Information Disclosure and Publicity Outline of the Program International Cooperation Festival held in Hibiya Park. Addressing Information Disclosure III In April 2001, the Law Concerning Access to accountability of these organizations. Information Held by Administrative Organs (hereafter In addition, this draft requires these organizations to Chapter 4 called the “Freedom of Information Act”) came into prepare documents and other materials recording basic force, and an information disclosure system was subse- information about their organizational structure, busi- quently installed and implemented. ness and finances, and to make such information avail- JICA, which implements ODA programs, is subject able in a timely and easily accessible manner. In this 4 Information Disclosure and Publicity Strengthening the Foundations of Program Implementation/ to the Law Concerning Access to the Information Held spirit, JICA has been working actively in advance of by Independent Administrative Institutions, but its the law’s enforcement to create and distribute the enactment was already scheduled by the Freedom of following regularly issued publicity materials, and to Information Act. Given the implementation of this law post them on our homepage. in fiscal 2002, JICA is carrying out preparation for the (1) Basic information on JICA’s organizational struc- establishment of an information disclosure system. ture, systems, etc. (Overview of the organization, This bill provides for a document disclosure organizational diagram, mission, location, telephone request system for JICA and other government-related numbers, fax numbers, types of business, etc.) organizations, and the provision of information related (2) Information on the current state of JICA’s activities, to the organization’s activities, with the aim of etc. (State of project progress, reports, statistical furthering the information disclosure and public materials, etc.) • JICA Library Eid LTo Iidabashi LTo Kudanshita an Na To Address: mb ei Shin ei ok The Institute for International Cooperation, u Line 10-5 Ichigaya Honmura-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Hoken L juku Dai Nippon Printing Co. Kaikan Tokyo Exit ine 6 TEL: 03-3269-2301 (main switchboard) Ichigaya Station Ichigaya Renoir Opening hours: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Gaien Higashi-dori Café JICA Library Sanaizaka Statio Ichigaya Exit Closed: A1-1 (Inside the Institute for International Cooperation) Ichigaya Station Weekends, public holidays, New Year, MacDonald’s JICA Foundation Day (August 1), n Ichigaya Sta Ichigaya library inventory (last day of each month). Kappa M Ei Access: Shinjuku To Exit zaka -dori dan Yur A3 Yasu kuni Exit tion 4 10 minutes on foot from Ichigaya Station Akebonobashi akucho Line Station on the JR Chuo Line; Soto 10 minutes on foot from Ichigaya Station bo ri-dori (Exit 6 or 4) on the Eidan Subway MTo Aoyama MTo Yotsuya MTo Kojimachi Yurakucho Line or Namboku Line; 10 minutes on foot from Ichigaya Station (Exit A1-1 or 4) on the Toei Subway Shinjuku Line; 12 minutes on foot from Akebonobashi Station (Exit A3) on the Toei Subway Shinjuku Line. 189 (3) Information on budget and settlement of accounts of the “Introducing JICA to Children” section, which (4) Information on procurement of materials and explains conditions in developing countries to children, construction (Announcement of projects based on and “JICA Internet Television,” which broadcasts the open tender and results of tender, names of projects, satellite TV program “The JICA Report” on the website. main materials procured and construction, eligibility In June 2001, the Japanese language pages were for participation, date of tender, bidding companies, completely redesigned to provide an environment that bidding prices, successful bidders, contract prices) enables more systematic viewing of JICA’s organiza- (5) Information on evaluations, etc. (Annual Evaluation tion and programs. As of June 2001, information on the Report, ex-post evaluation reports by experts and main topics listed in Figure 3-21 can be accessed external organizations, ex-ante project evaluation through JICA’s English language web site. charts) In addition, 18 agencies in Japan and 28 overseas (6) Information gathered and accumulated by JICA that offices have set up their own websites to strengthen the is in high-demand by individuals and enterprises flow of information from the front line. JICA has also (Country-specific living standards, cooperation and undertaken the task of advancing the establishment of coordination with non-governmental organizations homepages for JICA’s various programs, such as [NGOs], cooperation and coordination with local Project-type Technical Cooperation, Development government, cooperation and coordination