3 Cooperation with Local Governments

Regional revitalization is one of the priority issues of the Cabinet. MOFA also actively works on the issue and strives to deploy measures that strengthen comprehensive diplomatic capabilities through collaboration with regions.

In Japan, as part of efforts to support regional revitalization, the Foreign Minister and respective prefectural governor invite members of diplomatic corps, foreign chambers of commerce and industry, and tourism-related parties in Japan to the Iikura Guest House, co-hosting receptions and setting up booths as means of broadly promoting the various attractive qualities of regions to audiences both in Japan and abroad. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, MOFA postponed these events in 2021.

In addition, MOFA cooperated with local governments and others to host Regional Promotion Seminars in Tokyo, which have been held 27 times from 2008 to 2021. Conducted for members of diplomatic corps, foreign chambers of commerce and industry, tourism-related companies and other organizations, these seminars highlight the characteristics, advantages and attractions of regions for industry, tourism, investment and business promotion. These events have been received by attendees as valuable opportunities to directly experience the attractiveness of regional Japan while being in Tokyo. The seminars also promote networking among local governments and foreign organization members, including diplomatic corps. In 2021, due to the impact of COVID-19, a seminar was held in an online format for the first time in October, and it attracted around 150 participants. Kashihara City in Nara Prefecture, Kagoshima City, Amami City and Yakushima Town in Kagoshima Prefecture, Mie Prefecture and the Awaji Island Tourist Association showcased their respective tourist destinations and charms, including their history, culture and cuisine, and following that the diplomatic corps and other participants viewed the various organizations' presentations while sampling specialties they had been sent in advance, thus deepening their understanding of each region's charms with all five senses.

Regional Promotion Seminar
Presentations from various local governments etc. (October 28, Tokyo)

Furthermore, MOFA and Japanese local governments co-organize “Diplomats' Study Tours” for the diplomatic corps in Japan, with the goal of enabling them to directly experience the attractions of each region by actually visiting them. A total of 14 individuals from diplomatic corps in Japan participated in a tour to Kazuno City in Akita Prefecture, which was held on November 18 and 19. The diplomatic corps, including ambassadors, visited historical and cultural facilities in the community, including the Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and were able to enjoy the region's abundant attractions by experiencing its traditional culture and crafts. Furthermore, a Study Tour to Koriyama collaborative core urban area in Fukushima Prefecture held on November 25 and 26 focused on the wide area of Koriyama as an assembly place of “Cutting-Edge Science and Technology” and “Revitalization of Fukushima observed in a wide area after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear disaster.” On the tour dates, 14 participants visited sites related to medicine, energy, climate change and agriculture industry, and interacted with local residents while deepening their understanding of the current state of Fukushima, which continues to develop even in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Thus far, as a result of the tours, some local governments have started exchanges and collaborations with participating countries, while others have aimed to increase the number of visitors to such communities by utilizing connections with participating diplomatic corps.

Diplomatic corps visiting the Oyu Stone Circles, a World Heritage Site in Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture, during a Diplomats' Study Tour (November 19, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture)

Diplomatic corps listening to an explanation about the Great East Japan Earthquake while visiting Commutan Fukushima during a Diplomats' Study Tour (November 26, Miharu Town, Fukushima Prefecture)

Moreover, MOFA provides local governments with explanations of Japan's current diplomatic policies, etc., that relate closely to international exchange activities at the regional level, and opportunities to exchange views. As a part of such activities, MOFA held the “Local Partnership Cooperation Forum” in an online format in March. At the forum, a presentation by MOFA staff on the theme of “Recent Japan-China relations and the China situation” was held, and a lively panel discussion also took place on the theme of “Strategies for promoting regions' appeal overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic: What should be done now,” with external experts presenting addresses on “Toward regional revitalization: What regions should be doing now,” “What information should be presented for inbound tourism amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Looking at the examples of local governments/DMOs,”¹ and “Finding and generating regional PR points.”

