2013 Japan Study Tour to Miyagi and Tokyo
Reconstruction, Regeneration, Resilience
 November 17 to 23
Japan
Local Government Centre is now taking registrations of interest for
this year’s Japan Study tour to Tokyo and Miyagi Prefecture in Japan’s
north east Tōhoku region, hit by the March 11 2011 earthquake and
tsunami. The group will visit JLGC’s parent office, the Council
of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) headquarters
in Tokyo to get a general outline of the role and structure of Japan’s
local government. The main part of the tour will be hosted by
Miyagi Prefectural Government, with its headquarters in the major
regional city of Sendai, and look at the rebuilding and recovery
process in the aftermath of the events in 2011.
Only two hours and thirty
minutes by shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo, and with the
international airport recently rebuilt, Miyagi Prefecture is in the
central part of Tōhoku, facing the Pacific Ocean, and contains Tōhoku's
largest city, Sendai. The 11 March 2011 earthquake caused coastal
areas of the prefecture to suffer catastrophic damage from a magnitude
9.0 offshore earthquake which triggered a destructive tsunami, with
further destruction of towns and villages along the coast.
Also largely destroyed was the town of Ishinomaki, where the tsunami
was reportedly three stories high.
The current
population of the prefecture (as of December 1, 2012) totals 2,326,957,
ranking 15th within Japan. Sendai has a population of 1,063,024
with 5 districts (wards) within the city, and a further 35
municipalities within Miyagi Prefecture. As of 1 April 2012, 23%
of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural
Parks.
Miyagi’s economy has been traditionally focused on
fishing and agriculture, producing a great deal of rice and livestock,
and is now dominated by the manufacturing industries around Sendai,
particularly electronics, appliances, and food processing.
Tourism is playing a major role in the recovery from the events of 2011
- within the prefecture, Matsushima is known as one of the historic
three most scenic views of Japan, with a bay of 260 small islands
covered in pine groves, famously painted by prolific ‘ukiyo-e’
woodblock artist Yōshū Chikanobu.
The tour will include
(subject to final confirmation by Miyagi Prefectural Government)
looking at the current situation in the affected areas and introduce
the measures taken by Miyagi Prefecture for revitalising the local
economy; pursuit of potential cooperation on economic links with
Europe; planned site visits to the coastal areas damaged by the
tsunami, look at advance technology companies that have been
re-established after the damage, as well as companies actively
promoting expansion overseas; organisations and bodies promoting the
region and tourist destinations; strategies for attracting foreign
investment and market development.
The tour will take place
from November 17 to 23 2013, and seven places are available to senior
UK/EU local government related professionals.
Accommodation, travel and food expenses in Japan during the tour will
be covered by CLAIR, but participants must bear the cost of the return
flight between the UK and Japan. To register for the application
pack when it is available please call 020 7839 8500 or email
mailbox@jlgc.org.uk
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