong, Vietnam in April 2008, we have been
engaged in projects designed for productivity improvement in
the manufacturing industries in Haiphong.
Apart from the enterprises transformed from state-run
enterprises, newly-started local enterprises still have a low
level of management proficiency. Our guidance, therefore,
concentrated on the 5S, which form the basis of management.
Although there are still only a few enterprises that havereached the desired level, the university teaching staff who
were our partners of the activities have developed thecapacity to be leaders and an environment has formed where
we can leave the rest to them.
In addition, with the aim of creating lecture courses on
manufacturing control in the local universities, we invited toJapan professors whom we expect to play a central role sothat they could acquire basic knowledge and experience fieldpractice through visits to companies. Business administrators
who are expected to assume a leading role in Haiphong in the

future also joined in this training. Presently, a new curriculumof lectures has been launched and, with the existing
curriculum being enriched, younger-generation humanresources who have studied manufacturing control arestarting to move out into the world.
As stated above, we could only achieve a little in such ashort period of time but I am confident that we could certainly
sow seeds for the future.
Kitakyushu meister Mr. Ikuno teaching
cutting work

Closing ceremony of the training
in Japan(JICA Kyushu)

Second Round of Technical Exchanges Held in Haiphong, Vietnam
Toshikatsu MIYATA, Executive Technical Advisor
On November 11 and 12 last year the second technicalexchange session was held in Haiphong, a sister city of
Kitakyushu. This exchange session was opened as part of the“JICA grassroots technical cooperation projects” presently
being implemented by the city of Kitakyushu and KITA for the
purpose of promoting technical exchanges and businessnet working bet ween Kitakyushu enterprises and local
enterprises that have improved their technical and managerial
capabilities thanks to this project.
There were exhibitions from 13 Kitakyushu companies froma variety of industries including metal processing, machinery
manufacturing, measuring instrument manufacturing,
environmental equipment , food processing and a car
mechanics’ school, and three from Haiphong manufacturing
companies. The visitors tallied 700 and the exchange session
was more animated than the previous session. On the secondday, we were honored by a visit from the deputy mayor Mr.
Son, which showed us how high the interest of the city ofHaiphong was in this exchange session.
T his exchange session also saw the signing of the“Memorandum concerning promotion of mutual interchanges
between the two cities” by the head of the Industry andEconomics Bureau of the city of Kitakyushu, Mr. Nishida andthe head of the Industry and Trade Department of the city ofHaiphong, Mr. Phuong, stating that the mutual interchanges

between the two cities would continue even after the end of
the JICA grassroots projects. Closer interaction between thetwo cities in a wider range of fields is expected from now on.
Active technical exchanges andbusiness networking
seen everywhere in the venue

The deputy mayor of the cityof Haiphong,Mr. Son (second from the right)
on a tour of the venue

The signing ceremony of the “Memorandum concerning
promotion of mutual interchanges between the two cities” To the left,
Mr. Nishida, to the right Mr. Phuong

KITA NEWS No.20

9

Recent Activities for Overseas Development Cooperation
A Visit to Japan by the Chinese Air Environment Improvement Mission
Mitsuaki KAWASHIMA, Executive Technical Advisor
After concluding agreements with five cities in China, lastyear the city of Kitakyushu started a training course concerning
air environment improvement. This year, higher-level content
has been introduced throughout the course. Chinese cities canlearn a lot from the experiences of the city of Kitakyushu overhalf a century, from the “history of Kitakyushu overcoming
pollution” to the “restrictive measures taken by Kitakyushu
against emission of VOC (volatile organic compounds)”, and thecited five cities must make efforts to apply what they havelearned straightaway.
China, developing from the so-called factory of the world, isabout to transition into a stable market with an economic
growth rate of less than 7%. With the national policy in search of
a middle of the way between economic growth and control ofthe environmental pollution, the participants, who were visiting
Japan w i t h big expect at ions of t heir “t raining in t heenvironmental capital of Kitakyushu” and shouldering theburden of the expectations of the state government and themunicipal governments, showed a fervent determination not tomiss a word of the lectures, a keenness that was clearly
apparent in the following Q&A sessions.
A s man y o f Japan’s f amous anal y t ical ins t r umen t
manufacturers are located in Kyoto and Osaka, we made a shorttrip to visit some companies. After the stifling heat of summer,