Local Partnership Cooperation Forum
Experts taking part in a panel discussion (March 2, MOFA)

With regard to projects overseas, as a way to dispel international reputational damage stemming from the Great East Japan Earthquake, together with efforts to lift and ease import restrictions, MOFA conducted the comprehensive PR program called “Project to Support Overseas Presentations to Promote the Attractiveness of Regions” in China, which supports the promotion of the attractiveness of Japanese regions, the promotion of exports of products from various regions in Japan, and the promotion of tourism, as part of regional revitalization, in formats that included disseminating information online. With the aim of allowing Chinese consumers to better experience the charms of Japan's local regions, including tourism, culture and cuisine while in China, short movies shot in the various Japanese locations by the 67 participating local governments were posted on the account of the Embassy of Japan in China with Chinese social media platform Weibo during the period of this program. In addition, MOFA provided support, such as information dissemination for sales and promotional activities related to Japanese cuisine and specialties conducted by retailers, Japanese restaurants and wholesalers based in China.

Okayama Prefecture's PR movie that was posted on the social media account of the Embassy of Japan in China during the Project to Support Overseas Presentations to Promote the Attractiveness of Regions

“Regional Promotion Projects” were also conducted on a total of two occasions in Asia as measures to support local governments in promoting the development of local industries and regional economies through the attractiveness of each region by making use of Japan's diplomatic facilities overseas. At a reception to promote the charms of Fukushima Prefecture, Yamanashi Prefecture and Oita Prefecture that was held at the official residence of the Consul-General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City in January, the three prefectures introduced the attractiveness of their specialties and tourist destinations in a seminar format, and presented specialties such as Japanese sake and Shochu, Japanese amberjack, shiitake mushrooms and pears at sampling and tasting booths. This event was also covered by local media, and the attractiveness of the participating local regions was widely conveyed. In September the official residence of the Consul-General of Japan in Shenyang held a “live-streamed PR project for local specialties” with the cooperation of the Dalian Toyama Office and Iwate Prefecture Dalian Office, and used an online format to introduce traditional handicrafts such as Takaoka lacquerware from Toyama Prefecture and Nambu ironware from Iwate Prefecture, while also showcasing the tourism and culture of these regions. Two-way exchanges were also held, including a question-and-answer session with viewers, and in total, more than 11,000 viewers deepened their understanding of the two prefectures.

In addition, on the occasion of the receptions for celebrating the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor, which are held at diplomatic missions overseas every year, Japanese attractions such as local productions and events are presented. Due to the impact of COVID-19, in 2021, many diplomatic missions cancelled these receptions or switched to holding them online, a total of 50 local governments attended these occasions in 24 diplomatic facilities to offer information on their attractiveness.

Furthermore, MOFA has been supporting international exchanges between both Japanese and foreign local governments through various initiatives such as sister-city exchanges between Japanese local governments and their counterparts overseas and the Host Town Initiative for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. Specifically, in order to support the international activities of local governments and municipal communities, Japanese diplomats visit sister cities of Japanese municipalities in their assigned countries or regions and share opinions with officials responsible for international and economic affairs. The heads of Japanese diplomatic missions also visit local municipalities in Japan to have dialogues on the activities related to the sister city or the Host Town Initiative or deliver lectures prior to their departure for new posts or when they temporarily return to Japan (see the Column on page 354). In cases where any foreign local governmental bodies wish to newly establish sister-city relationships with any Japanese municipal communities, MOFA supports them by providing the related information to the respective prefectures and ordinance-designated cities, and conducting indirect support by promoting the initiative on the website of “Local Partnership Cooperation” (named “Glocal (global and local) Diplomatic Network”²) on MOFA's website.

In addition to the “Glocal Diplomatic Network,” as public relations media for showcasing regional cooperation initiatives, MOFA also distributes Monthly Glocal News,³ a monthly e-mail newsletter, and posts information via Twitter.⁴ Via these PR media, MOFA not only presents information on its regional cooperation projects, but also introduces sister-city exchanges and Host Town exchanges conducted by various local governments, regional revitalization from the perspective of foreigners, and episodes concerned with various other international exchanges.

