Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2012
(6) Human Resource Development and Research in the Area of Development
In order to develop professional human resources in the area of development, from FY 2011 MOFA started the "International Development Professional Training Program." It is a practical program to develop human resources to take the leadership roles in the development field, and contains courses to supplement doctoral programs of universities that already have a Faculty of Development. More specifically, the project consists of six courses, (i) courses on Japanese corporate culture, industrial history and business history by working business people, (ii) courses on Japan's contribution to development in Asia and the practical side of applying the Asian economic development model in other regions (South-South Cooperation), (iii) courses on international public law, (iv) negotiation role-playing workshops, (v) media training to improve interview and presentation skills, and (vi) exchange projects such as special lectures and talks given by global distinguished experts in the area of development.
In 2003, JICA established the International Cooperation Personnel Registration System in order to recruit and utilize human resources who possess specialized knowledge and diverse experience. The system provides information on job opportunities at JICA, NGOs, international organizations, and other groups related to international cooperation through the website named "PARTNER (Participatory network for expert recruitment)" (http://partner.jica.go.jp/), as well as registration of human resources, information on training and seminars, career counseling, etc.
Furthermore, Senior Advisor System is used to secure professional human resources who have highly specialized abilities and abundant experience working in developing countries, while the Associate Specialist System has been established to enhance the ability of young people who have a certain degree of expertise but limited experience. The JICA Research Institute, established in October 2008, conducts empirical and policy researches using internationally recognized methodologies based on the actual experience as an aid agency, while addressing information to the governments of developing countries and to the international aid community.