the sightseeing spots of Kyoto were seething with more tourists
than ever. The participants could get a glimpse of “dreamy
Kyoto” between our on-site visits, but they were alreadyviewing it with the eyes of an environmentalist, murmuring
impressions of the streets of the old city of Kyoto under the
beautiful skies and by the beautiful streams after sharply
analyzing the sights from an environmental perspective.
They knew that Osaka is a commercial city and seem to have
raced around downtown Osaka in the evening, knowing that it is
the best place for shopping. As a result, the return Shinkansen
became a souvenir carrier, making the short trip really fruitful.
The main souvenir they took back to China, I think, will be the“administrative and technological policies for the improvementof the urban environment”.

At an analytical instrument manufacturer

Speech of Thanks at the Closing Ceremony from a Representative of All theParticipants who Completed This Training Course
・Representative：R AHMAN Mohammad Bazlur(Mr.) from Bangladesh
・Training course：Policy for Energy Efficiency andConservation (C)・C o u r s e p e r i o d：Jul. 07, 2014 to Aug. 02, 2014

Konbanwa, Very Good Afternoon:
I am deeply honored and humbled by this opportunity to pass avote of thanks on behalf of the participants. I would like to thank
Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative Association(KITA) for the very effective facilitation and coordination of thistraining course. KITA has pooled best resource persons for our
training program. The training has accorded us a unique
opportunity to learn about EE&C and also to share experiences.
On behalf of the participants I would like to convey our deep
appreciation to all the facilitators who have labored during thelast four weeks to help us comprehend the topics that they havedelivered with great humility, mastery of the content.
Tr u l y s p eak i n g , I co u l d n o t f i n d s uch de d ica t i o n ,meticulousness in any training program anywhere in my service
life. I would like to thank them all on behalf of my fellow
participants. We appreciate that EE&C is a vast subject. Fourweeks training program is not sufficient. But this training
program has helped us to acquire some tools and techniques
and also has shown the path for acquiring further knowledge to

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KITA NEWS No.20

kaizen. Indeed we will earnestly tr y to acquire more
knowledge and apply to our work environment in our respective
countries.
My dear fellow participants: We the twelve participants fromnine countries have stayed here together for four weeks andbecame mutual friends. I hope we will return to our home safely
with sweet memory of Japan. I have a request to my fellow
par ticipants to keep contact each other and share yourknowledge, views, experience and any new developments about
EE&C or other energy related issues in your country throughemail.
Finally, I would like to thank my all fellow participants for yournice cooperation, mutual respect and togetherness you haveshown during the stay here in Japan.
Thank you all(As in the original speech script)

News & Topics
JICA President KITAOKA Visits KITA
Naokatsu FUJIWARA, Senior Managing Director, Secretary General
JICA appointed a new president last October 1 and, on his
first domestic business trip, President Kitaoka arrived in
Kyushu on T hur sday December 3 . A f ter arriving at
Kitakyushu Airport on a drizzly evening, President Kitaoka
headed straight for KITA with a group that included Hiroshi
Izaki, Director General of JICA Kyushu, keen to holddiscussions with people directly involved in training
courses.
President Furuno and other executives were waiting at
KITA to welcome President Kitaoka, who had just got backfrom Africa the day before. After exchanging greetings,
President Furuno gave a brief outline of KITA which led into
informal discussions between President Kitaoka and KITA
executives that focused on such topics as the current
situation and challenges in overseas technical assistance.
A lthough the visit only las ted around 4 0 minutes,
President Kitaoka also spoke about such topics as thecurrent state of affairs in the development of small andmedium-sized companies in Africa. The time just flew byamidst the intense discussions. At the end of the discussions
President Furuno promised to visit Tokyo at least once a year
to hold top-level talks between the presidents of JICA and

KITA. Although this visit was their first meeting, the informal
talks gave a strong sense of an enthusiastic partnership.

