2013 Japan Study Tour to Tokyo and Nagasaki feedback meeting
Participants
from the 2013 Japan Study Tour to Tokyo and Nagasaki came to JLGC’s
London office at the beginning of March for a feedback meeting, to give
opinions on the visit, with other former JST participants from previous
years, as well as partners from other Japan related offices in the UK
such as the Embassy of Japan, Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in
the UK and Japan National Tourism Organisation.
The
Japan Study Tour is an annual programme which aims principally to
promote mutual understanding between Japanese and UK local
government. JLGC invites applications from senior level staff of
British and European local authorities and associated bodies, to join
this ten-day study tour to study the current condition and issues
related to Japanese local government. Each year's study tour focuses on
the following; observing Japanese public management systems in action,
studying and discussing specific services in small group sessions, and
experiencing daily family life with a short home stay. The
2013 visit looked at Japanese local authorities' support for regional
industry and economy, with focus on Nagasaki City and neighbouring
authorities such as Goto City and Hirado City, working in partnership
on Nagasaki Prefecture's Green New Deal initiatives for urban
regeneration. Participants made the following comments and
reflections:
Kristen
Paterson, Sevenoaks District Council: “I was impressed with the
holistic approach taken by Japanese Local Authorities to improving the
quality of life of local people. We saw projects such as the
regeneration of the Nagasaki Port area and the provision of rental
electronic vehicles for tourists on Goto Island. These projects will
attract more tourists growing the economy, provide new jobs with which
to help young people find work in their local area, as well as being
‘green’ solutions that will improve the quality of the environment. The
tour was an intensive series of presentations, visits to see projects
on the ground, and exchanges of views with our Japanese hosts. It was
hard work, but extremely valuable in terms of shared learning and
generating ideas to take back to the UK.”.
Hannah
Fearn, Guardian Local Government: “What impressed me about
Nagasaki Prefecture's team is the ambition and commitment to a new
vision for the city and the local economic area. This is not something
I see regularly in my work looking into local government practice over
here, potentially because of the negative relationship between central
and local government which can leave British councils feeling powerless
to act. I reflected on these tensions in my article for the
Guardian, which itself received some interesting response.(link) Members
of the Guardian local government network agreed that the Nagasaki green
deal could be a template for economic growth strategies in city regions
across Britain, particularly in the north.”
Jonathan
James, Cambridge City Council: “The overwhelming impression of
Nagasaki prefecture is one of a forward thinking prefecture with a real
passion and commitment to investment in the future. The sense of civic
pride and respect for its officials and the work it is undertaking is a
credit to Japanese society. There are significant future social
problems with population decreases both nationally but specifically for
Goto Island and Nagasaki prefecture as a whole. However the prefecture
is facing these concerns and challenges head on to develop and grow
both inward and external investment. Nagasaki
prefecture is definitely not resting on its laurels but striving to
grow its tourism and develop its economic trade. This is echoed by the
significant efforts to attract people from all over the globe for
Cruise ships stays especially as Nagasaki has probably one of the
prettiest harbours in the entire world.
The
400th anniversary of establishment of British Trading Post in Hirado
reinforced the close links with the UK. There is a huge potential to
rekindle a significant tourism and interest in Hirado and Nagasaki
prefecture as a whole. Historical figures like William Adams are the
sort of thing that spark the imagination of people and I think are key
to attracting tourists and future economic growth for the area.
Finally
I found the visit to Peace Park very sobering but reminded me that out
of significant disasters a society can bounce back stronger with a real
resolve to develop itself. For example the Green New Deal in making
Nagasaki at the forefront of experimental enterprises is a fantastic
opportunity and for me echoed strongly with Cambridge and its
world-renowned status for technology advancement.”
Elaine
Robertson, Aberdeen City Council: “I was particularly interested
in the innovative renewable energy projects being developed in Nagasaki
Prefecture, such as the floating wind turbine, and the way electric
vehicles are being used to promote tourism. I found much common ground
with Aberdeen, Europe's energy capital, and am looking forward to
exploring avenues for continued co-operation. I was also very
encouraged by how open Japanese Local Government was, and found the
whole experience inspiring and invaluable. I am very grateful to have
had this intensive learning opportunity and would strongly urge other
UK local authority officers and elected members to apply for a place on
the Tour.”
Charlotte
Eisenhart, the Local Government Association: “The Japanese study
tour gave us a wealth of interesting and useful insights and learning.
All the way from the relationship between local and central government,
to a regional model of delivering economic growth in Nagasaki
Prefecture, through to local initiatives to encourage green living and
tourism on Goto island. Covering such a range of topics was
challenging, with a packed agenda, but thoroughly rewarding. The people
we met were all very welcoming and we learnt a great deal from them. In
particular I took the most from the times when we were able to have
frank and honest exchanges with our hosts and learn about the tensions
and challenges – that often felt very familiar to our own”
Paul
Wheeler, Political Skills Forum: "As someone who works with local
politicians in England what was apparent is the high regard for local
government and local politicians in Japan. It means they have much more
ability to influence the future of their communities than their
counterparts in England. I was particularly impressed by the plans of
Nagasaki Prefecture to develop a tourism industry based on their
fascinating Christian heritage and their ambition to become a leading
cruise ship destination. There are some interesting parallels in how
several industrial cities in England want to re-invent themselves as
service based local economies. On a personal note I would like to
import heated toilet seats to England!"
Cllr
Tim Ward, Cambridge City Council: "The tour was extremely well
organised and managed, with an excellent service being provided by all
those who were involved in looking after us, including the various
interpreters we met at the different points of the tour. The
talks were given at breakneck speed with considerably more on each
slide of the presentations than we were used to. However in my view
this was exactly the right way to use the time, as the issues and
solutions were familiar to us – we weren’t trying to learn the basics
of local government from these talks, we were wanting to discover the
differences and similarities between the UK and Japanese
experiences. We had lectures on electric cars at three levels –
central government level in Tokyo, prefecture level in Nagasaki and
local level on the Goto Islands. We were impressed with how thoroughly
this agenda was being followed at all levels, from central government
negotiations with car manufacturers down to local initiatives such as
the provision of electric cars for tourists on the Goto Islands."
JST
Winter 2013 will go to Miyagi Prefecture, in Japan’s northeast hit by
the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, from 17 to 23 November
2013. The tour will look at plans for reconstruction and
regeneration of the region to date after the devastation.
Accommodation, travel and food expenses in Japan during the tour will
be covered by CLAIR, but participants must bear the cost of the flight
between the UK and Japan. To register for more details when they
are available and updates on applications please contact Communications
Manager Keith Kelly by email to kelly@jlgc.org.uk
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