Additionally, as part of the overseas promotion activities for Japanese alcoholic beverages (Japanese sake, wine, shochu, awamori, etc.) produced in various parts of Japan, the diplomatic missions are actively engaged in promoting their charms, by offering tasting occasions at official dinners/lunches with government leaders of the assigned countries or foreign diplomatic corps, and by using Japanese sake on the occasion of making toasts at grand events such as the receptions for celebrating the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor.

MOFA is also working to respond to the growing demands for issues such as water treatment, waste disposal, urban transportation and anti-pollution measures caused as a result of rapid economic development in developing countries. These efforts involve making use of ODA and leveraging Japanese local governments' experience and expertise, as well as conducting development cooperation using outstanding technologies and products from local SMEs. Through these efforts, MOFA provides support for matching these countries' development needs with companies' products and technologies. These efforts not only contribute to the global outreach of Japanese local companies and the development of globally competent human resources, but also to vitalizing regional economies and the Japanese economy as a whole.

• 1 DMO: Destination Management/Marketing Organization
• 2 “Glocal Diplomatic Network,” MOFA website:
  https://www.mofa.go.jp/ms/lpc/page25e_000167.html
  
• 3 Local Partnership Cooperation Division's e-mail newsletter “Monthly Glocal News”:
  https://www.mofa.go.jp/ms/lpc/page25e_000219.html
  
• 4 Local Partnership Cooperation Division's Twitter account:
  https://twitter.com/localmofa
  

Former President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid and Saku City Mayor Yanagida Seiji (Photo: Karli Saul)

At the opening ceremony for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 (the Tokyo 2020 Games), the delegation of the Republic of Moldova wore silk scarf handkerchiefs produced in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, which was one of its Host Towns. The delegation of the Republic of Rwanda likewise demonstrated the spirit of friendship by entering the stadium holding gentian flowers, which are a specialty of Hachimantai City, Iwate Prefecture, and were also what led it to being registered as a Host Town. Furthermore, when the Republic of Estonia's delegation entered the stadium, the television broadcast explained that a staff member of Estonian Embassy in Japan had by chance found a road sign for Saku City, Nagano Prefecture, on an expressway, and that an identically-named city exists in Estonia, which led to the establishment of the sister-city relations and Host Town registration. The broadcast also showed episodes about the visit of the former President of Estonia to Saku City during the Games.

A Shimabara City resident performing the German national anthem on the flute from outside a sports field (Photo: Shimabara City)

Kota Town residents holding up “Allez! Haïti!” messages (Photo: Kota Town)

Ultimately, 533 Japanese Host Towns were registered against 185 partner countries and regions. The COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to undertake the exchanges that had initially been envisaged. Nevertheless, ongoing exchanges were realized as a result of each of the Japanese Host Towns racking its brains to assemble a variety of ideas that included holding online exchanges with athletes and sending them video messages of support, as well as providing welcoming dishes of partner country and local foods, which were conceived and arranged by locals.

These exchanges created emotional connections between people.

Shimabara City, Nagasaki Prefecture, hosted Germany's Paralympic track-and-field delegation. While it was not possible for residents to interact directly with the athletes, a resident nevertheless came up with the idea of performing the German national anthem on the flute trying to convey her city's heartfelt feelings of support, and the athletes who were about to complete their training at a sports field were deeply impressed by the beautiful tune. In Kota Town, Aichi Prefecture, during an online exchange event held just after the passing away of the President of Haiti the Host Town partner country, at that time, residents tried to encourage them by holding up messages saying “Go! Haiti! (Allez! Haïti!).” Furthermore, immediately following the major earthquake that struck Haiti in August, the town offered its assistance by setting up a collection box at its town hall in order to gather donations for the victims. Even though the Games ended, there has been a widening movement to cultivate ties with the people of partner countries and regions: Soja City, Okayama Prefecture, which hosted Guinea-Bissau's women's Judo representative athlete, collected unused stationery from residents aiming to present to children in Guinea-Bissau.