with Studies, and the JICA Partnership Program with NGOs, private sector enterprises) Local Governments and Institutes, with links to the main JICA homepage. General Opening of the JICA Library and Information Access Figure 3-21 JICA Information Available on the Website The JICA Library has been open to the general (English Page) public since 1977. The library’s collection consists of • News & Columns • About JICA around 149,000 items, including a wide range of reports Japan’s Official Development Assistance prepared by JICA and data collected by JICA study What is JICA’s Role? Outline of JICA Activities teams, in addition to maps of developing countries, aid • Activities Regions & Countries materials issued by international agencies, and many Schemes • Global Issues other items on developing countries. A PC search system WID/Gender Equality has also been introduced at the library. In fiscal 2000, the Environment Population/AIDS library was used by an average of 46 people per day. Education Disability Poverty Information Access and Publicity Activities Efforts Pertaining to Peacebuilding • Evaluation Through the Internet Evaluation Bulletin Evaluation Report JICA began enabling information access and Evaluation carrying out publicity activities on an Internet website in Follow-up • Publications 1996. Since then, we have launched an English- JICA Network Annual Reports language page; provided country-specific project results, Genetic Resources Project Newsletter overviews of Technical Cooperation and evaluation and Study Reports other information on our projects; and worked to • Photos • Alumni enhance availability of human resources recruitment • Links • Contacts information on the Japan Overseas Cooperation Domestic Offices Volunteers (JOCV) and Senior Volunteer programs as Overseas Offices well as employee hiring. NJICA website (English Page): JICA has also taken several steps to enhance the http://www.jica.go.jp/english/index.html visual attractiveness of the site. These include the addition 190 As a result of this expansion in the content of the JICA website, every month the Japanese homepage receives 100,000 hits, and the English homepage receives 8,000 hits. In addition, since February 2001, JICA has been publishing the JICA Mail Magazine, which provides up-to-date event information through e- mail that is sent to registered addresses on the first and the fifteenth of every month. As of July 2001, 10,000 addresses have been registered to receive this service. With the Information Disclosure Act going into effect in fiscal 2002, JICA intends to improve the struc- ture and content of the homepage by enhancing search The ceremony to introduce Thailand Killifish, sponsored by the JICA Kanagawa III International Fisheries Training Centre and Enoshima Aquarium. functions, offering more information, creating a corner for specific projects and providing the latest information scope of support for JICA’s operations. In addition, Chapter 4 from the field. JICA Network, available seasonally in English, French and Spanish, is aimed at overseas readers; its purpose Public Relations Activities is to improve the supply of information to recipient JICA intends to play a role in the public relations country governments and people as well as donors*, 4 Information Disclosure and Publicity Strengthening the Foundations of Program Implementation/ activities of ODA programs. Extensive publicity activi- including international organizations. ties are aimed at spreading awareness of aid projects at Television programs, videos, photographic panels, home and abroad and at ensuring that projects are accu- and pamphlets introducing JICA operations are rately understood and well supported. In particular, constantly being produced to provide easily accessible JICA is publicizing ODA through a variety of methods information. Through the JICA Media Center, which that include publication of various materials and spon- was established in fiscal 1999 to enhance the public sorship of special events. JICA is also actively making release of visual materials, we completed the digitaliza- information available to the mass media. tion of all of JICA’s photographs in fiscal 2000, and we 1. Utilization of Publications and Audiovisual have worked toward the simplification of photograph Materials searches and secondary usages. In addition, through the Public relations activities aimed at the Japanese weekly television broadcast of Chikyu Kazoku: The JICA public and the nation’s schools include issue of the Report since fiscal 1999, we have been presenting the monthly magazines Kokusai Kyoryoku (International activities of experts and JOCV from around the world. Cooperation) and Crossroads. The monthly magazine 2. Organization of Events JICA Frontier is issued for readers connected