Human Resources Development Center for International Cooperation), to transfer Japanese expertise and experience on company management and starting businesses. So far such centers have been set up in Cambodia, Viet Nam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City), Laos, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Ukraine.

## Japanese Methods Accepted Internationally

Japanese expertise is founded upon Japanese values including everlasting pursuit for quality, user-first philosophy, punctuality, fulfillment of promises, efforts to improve operational procedures, and care for safety and environment. These values are often accepted by developing countries as new standards. For example, those concerned with subway systems in India now use “Nouki,” a Japanese word meaning deadline for delivery, as Japanese style safety measures and time management in a construction site have been transferred to India through the construction of the Delhi subway system funded by Japanese ODA loans.

Another example is “Kaizen,” a Japanese word meaning improvements. In Japan, daily efforts for “Kaizen” are often devised and implemented through a meeting among workers on sites. This concept of “Kaizen” has also spread among developing nations. In Mongolia, attendants of business courses at “Japan Centers” in Mongolia, or Human Resources Development Center for International Cooperation in Mongolia, set up the Kaizen Association, which has promoted “Kaizen” in local enterprises bringing about sales increases and new products. $ ^{6} $ The Asia Productivity Organization (APO), an international organization established in 1961 and headquartered in Japan, has also been promoting the concepts of “Kaizen” and “5S (Seiri meaning organize, Seiton meaning arrange, Seisou meaning clean up, Seiketsu meaning neat, and Shitsuke/

(Source: JICA)

Shukanka meaning discipline)" as well as various measures based on these concepts across the membership nations through the network of its branches there.

(4) Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Japan’s record in FY2007 is as follows:

Grant aid: ¥3.1 billion (to five countries)

Technical cooperation

449 trainees accepted $ ^{7} $

113 experts dispatched $ ^{8} $

Three JOCV and other volunteers dispatched

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The dissemination of ICT contributes to sustainable economic growth through industrial advancement and improving economic productivity. The active use of ICT is highly significant in enhancing information disclosures by the government, improving governance, which is a cornerstone of democratization, through assistance to mass media, and strengthening civil society by means of improved convenience and services.

At the same time, the disparity is becoming obvious between people who have access to ICT and those who do not. This so-called “digital divide” could threaten the stability of the international community by further widening the economic disparity between developed and developing countries. Therefore it has become of the utmost importance to resolve this issue.

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ICT is a sector that can be basically developed through private sector initiatives. Cooperation through official aid in the ICT area is therefore specifically devoted to cooperation pertaining to certain fields not well suited to the private sector. Therefore, the assistance aims at reducing poverty caused by the digital divide as well as contributing to a democratic society with freedom of information in developing countries. This includes establishment of communication and broadcasting infrastructure, legislative foundations, and human resources.

In FY2007, Japan initiated technical cooperation for Bosnia and Herzegovina, where educational systems were divided by ethnicity. The cooperation is designed to