Ports and harbors are the window to the nation, and it is important that they operate smoothly and openly for the sake of economic development. In addition, Japanese companies are expected to respond to new topics, such as the expansion of handling volume and decarbonization, and to develop their businesses.
JICA launched the JICA Ports Alumni in 2018 and has been continuously exchanging information and views to strengthen networking among ASEAN and Pacific port stakeholders. After a hiatus in the Corona Disaster, JICA invited ASEAN and Pacific port-related executives and executive candidates (26 people from 18 countries (Note 1)) to Japan from February 20 to 23, 2023, for the first time in about 3 years, and held a face to face meeting with the cooperation of the Port and Harbor Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
Under the Japanese government’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” initiative, JICA is working to 1) promote and entrench the rule of law, freedom of navigation, and free trade, and 2) pursue economic prosperity through improved connectivity and other measures. In addition, the world is facing multiple risks from coronas and conflicts, and addressing climate change is becoming increasingly important. Against this backdrop, this meeting was held to share Japan’s port policies, as well as to make presentations and exchange views on the status of port development and operation in each country, challenges, and expectations for JICA. During the exchange of opinions, the importance of industrial development linking ports and hinterlands and the status of dialogue among participating countries were also discussed. The global trend of decarbonization is not an exception in ports. The presentations on the initiatives in Japan and other countries were followed by an active exchange of opinions. One of the objectives of this meeting was to deepen networking with Japanese companies. Therefore, with the participation of the Association for Overseas Port and Harbor Logistics Projects (Note 2), Japanese companies introduced their technologies, which drew a great deal of interest and questions from the participants.
The meeting participants then toured Yokohama and Sendai. They observed the history of port development in the Yokohama area, actual port operations, and port decarbonization efforts. In Sendai, they visited port development sites and earthquake recovery efforts. The participants learned about the damage caused by the earthquake and the subsequent recovery efforts, and reaffirmed the importance of the role played by ports and harbors.
The participants commented that the meeting was timely and informative, and expressed high expectations for the continuation of the face-to-face JICA Port Alumni meetings.
The Alumni Meeting, which started with 11 countries, has expanded to 18 countries this time, and will continue its activities to discuss and strengthen the network of ports in ASEAN and the Pacific region.
(Note 1) Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Vanuatu, Micronesia, Tonga
(Note 2) Established under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as a forum for the public and private sectors to exchange opinions in order to promote overseas port logistics projects in cooperation between the public and private sectors.
This program is recognized as the “50th Anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
© Source JICA
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