We need to show the world the presence of Japanese society while staying close to the local people.”
President Akihiko Tanaka, who took office on April 1, stated this at his inaugural press conference and discussed the challenges JICA will tackle in the future and the background behind them.
President Tanaka says, “It is my task to ensure steady and effective implementation” of JICA’s Mid-term Objectives and Mid-term Plan (Note 1) for the next five years. He said that the challenges and priorities outlined in the plan are based on the principles of quality growth and human security, as set forth in the Development Cooperation Framework formulated in 2015, and that the concept of human security is reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of “people-centered development” and “leaving no one behind. He also stated that the concept of human security is reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of “people-centered development” and “leaving no one behind. He also stated that JICA has organized its experience and strengths in the form of the “JICA Global Agenda,” which will contribute to the SDGs.
In the international community, there are many political instabilities and development challenges, but in particular, making the dynamically growing Indo-Pacific region a free and open region is important from the perspective of supporting Japan’s dynamism, leading to the vision of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)”. He pointed out that this is linked to the vision of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)”.
On the other hand, he also pointed out Japan’s long-term economic stagnation and the need to increase its intellectual influence and the influence of people-to-people relationships. He also expressed his commitment to sharing Japan’s development experience, which has been achieved through a series of successes and failures from the modern era to the present, and to joint research (Note 2) on global issues such as the environment and disaster prevention, in which universities and research institutions in developing regions and Japan will work together to develop and apply new science and technology.
As Japan’s society ages and declines in birthrate, it is important to work together with a diverse range of people, including foreign nationals, to create a society for the future development of Japan. He emphasized that JICA, with its more than 110 offices in developing regions and other parts of the world, cooperates with Japanese companies, and has a network of people with experience in overseas cooperation corps, can play a major role in realizing such a co-created society and contribute to the revitalization of Japan.
In the midst of various crises in the world, cooperation with vulnerable populations is a challenge.
The world is currently experiencing a complex crisis compounded by new coronavirus infections and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In particular, the most vulnerable people in developing regions have been dealt a huge blow, and President Tanaka said that cooperation is urgently needed to set such people on the path to sustainable development.
As exchanges with the rest of the world, which had plummeted due to the spread of the new coronavirus, began to recover, he emphasized that JICA’s latest mission is to achieve the previous level of dispatching overseas cooperation corps members and JICA experts, and to make developing countries in particular feel that “Japan is back.
This is the second time that Mr. Tanaka has served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. During his previous term as Chairman (April 2012 to September 2015), he visited 57 countries (91 countries in total if multiple visits are counted) over a three and a half year period. He has met with leaders at the head of state level both at home and abroad 82 times.
Looking to the future, he said, “I would like to continue to actively deepen my relationship with the leaders and realize JICA’s vision of ‘connecting the world with trust.'” He expressed his desire to “visit the field as much as possible, promote Japan’s development cooperation, and communicate this information domestically and internationally.
Note 1
Note 2
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