A firm handshake between JICA President Kitaoka and KITA President Furuno

The two presidents with JICA and KITA staff after the informal discussions

One Day Bus Tour to Shimonoseki
Tatsuhiko TAKAI, Director, General Affairs Section
We held a stroll around the Chofu castle town and a tourof Shimonoseki Marine Science Museum on Saturday
October 24, at the peak of the autumn sightseeing season.
There were very few tourists in the Chofu district as it was
too early to enjoy the autumn colors, and at times it seemed
as if KITA had taken over the sightseeing spots. The
participants from Latin America might possibly have an
impression of having slipped back in time and entered aJapanese town from a bygone era. It was the first time forthem to experience this aspect of Japan, and I think that they
enjoyed relaxing and savoring the exotic atmosphere.
The participant who won an ukiyoe-style picture in the
bingo game played at lunchtime was fascinated by theclassic Japanese poem written in the picture, asking what it
said and asking me for its meaning.
We visited Shimonoseki Marine Science Museum in theafternoon where we enjoyed the dolphin show and surveyed
the majestically swimming marine life from a variety ofdifferent angles. The participants displayed an almost
child-like carefree innocence as they busily videoed thescene.

I think that being able to spend a fun day away from theirtraining will be a good memory for the participants.

Iminomiya Shrine

The Chofu Mori Residence

KITA NEWS No.20

11

Topics
Training for Improvement of the Water Environment in Kunming, China
Saburo TSURUTA, Course Leader
ianchi Lake, located south of Kunming, the capital city

D of Yunnan, China was once also known as the Jewel ofthe Plateau, but its water quality has so deteriorated that it
can no longer be used even for agricultural purpose owing to
the eutrophication caused by the ever-increasing inflow of
untreated sewage to Dianchi Lake that has accompanied
economic growth. Dianchi Lake is counted as one of the“three rivers and three lakes”, the synonym for theenvironmental pollution of China, and was designated by the
Chinese government as a priority region for environmental
conservation.

Bird’s-eye view of the No. Seven and
No. Eight sewage treatment plants

Leveraging the technology and experiences accumulated
through its history of overcoming past serious environmental
pollution and the know-how accumulated through its
sewage system projects, the cit y of Kitakyushu was
entrusted by JICA with a proposal-based survey regarding a“water environment development project for Kunming,
Yunnan” and proposed the implementation of “training to
improve the water environment for Kunming, Yunnan” withthe aim of developing the capabilities of the persons incharge of Kunming’s sewage system projects.
The city of Kitakyushu and the Kunming city government
exchanged memoranda regarding cooperation toward thesmooth implementation of the “training in Japan” for the
relevant personnel from Kunming, and KITA has entered into
an agreement for the implementation of training withKunming Municipal Construction and Management Bureau
for the Comprehensive Treatment of Dianchi Lake’s North
Bank Water Environment.

Aiming at comprehensively boosting the operational,
maintenance and management capacities of the persons
involved in the water environment of the city of Kunming, a
training course was held which included Kitakyushu city’s
ex per iences of improv ing t he water env ironmen t ,management and planning of sewage system projects,
maintenance, management and advanced technologies ofpipe facilities, operation and management of sewage
treatment plants, efficient use of sludge, and so on. The
course also covered the water qualit y conser vation
measures taken at Lake Biwa and Lake Kasumigaura,
advanced sewage treatment technologies, sludge digestion,
incineration of sludge and the use of incineration ash, power
generation using digestion gas, efficient use of treatedwater, and so on.
The course started in March 2007 when the first session
was opened and ended in December 2014 when the tenthsession was closed, with the number of par ticipants
reaching 81 in total.
A follow-up survey was implemented after the course hadfinished, which found that the No. Seven sewage treatment
plant (JICA-ODA) was being properly operated andmanaged, and that a new water conduit had been laid to
Dianchi Lake with which replacement of the lake water was
being carried out. Treated water from the sewage treatment
plants was said to be being discharged outside of Dianchi
Lake, which made us believe that the water quality of Dianchi
Lake would be so improved that the “Jewel of the Plateau”
would be restored in the near future. Lastly, a certificate ofconfirmation was signed to confirm the completion of thecourse and the continuation of an amicable collaborative
relationship in the future.

Dianchi Lake in the daysof serious pollution

Dianchi Lake in the present day

Exchanging signed copies of thecertificate of confirmation

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

NEWS

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

No.20 April, 2016

● Web site in English includes KITA’s outline, recent activities and journals published previously.

K itakyushu
I nternational
T echno-cooperative
Association

Training Division

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