Yoshitaka Hosoi, JICA’s International Cooperation Specialist in the field of natural resources, received the Minister of Foreign Affairs Award for 2023.
The Foreign Minister’s Commendation recognizes individuals and organizations that have been active in various fields of international relations and have made significant contributions to the promotion of friendly relations between Japan and other countries.
After graduation, he joined the Japan Metal Mining Corporation (now the Japan Energy and Metals National Corporation), where he served as the Director of the Manila Office and as an expert for the South Pacific Applied Geoscience and Technology Commission (SOPAC) of the international organization. To further apply his experience in mining development in developing countries, he has long contributed to mining development in developing countries as an international cooperation specialist in the field of natural resources at JICA since 2011.
In particular, we have played a central role in the long-term training program “Human Resource Development Program in the Natural Resources Sector” (Kizuna Program for Natural Resources) (*) launched in 2014 from its inception to the present, and have worked to develop human resources and strengthen networks in resource-rich countries, also keeping in mind Japan’s strategy for securing resources. A total of 178 trainees from 28 countries have enrolled in the program to date, and some of the trainees who have returned to their home countries have gone on to hold important positions, such as Director General of the Mines Department of the Ministry of Mines and Strategic Resources of Madagascar.
(*) Long-term training program for government officials and researchers from countries with mining potential. The total number of participants is expected to reach 200 by October 2023.
Specialist Hosoi has also made various contributions to resource policy and academic aspects in developing countries. For example, he worked on the “Human Resource Development Project for the Mineral Resources Sector in Mongolia” (2013-2021) to improve the policy-making function of Mongolia’s resources sector, and contributed to strengthening the function of a government think tank that is not affected by changes in government administration by organizing and analyzing data in an objective and quantitative manner. The results of this work have been published in the book “Ecnomic Dependence of Mongolia on Minerals” (Springer Nature). In the “Elucidation of the Mechanisms of Lead Pollution in Zambia and Development of Health and Economic Risk Assessment Methods and Prevention/Remediation Technologies” project (2015-2022), we led discussions from the project’s formation and achieved high academic results as a science and technology cooperation project. In addition, he published the book “Mining and Development” (Lambert Academic Publishing), which provided academic analysis of the impact of mining development on the economy and environment of the country and provided guidelines for the country’s mining development policy.
He also serves as a part-time lecturer at Akita University, Hokkaido University, and Kyushu University, sharing his experience with the next generation. In addition, while there are only a limited number of books in Japanese on the mining industry for the general public, Specialist Hosoi’s books, “The Frontier of Mineral Resources Spreading from Land to Seabed” and “Digging Up Africa, the Growing Resource Continent” (Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd.), are valuable sources of information to increase interest in the mining industry and Africa.
The award is in recognition of Specialist Hosoi’s longstanding contributions to enhancing Japan’s international presence in the field of mineral resources.
The award ceremony was held in Tokyo on August 22, and Specialist Hosoi commented, “The recognition of our activities in the mining industry, which are not generally known to the public, is good news and encouraging for all people in the resource sector. We will continue to contribute to the global mining industry, focusing on human resource development,” said Mr. Hosoi in his comments of joy and gratitude.
As the importance of securing scarce mineral resources is increasing toward the realization of a carbon neutral society, JICA aims to realize environmentally friendly, efficient, and highly transparent development and management of mineral resources in developing countries in order to realize a stable global supply of resources. This will prevent monopolization of the supply chain and oligopoly of the mineral resources market by certain countries and companies, and contribute to the economic security of the world and, by extension, of Japan. JICA will continue to cooperate in the development of mineral resources in developing countries in cooperation with Japanese universities and companies.
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