Summary● Research paper with referee reading
About a Promotion and Fiscal-Environmental Effects in PFI-Based ESCO Projects:
The Case of Saitama Prefectural Asaka etc District Government Office Building Eco Office Renovation Project
Makoto OSHIMA
Associate Professor
Yokohama City University
Summary
In this paper, I analyzed a financial-environmental effect of the PFI-based ESCO projects from the viewpointof the case study for Asaka ESCO business. Furthermore, I considered what kind of suggestion it gave inFukuoka City and the local governments. If this business can expect an environmental effect as well as thefinancial effect called the cost reduction, the primary conclusion has the rationality of the subsidy.
When profitability of the business is difficult in one facility, the local government may become able totemporarily undertake a business if this project perform bundling of pluratlly facilities. Fukuoka city
introduces soft ESCO business. It is thought that this case study contributes to an environmental policy of
Fukuoka city.
Keywords: Energy Service Company, Private Finance Initiative, Energy Saving, Environmental Policy● Research report
A Study on Back-up Policies of Fukuoka City for ‘Cross-Border E-Commerce’ as a Type of Overseas
Business Developments by Local SMEs
Makoto OKADASpecial Researcher
Fukuoka Asian Urban Research Center
Summary
Domestic consumption in Japan continues to stagnate due to the maturation of consumption accompanying
the declining population and changes in demographic composition. Efforts to create new demand, such as
development of new technologies, new products and new services, are continuing; however, they have notled economic growth. The future of SMEs (small and medium enterprises) is regarded as anxiety, especiallyof those that focus on the tertiary industry, such as commerce and living-related services, which make up themajority of enterprises in Fukuoka City.
One of the paths for the new development of these local SMEs would definitely be to capture the demandof the neighboring East Asian countries that are accomplishing economic growth and also to establish arelationship to grow together with them. Challenges on "cross-border e-commerce" can be considered as a“trigger” of getting involved in the overseas business development for local SMEs without overseas businessexperiences. Policies required for promoting these challenges are proposed after extracting them fromquestionnaire survey and analysis, and interviews with leading companies in "cross-border e-commerce"businesses.
Keywords: Local SMEs, Overseas Business, Cross-Border E-Commerce, Fukuoka City63

● Research report
Research on the Establishment of a Multicultural Collaborative Society in Fukuoka:
Focused on Employment Status of International Students
Kiheon RYU
Chief Researcher
Fukuoka Asian Urban Research Center
Yuriko SATO
Associate Professor, Ph.D.
Dept. of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering
School of Environment and Society
Tokyo Institute of Technology
SummaryThis research summarized the concept of multicultural collaboration, and shed light on Fukuoka’s
employment of International students, and the current working situation of foreign employees（includingformer International students）. Based on the results, this research has made three considerations throughthe viewpoint of multicultural collaboration: the first one is to promote acceptance of foreigners in various
specialized and technical fields; the second is the training and utilization of diverse foreign human resources;
the third is the training of foreign human resources responding to the needs of local industry. In order to build
a multicultural collaborative society in Fukuoka, it is necessary to further stabilize employment of foreigners,
and to improve the work environment to take advantage of international diversity.
Keywords:Multicultural Collaboration, International Students, Foreign Human Resources, Employment
Support, Work Environment, Fukuoka● Research report
Research on Women's Success in Fukuoka City-Centered around Improving Labor Participation Rate and Quality of LaborYumi NAKAMURA
Researcher
Fukuoka Asian Urban Research Center
Summary
In recent years, interest in empowering women has been getting bigger in Japan. With the production agepopulation decreasing, women are considered to be not only major workers but also important means for
economic growth. Fukuoka City is a city with a high ratio of female production age population. For its growth,
how to make use of female human resources is an important topic. Therefore, this paper focuses on thepromotion of women's success in Fukuoka City. Although the women's labor participation rate in Fukuoka
City is not high from an international viewpoint, the number of potential female talents is large. In order tomake use of female human resources, it is necessary to encourage women to work through supports for
women's career which tends to be interrupted by childbirth and child rearing, and measures to improve thequality of women's labor.
Keywords: Women's Success, Improving Women's Labor Participation Rate, Improving Quality of Labor64

● Research report
A Preliminary Study on Policy Evaluation for Culture and Art Support
Youngjin RYUAssistant Professor
Institute for Regional Strategy, The University of Kitakyushu
Summary
Based on Throsby and Withers’s social survey about Australia, this introductory study aims to identify theFukuoka citizen’s perceptions about positive externality of culture（education value, existence value andprestige value）, and to investigate the correlation between demographic characteristics and perceptions
about positive externality of culture. According to the results of this analysis, the positive externality ofculture is highly appreciated by Fukuoka citizens. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that Fukuoka
citizen’s perceptions about positive externality of culture were influenced positively by educational level andsubjective economic level. Overall, this study enhances the statistical process on the Throsby and Withers’ssocial survey and offers small clue for policies of culture.
Keywords: Public Goods as Culture, Positive Externality, Policy Evaluation, Multiple Regression Analysis

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