## Chapter 8: International Partnerships and Contributions for the Nation’s Sustainable Development and Enhanced International Competitiveness

## (1) Developing international partnerships and coordination mechanisms under the initiative of Japan

To address a variety of global and regional issues that require wide-ranging international cooperation, MLIT takes initiatives in establishing and developing international partnerships and coordination mechanisms.

With regard to climate change issues in the transport sector, MLIT organized the Ministerial Conference on Global Environment and Energy in Transport, and shared with many developed and developing countries a long-term global vision of realizing low-carbon and low-pollution transport systems, toward which the ministry takes the leadership on enhancing international cooperation in such a field as assistance for formulating action plans in developing countries.

Water issue is another global challenge. Through UNESCO and the Network of Asian River Basin Organizations (NARBO), MLIT contributes to the dissemination and promotion of integrated water resources management, and supports the Team Water Japan, an industry-government-academia partnership to address crises associated with water in Japan and abroad.

MLIT also strengthens partnerships in the Asia and the Pacific region in such fields as transport, logistics, construction, water and marine environment management through various frameworks of cooperation. Those frameworks include: the Minister’s Forum on Infrastructure Development in the Asia-Pacific Region, the ASEAN-Japan Transport Ministers Meeting; the China-Japan-Korea Ministerial Conference on Transport and Logistics; and the Japan-Vietnam Conference on Construction and Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia.

## (2) Issues concerning international standards

MLIT works to establish and promote international standards in a variety of areas. Efforts include: the harmonization of vehicle regulations and mutual recognition of certification; the standardization of railway specifications; the promotion of formulating international standards concerning vessels and seafarers; the harmonization of civil engineering and construction standards and the certification system; and the standardization of ITS and geographical information. The ministry also addresses issues of geographical name standardization, particularly the issue over the name of the Sea of Japan, in cooperation with other government offices.

## (3) International cooperation that utilizes Japan's experiences, technology and expertise

To meet strong needs of the relevant sectors in developing countries, MLIT promotes a range of international cooperation measures, from capacity building, aid policy formulation and technological development for environmental and safety issues, to the transfer of technology and know-how to developing countries in close coordination with JICA and other international organizations. In the field of socioeconomic infrastructure development, MLIT supports large-scale projects such as the Asian Highway and the Mekong Region Development. The ministry also provides technical assistance in such fields as infrastructure, environment, safety and security through giving seminars and offering training. For the countries devastated by natural disasters such as Sichuan Earthquake in May 2008, MLIT provides maximum technical support through government survey missions and other experts to promote international cooperation for disaster prevention and disaster-resistant community development.

## (4) Multilateral and bilateral talks

MLIT participates in multilateral talks and forums, including the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in order to advance negotiations and make proposals. In addition, the ministry works to enhance multilateral efforts and actively facilitates partnership among countries involved in such sectors as logistics, tourism, roads, ports, maritime safety, and geographic surveying and mapping. MLIT also engages in relevant bilateral negotiations, including those on economic partnership agreements (EPAs) and free trade agreements (FTAs), through which the ministry exchanges opinions about related policies and promotes technical cooperation with various stakeholders.