21/09/2010
The October issue of Monocle magazine has a short feature on Tokushima prefecture, which is home to one of Japan’s lesser-known claims to fame – as the world’s number one LEd-manufacturing centre. Dubbed LEdValley, local officials plan to build further upon its status. Already, there are 86 LEd-related companies in the region, the most famous […]
16/09/2010
UK JETs meet Foreign Minister Jeremy Browne in Osaka
Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne met with JET Programme participants from the UK during his recent visit to Japan to boost business ties, and follow up on the Foreign Secretary’s commitment to deepening UK-Japan relations. During his three-day visit, from 9 to 11 September, Jeremy Browne spent a day in Tokyo before travelling to Osaka. […]
15/09/2010
Japan Local Government Centre’s Andrew Stevens has been published on the comment Guardian Public website. His article ‘Jumping on the brands wagon’ discusses the issues around place branding and its use by local authorities. The piece is a preview of his chapter in the forthcoming book City Branding – Theory and Cases which is to be […]
14/09/2010
JLGC at the Japan Matsuri 2010
On Saturday 18 September 2010, the Japan Local Government Centre will be taking part in Japan Matsuri 2010. The festival is taking place at Spitalfields Market near Liverpool Street Station and will be a celebration of all things Japanese: food, music, anime, manga, tradition arts, sake, and much, much more. From 10am to 8pm there […]
07/09/2010
Embassy Reports on JET and JETAA Activities
The Embassy of Japan in the UK have posted up a special article on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme and the JET Alumni Association in the United Kingdom. Featuring a piece from former JETAA Chairman Julian Paisley, the article gives a nice overview of the organisation, now in its 20th year: The Japan […]
03/09/2010
Setouchi Art Festival Television Program on SKY/Freesat Ch 209
An English-language television series called Islands of Affluence will be broadcast starting September 3rd on NHK World, available in the UK on Freesat and SKY on Channel 209. The Art Setouchi 2010 Festival is now being held in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, and is the world’s first major modern art festival to take place on multiple […]
31/08/2010
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Policies and Programmes to Enhance Renewable Energy
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability featured a Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) report last month regarding ‘demand-pull’ measures channeling renewable natural energy from five prefectures in northern Japan to Tokyo. Having set a target of reducing Tokyo’s greenhouse gas emissions to 25% below 2000 levels by 2020, in April 2010 the Tokyo Metropolitan Government began […]
20/08/2010
Michi-no-eki – an opportunity for the rural economy?
Gavin Parker explains how the Japanese ‘road stations’ idea, offering locally produced food and providing a range of roadside services, could be useful in UK attempts to boost rural economies and communities. The article, which can be downloaded here (PDF), is hosted with kind permission of the author and the Town and Country Planning Association, […]
17/08/2010
Asian Network of Major Cities 21 and Tokyo Month
The Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21) is an international network of Asian capital and major cities, undertaking joint projects on common tasks regarding crisis management, environmental countermeasures and industrial development, with the aim of increasing development and prosperity in the Asian region. The cities involved are Bangkok, Delhi, Hanoi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Metropolitan […]
12/08/2010
Japan Study Tour on the Guardian Public Website
JLGC’s annual Japan Study Tour has resulted in two articles on the Guardian Public website, written by site editor and participant on the JST 2010 trip to Tokyo and Kyoto, Jane Dudman. The first article (here) is on financial pressures in Japanese local government, while the second (here) is on environmental policies introduced by the regional level […]
