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As it is said that “nation building starts from human resource development,” support for human resource development is one of the important pillars of Japan’s assistance. Assistance for human resource development does not only encompass the fostering of personnel who will directly contribute to the development of developing countries. It also plays a major role in enhancing bilateral relationships by promoting mutual understanding through person-to-person exchanges and establishing personal relations among leaders in various sectors including youths, who have responsibility for future development. Assistance for human resource development is also an extremely important factor in strengthening self-help efforts (ownership) of developing countries, which is one of the fundamental principles of Japan’s assistance.

To foster human resources that can take part in development processes, it is essential to promote assistance not only in primary education, but also in various other educational opportunities such as higher education, technical education, vocational training, and practical training in the administrative branch. For personnel training, information and communication technology is often used to provide high-quality assistance at a lower cost.

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● Higher Education and Vocational/Technical Training

Assistance in higher education includes development of higher education facilities in developing countries, support in improving operation and management capabilities, and enhancement of education and training capabilities. For example, Japan supports the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) in developing education and research capacity through regional networks among higher education institutions that extend beyond national borders. For technical education and vocational skill development,

(Source: JICA)

Japan has been extending cooperation aimed at enhancing the quality of vocational training as well as implementing training programs that match the needs of the labor market. In FY2007 Japan carried out technical cooperation projects in Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Turkey, Ghana, and other countries. More specifically, Japan has dispatched experts in fields such as information and communications, mechatronics, and metalworking to Sri Lanka, also in fields such as information engineering, communication engineering, and substitute energy to Rwanda. Japan conducted on-site technical transfers and received trainees in Japan or in a third country. In countries such as Afghanistan and Sudan, Japan offered basic vocational training that is useful for starting businesses or being employed to make a living.

Japan organizes training and seminars on labor-management relations for those associated with labor unions and employers associations in developing countries. These projects have contributed to stable long-term labor relations in local businesses, stable transactions between local businesses and Japanese companies, and competent human resources for economic partnership.

## Trade/Investment Human Resources and Support for Introducing a Market Economy

Another area of cooperation involving the development of human resources is in improving trade and investment climates. Japan has been cooperating in the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises and development of mineral resources. In recent years, such efforts have come to include management techniques, such as building institutional foundations for industries and management skills of productivity improvement. Areas of cooperation have expanded to those related to environment and energy, the needs that have increased with the advance of industrialization. To promote trade and investment, Japan also extends assistance through the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS). Activities by both bodies include dispatching experts in various fields and accepting trainees, as well as organizing seminars. Other initiatives in place include assistance in the protection of intellectual property rights, standards and authentication, efficiency of product distribution, the environment and energy conservation, institutional improvements such as development of industrial human resources, and establishment of “Asian standards.”

As a way of providing support for the reform efforts of developing countries toward introducing a market economy, Japan has established “Japan Centers” (formal name: