財団 法人 MyriadMyriad LeavesLeaves JLGCJLGC NewsletterNewsletter 自 JULY 2009 Kanto Matsuri, 治 Akita Prefecture (©JNTO) 体 国 際 JLGC News 2 化 Guest Article: Oze Conservation Organisation 3 Topic: Japan’s Aging Society 4-5 UK-Japan 150 Relations: The Ch ōsh ū Five 6 協 JET Programme, Alumni Association 7 Editorial: Cable TV in Rural Japan 8 Myriad Leaves is the English language title for the earliest collection of Japanese poetry, Many ōsh ū. It contains 4,516 waka poems, the last of which is dated AD759. There is un- certainty over the intention of 会 the title: it could mean either ‘Collection of ten thousand leaves’ or ‘Collection for ten thousand generations’. 2 JLGC News JLGC Website Edinburgh and Japan Local Government Centre London, plus Blogging events in Japan’s public sector European Representatives of Japanese local governments also attended the event. Further, there were informal one-to- JLGC has dipped a toe in the water of new media and joined one meetings arranged to seek advice from these participating the blogging fraternity, which also includes the Local organisations to address specific needs of interested parties. Government Information Unit and the National Association of JLGC Activites Local Councils among its ranks. The JLGC blog, which Research Trip to Brandenburg in June 2009 resides at http://jlgc.wordpress.com and features not only news on the centre and our parent organisation CLAIR, but Brandenburg is dealing with the same problems that are also news on local links between the Britain and Japan from a prevalent in Japanese local authorities today – demographic wide variety of sources. Topics are not solely reserved for change, shrinking cities and disparities between local local government, recent posts have included the Tokyo 2016 authorities, with some thriving and many in difficulties. Olympic bid, broadband access in both countries and even British government ministers’ fondness for the Japanese bullet Director Noboru Fujishima and Research and Policy Manager train. Point your browser to the blog today and don’t forget to Irmelind Kirchner visited the cities of Potsdam and Cottbus, the add us to your RSS reader if you have one. largest and second-largest cities in Brandenburg respectively, which present very different pictures. Potsdam is a growing Recent topics have included city, benefiting from its proximity to Berlin, its rich architectural • The latest developments in Tokyo’s bid for the 2016 heritage and a very high proportion of academics working in Olympics the city. It strives to be at the forefront of providing excellent • JLGC exhibiting Paro , from Toyama prefecture, the child-care services to promote a good work-life balance and to “therapeutic robot seal” designed for helping the elderly attract those highly-qualified but demanding academics to and people with dementia at the LGA conference in settle in the city, which in turn makes Potsdam an attractive Harrogate location for businesses and organisations in the knowledge JLGC staff representing Tokyo Metropolitan Government economy. • at the 2009 Plenary Meeting of the Global Initiative to Cottbus by contrast is a shrinking city: from a population of Combat Nuclear Terrorism, in Copenhagen 128.400 in 1990 it has gone to just about 100.000 today; and • Suganami Ward in Tokyo using flowers to design out maintaining this number (which is necessary for retaining the crime in urban planning designation as ‘large city’) has only been achieved by mergers • Kuzumaki, Iwate prefecture, is making use of twelve wind with neighbouring villages. By 2020, the city expects to have turbines and three wind power plants to generate power about 86.000 inhabitants. In 2002, the city decided on its for local residents overall concept for adapting to these circumstances: by making • Transport Minister Andrew Adonis’ recent visit and the city more compact and developing the inner city areas, observations on high speed rail and the regions in Japan areas at the fringes can be built back. However it also means upgrades to existing infrastructure and not just getting rid of JLGC Activities unoccupied housing. Since 2002, already 7.800 housing units JETAA-UK AGM Manchester have been taken down, the areas made into green spaces and some designated for possible future development, where the Director Noboru Fujishima, Assistant Director Seiki Kimura location is suitable. and PR Officer Keith Kelly attended the UK JET Prgramme Alumni Association AGM in Manchester at the end of March Further talks were held with the Institute of Local Government this year. JETAA UK helps support JLGC and the Embassy of Studies of the University of Potsdam - with which JLGC has Japan in supporting the JET Programme in the UK, sending built links over the past three years - the Brandenburg UK graduates to Japan to work in English education in public Association of Municipalities, with persons involved in schools and international activities within communities. exchange with Japan in Cottbus and with the undersecretary of Worldwide JETAA has an alumni base of around 50,000, state for international affairs at the Brandenburg state thought to be among the largest alumni group of any chancellery. The latter meeting was very useful in terms of programme. At this years busy AGM a lot was discussed ascertaining the state of the Brandenburg-Saitama partnership, about activities by the different chapters within the regions of and starting first discussions about the upcoming celebrations the UK, best practice in event organisation, changes to the in 2011 of the first treaty of amity and commerce between way funding for events is applied for and future projects for Prussia and Japan, which followed similar treaties with the US JETAA. A new committee was voted after some members are and the UK. stepping down from their positions. JETAA is active Japanese Local Government throughout the UK in supporting returnees and successful Local Information Channels on You Tube applicants before departure to Japan. For more information on JETAA visit http://www.jetaa.org.uk/ Osaka Prefecture, Aizuwakamatsu city in northeastern Japan JLGC Activities and the northern port city of Hakodate are among the local Japan Day for Scottish SMEs authorities that have gone online in attempts to benefit from self-made clips on YouTube, believed to have more than 20 The University of Glasgow Innovation Network is a £2.7M million frequent viewers across Japan. Osaka prefectural initiative designed to increase engagement by Scottish government opened an official "movie news" YouTube channel companies in innovation, product development and new in February in place of the public relations TV and radio supply chains. One of its main aims is to help link Scottish programs. Municipal officials of Aizuwakamatsu, a Fukushima companies into international supply chains. To help achieve Prefecture city of nearly 130,000, hit on this idea during the this, a “Japan Day” was organised for Scottish SMEs course of discussions on how to open video archives to the considering entering Japanese market. The “Japan Day” public. Hakodate, a southwestern Hokkaido city known for its provided a unique opportunity to find out about various night views and exotic sightseeing places, has gained support programmes offered by Japan External Trade popularity for the YouTube clips it launched last November in a Organization (JETRO) and EU-Japan Centre for Industrial tie-up project with a local production firm. You Tube believes Cooperation. There was a chance to hear from 20 to 30 local governments across Japan are using the service representatives from the Consulate General of Japan in as part of public relations. 3 Guest Article Main Activities in 2009 The Oze Marshland Environmental Oze Natural Environment Research Protection Initiative The Gunma Prefecture Oze Protection Committee, made up Oze Conservation Office, Department of Forestry and of experts from a number of fields, has been conducting research on Oze environmental protection since 1966. Environmental Affairs, Natural Environment Division, Gunma Prefecture. Translated by Keith Kelly Oze Preservation Foundation Founded in 1995, the Oze Preservation Foundation conducts a number of environmental related activities including lessons for visitors, restoration of vegetation, public facilities management, environmental research, and an annual summit. It also gives financial support to environment related activities. Yama-no-Hana Business Centre The Yama-no-Hana Business Centre was established as an administrative base for the use and protection of Oze, and provides information on the environment and environmental protection to visitors. It also carries out nature meetings and slide lectures, gives safety guidance for hikers, and maintains board-walks and public toilets. The business centre is open from the 10th of May to the 28th of September. Oze School Funding is provided to primary and middle schools in Gunma prefecture that participate in the Oze School, an educational programme set up so that all children in Gunma can visit Oze for environmental education. Promoting Environmental Education in Oze The Oze Marshland, an 8km² high altitude marshland in the Various activities will be undertaken at the Yama-no-Hana Oze National Park spreading through the four prefectures of Business Centre to promote its use as a place for Gunma, Fukushima, Niigata and Tochigi is an area of environmental learning, including guided tours for families, distinctive natural beauty as well as a valuable educational support for the Oze School, and training for those people resource and precious ecosystem. It is a specially protected interested in becoming guides. national park and habitat to protected species, and was The Oze Mobile Classroom registered in the Ramsar Wetlands Convention in November Staff from the Oze Mobile Classroom are sent to primary and 2005. The issue of protection in and around Oze has been middle schools in Gunma prefecture to help raise engulfed in many disputes both pre and post-war such as the environmental awareness in children and instil an appreciation issue of hydro-electric power production and highway of their natural environment.