MOFA, seeking to boost momentum for exchanges and more effectively sharing the appeal of the Host Towns to the world including the partner countries and regions, also appointed influencers from the respective countries in order to create “Short movies about the charms of Host Towns”^(Note) for 16 Host Towns nationwide. Furthermore, under MOFA's “Japan's Friendship Ties Programs,” Caribbean Community (CARICOM) young diplomats and government officials interacted online with a number of Host Towns in Kagoshima Prefecture, and exchanged views on coastal environmental conservation by visiting the respective Japanese local towns in a virtual tour format. Exchanges were also deepened as a result of interaction of Lao students with Ise City in Mie Prefecture, discussing the local charms and initiatives in the fields of agriculture and fisheries. Furthermore, diplomatic missions abroad also provided proactive support, such as contributing to the hosting of pre-Games training camps by providing accurate information on partner countries and undertaking careful coordination between Japanese Host Towns. Sometimes the heads of the missions himself/herself, in order to support Host Town relations, participated in human exchanges and, after the closing of the Games, had an exchange of views with partner country officials on developments going forward.

In this way, each of the Host Towns has its own stories of various exchanges, and those stories undoubtedly linger in the hearts of the athletes, residents and all involved.

Each closing ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Games concluded with a magnificent fireworks display, and it seemed that the Host Town exchanges also appeared to blossom magnificently along with these fireworks. Before long, those flowers will undoubtedly bear seeds, and generate deeper colors by allowing new flowers to bloom at the next stages.

As if verifying that, moves are afoot among the Japanese Host Towns to seek out academic exchanges and sister-city relations with partner countries and regions in order to continue to deepen exchanges for years to come. Various ideas are emerging, including plans for the Japanese Host Towns to work together and jointly cheer on the athletes of their partner countries when they compete at international sports competitions. Such ongoing exchanges are sure to produce further connections between people's hearts, and usher in a warm future. If each and every person engages in exchanges, it will contribute to making them want to know more about their counterparts and to become more involved. This cumulative outcome is the very thing that will genuinely give rise to “All-Japan” diplomacy that is supported by each and every citizen.

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• Note: Short movies about the charms of Host Towns posted by high-profile influencers! (MOFA)
  https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/local/page23_003415.html
  A total of 16 movies were made and posted: Kushiro City in Hokkaido and Vietnam; Nishimeya Village in Aomori Prefecture and Italy; Hachimantai City in Iwate Prefecture and Rwanda; Akita Prefecture, Odate City, Semboku City and Misato Town and Thailand; Murayama City in Yamagata Prefecture and Bulgaria; Katashina Village in Gunma Prefecture and Honduras; Tokamachi City in Niigata Prefecture and Croatia; Fujiyoshida City in Yamanashi Prefecture and France; Nagano Prefecture with six cities and towns in the Prefecture and China; Ama Town, Nishinoshima Town and Chibu Village^(Note1) in Shimane Prefecture and Micronesia; Saga Prefecture, Saga City and Ureshino City and the Netherlands and Finland;^(Note2) Kumamoto Prefecture and Indonesia; Okinawa City in Okinawa Prefecture and New Zealand; Iwanuma City in Miyagi Prefecture and South Africa; Yaizu City in Shizuoka Prefecture and Mongolia; and Ehime Prefecture, Matsuyama City, Tobe Town and Malaysia.
  Note1: Okinoshima Town in Shimane Prefecture was added as a registered Host Town after the movies had been produced.
  Note2: Saga Prefecture was the Host Town for the Netherlands, Fiji, New Zealand, Thailand and Finland, Saga City was the Host Town for the Netherlands, Fiji, New Zealand and Finland, and Ureshino City was the Host Town for the Netherlands, Fiji, and New Zealand.