JICA has many people from various backgrounds who are tackling international issues with clear-cut passion in their respective fields. This issue of “People Tackling International Challenges” focuses on the passion of these people. In this second issue, we introduce Yasue Yoshinari, who is taking on international issues from within Japan as the Director of JICA Kyushu.
JICA is engaged in international cooperation in many parts of the world, but JICA’s activities are not limited to overseas. In Japan, JICA currently has 14 offices in Tokyo and Yokohama, as well as in Hokkaido, Tohoku, Hokuriku, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu.
People tend to think that international cooperation means overseas, but in fact, there are “frontlines” of international cooperation in Japan, even in regional cities, says Ms. Yasue Yoshinari, Director of JICA Kyushu. We interviewed Ms. Yasue Yoshinari, Director of JICA Kyushu, about the role of domestic bases, the kind of international cooperation that is possible only in regional areas, and her thoughts on regional areas.
Yasue Yoshinari has been the Director of JICA Kyushu since 2021. She has been involved in international cooperation in Japan for many years.
The base of international cooperation is actually “domestic.
JICA Kyushu and other domestic offices accept trainees from developing countries, support the overseas expansion of Japanese companies, and provide development education, including recruitment of overseas cooperation teams. However, “we are not only engaged in such institutionalized projects,” Yoshinari stresses.
For example, JICA Kyushu is involved in a project in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, which is promoting the use of renewable energy and the integration of the environment and manufacturing as part of its Green Transformation (GX) initiative. In Miyazaki Prefecture, JICA Kyushu is involved in a project to bring young Bangladeshis to work for companies in the prefecture as a solution to the shortage of IT personnel, and in Kumamoto Prefecture, JICA Kyushu is involved in a project to promote reconstruction in areas damaged by torrential rain.
At first glance, none of these activities seem to have anything to do with international cooperation. However, according to Mr. Yoshinari, they are also the “field” of international cooperation. What does that mean?
When Mr. Yoshinari first joined JICA, he was in charge of training in sewerage, roads, and urban planning. At that time, experts from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism taught him about the history of the development of water supply technology in Japan and the special characteristics of Japanese bridges, and he realized that this background was connected to JICA’s international cooperation.
Not only infrastructure such as sewers and roads, but also education and healthcare systems, agriculture, fisheries, and other technologies, all of which Japan has experienced in the past, are now being applied as international cooperation. In other words, the base of international cooperation is within Japan. This realization has strengthened Mr. Yoshinari’s desire to “take on international issues from within Japan.
This photo was taken when I was in the Indonesia office. I was in charge of a project to construct a reservoir in a village area.
I didn’t join JICA because I wanted to do international cooperation.”
Mr. Yoshinari was born in Usa City, Oita Prefecture. He says he spent his childhood in a non-urban, rural town with no overseas connections. （Perhaps it was growing up in a “relatively closed” environment that made him more interested in the outside world, he says.
However, he said that he did not join JICA with a strong desire to work in international cooperation. Rather, he said, “I wanted to go and see other countries myself, rather than to do something for developing countries through international cooperation. I was more interested in finding out what was really going on in developing countries.
Yoshinari says that what he gained from joining JICA and actually visiting developing countries and interacting with the people there is that “you can’t talk about it in terms of countries.
When we go abroad, we tend to use expressions such as “Japanese” or “◎◎◎ people,” but in reality, each person lives with a different set of values and ways of thinking. Therefore, if you don’t go to the actual sites, see them with your own eyes, listen to what they have to say, and feel their thoughts, you may end up making a wrong decision.
At the same time, they also realized that “what lies at the root is not so different. Even though their culture and upbringing may be different, their awareness of family and work, their respect for their country, and their pride in their own culture remain the same. This is another thing Yoshinari says he has learned by visiting developing countries.
My first business trip was to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I visited with experts from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to hold a seminar on sewerage technology there.
A “stranger” from a developing country lights up the community.
Mr. Yoshinari cited one training program as particularly memorable. The program was a week-long training program for administrative officials involved in regional development from seven ASEAN countries in a small fishing village in Oita.
First, the trainees were asked to interview local people. By listening to a variety of people, young and old, male and female, they gained an understanding of the characteristics and products of the area, as well as the thoughts of the people who live there. Based on the content of the interviews, the trainees were asked to formulate their own development plans for the region, in other words, a simulated experience of regional development.
By listening to people’s stories and digging deeper into their communities, the goal was to give the trainees tips and tricks to help them plan for development in their own communities in the same way. Of course, the trainees learned a great deal, but that was not the only outcome of this program. The host communities also reaped great rewards.
The foreigners, who were strangers to the area, discovered the charms and possibilities of the area that the residents themselves had not been able to see. Moreover, the local people developed a sense of pride and a desire to “preserve the goodness of the area. Mr. Yoshinari says that the so-called “outsider’s” point of view has led to the development of the local community, which has also been a positive experience for him.
Local cities across Japan are experiencing population decline due to low birthrates and aging populations. One key to survival is internationalization. At that time, JICA’s program of accepting trainees from developing countries may be a chance to bring a fresh perspective of “outsiders” to small local towns.
Mr. Yoshinari himself was very satisfied with the training program that hosted administrative officials from seven ASEAN countries. The photo shows the administrative officers interviewing local residents.
Standing in the field and sowing the “seeds” of international cooperation
Even developing countries that are currently striving for further development will eventually face problems such as aging populations. At that time, Japan’s experience and knowledge in overcoming these challenges will surely come in handy, just as it did with infrastructure technology in the past.
In this sense, Mr. Yoshinari believes that the “seeds” of future international cooperation are to be found in regional cities, which are facing various challenges such as declining population. The efforts that are being made now in local areas will one day be utilized as a new form of international cooperation.
In order to cooperate with the development of developing countries, we must first get to know Japan well. That is why we are planting the seeds for future international cooperation by building ties with local governments and businesses in the region and getting involved in their ongoing efforts together.
JICA Kyushu offers a hands-on international cooperation program for high school students, which is another way to sow the seeds of international cooperation, he explains.
International cooperation has no boundaries between Japan and overseas. Mr. Yoshinari will continue to be present at various “frontlines” and take on international issues from within Japan.
Kyushu has one of the highest numbers of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (by prefecture) relative to its population in Japan. These high school students, like Mr. Yoshinari, may eventually be “in the field” of international cooperation.
Yasue Yoshinari
He joined JICA (formerly Japan International Cooperation Agency) in 1987. After serving in the Training Program Department, Social Development Cooperation Department, Deputy Director General of JICA China, and Councilor of the Human Resources Department, he became the Director of the Japan International Cooperation Agency Kyushu Center (JICA Kyushu) in 2021.
© Source JICA
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.