construction project across the Izmit Bay, located 60km southeast of Istanbul, in which Japanese construction companies are involved. Also, from fiscal 2012 to 2013 there were three summit meetings strengthening the cooperative relationship between Japan and Turkey. MLIT will continue supporting Turkey's continuing economic growth so that we can contribute with Japan's superior construction technology.

## (2) Urban Sector

In October 2013, a memorandum of cooperation was signed with Vietnam for the promotion of environmental symbiosis type urban development and in March 2014, a seminar on public transport integrated urban development was held.

In addition to this, in fiscal 2013, seminars were held on urban transport systems in India and the Philippines and opinions were exchanged on parking area policies in Myanmar and Vietnam.

Also, bilateral meetings were held with South Korea, EU, and France to build relationships and exchange information on urban policy and other matters.

Additionally, the public and private sectors of Japan worked together to hold the Urban Transportation System International Expansion Research Group in February 2014 to share information, exchange opinions, and disseminate information internationally regarding the international expansion of urban transportation system.

## (3) Water Sector

Under the common awareness that water issues are a global scale issue, water issues are discussed to solve it at various international conferences and other occasions. In 2013, various initiatives were carried out under the United Nations “International Year of Water Cooperation” and MLIT actively participated in discussions at international conferences such as The 2nd Asia-Pacific Water Summit (May 2013, Thailand), High-level International Conference on Water Cooperation (August 2013, Tajikistan), and Budapest Water Summit (October 2013, Hungary), The 2014 World Water Day (March 2013, Tokyo) to send a message to strengthen efforts regarding water and sanitation as well as disaster reduction.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Network of Asian River Basin Organizations (NARBO) coordinate and in order to support the formulation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plans, recognized as an effective method for solving water issues, MLIT contributes to its wide dissemination and promotion through the creation of materials such as the “IWRM Guidelines at River Basin Level”, training, and other efforts.

Also, bilateral meetings were held on issues such as rivers, sabo, and water resources management with South Korea and the United States to promote information exchange, technical cooperation, and others.

In Vietnam, the memorandum of understanding on cooperation for water resources facilities management was signed with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in June 2012 and a workshop was hosted there in March 2014, promoting cooperation in the water resources sector. The memorandum of cooperation in the field of sewerage/drainage and wastewater treatment signed with the Ministry of Construction in 2010 was renewed in March 2014 and support for the formulation of standards for the sewerage pipe jacking method was carried out.

In Indonesia, the cooperative relationship is being deepened through activities such as exchanging opinions in the water resources and sewerage sector at the Japan-Indonesia Construction Vice-Minister Level Meeting held in September 2013.

For South Africa, sewerage engineers from the country’s local government were invited jointly with JICA in July 2013 to implement training on maintenance and management. In September 2013, the 3rd Japan-South Africa Water Resources Management Workshop was held and a joint resolution was renewed with South Africa’s Department of Water Affairs, strengthening the cooperative relationship.