Japanese Government's Cooperation to Asia in the field of Information and Communications Technology (IT)

November 2001
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan

Overview: Japanese Government considers that IT is crucial area for development of economy. The Japanese Government has already been extending more than US$1.2 billion assistance program in IT area.

I. Human Resources Development

1. AUN/SEED-Net (ASEAN University Network/Southeast Asia Engineering Development Network)

The Japanese Government supports ASEAN in strengthening higher engineering education by constructing a network of top-level universities of all ASEAN countries. This project intends to facilitate human resources development and exchange in the field of engineering and was inaugurated in April 2001 in Bangkok.

2. Contribution to the ADB aimed at promoting IT in the developing countries of Asia and Pacific region

The Japanese Government decided to contribute for this fiscal year about 1,270 million yen to the ADB. This contribution will help the developing countries of Asia and Pacific region in promoting IT through the ADB.

3. ASEAN SchoolNet Pilot

The Japanese Government supports the e-ASEAN Task Force in the creation of the ASEAN SchoolNet through a grant of Japan Social Development Fund in the World Bank. This grant is aimed at providing 5 ASEAN countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam) with the opportunity to pilot the WorLD (World Links for Development) Program, so that e-ASEAN can draw upon WorLD's experience and create successfully ASEAN SchoolNet.

4. Establishment of the Common Scheme of Skill Standards for IT Engineers (Human Resource Development, Institutional Infrastructure Development)

In order to develop the abilities of IT engineers, facilitate exchange among them and alliances among IT-related enterprises in Asia, the Japanese Government will contribute to establish systems with a standard for skill development and objective level evaluation of IT engineers -- e.g. a system like the Japanese ones.

For these purposes, the Japanese Government is ready provide Asian countries with samples and know-how of IT engineer examination in Japan, and skill standards for the examination, in order to promote the mutual recognition of the skill standards among Asian countries.

5. Asia e-Learning Initiative

Given Asia's abundant pool of skilled labor, by making ambitious use of ICT for human resources and educational development, so called 'e-learning,' can contribute importantly to effective skill development and enhance industrial competitiveness. The Japanese Government should thus initiate Asian cooperation as soon as possible as to facilitate the spread of 'e-learning.' Only the cooperation of all the countries in Asia can create a pan-Asian environment conducive to the trans-border development of educational materials and services. Specifically, the Japanese Government will appoint liaison officers for sustained cooperation on (a) sharing information on the latest e-learning trends and technologies; (b) building consensus to ensure interoperability of e-learning systems and materials, and (c) ensuring the quick spread of knowledge and efficient use of 'e-learning' throughout all of Asia, and will form Asia e-learning network with certain contact points.

6. Japanese Funds-in-Trust for Promotion of ICT/IT in Education for All

The Japanese Government will provide Funds-in-Trust to UNESCO in order to implement training course of the effective usage of IT in Education for school teachers and other professionals in Asia and Pacific region.

7. Japan-ESCAP Cooperation in the field of IT related Human Capacity Building

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is aware that the emerging trends of the information revolution would reinforce existing disparities and create new ones among countries. The Japanese Government, sharing such concerns with ESCAP, decided to finance the projects of ESCAP this year to promote the use of IT in the Greater Mekong Sub-region as well as the Pacific Island Countries through human capacity building.

8. Establishment of Personnel Cooperation Center (Grant Aid)

8.1 Viet Nam (total 777 million yen)

8.2 Loas (783 million yen)

9. Technical Cooperation

9.1 Results (the numbers indicate participants in the whole world; the results in JFY 2000)

9.2 Assistance to third countries through IT advanced countries (JSPP21)

II. Promoting the Utilization of IT in Development Assistance

It is considered highly effective to build a system utilizing the up-to-date IT to overcome the constraint of time and distance when such technical assistance as dispatch of experts or training is implemented. From this point of view, Japan intends to construct bases for a network of distance technical cooperation called 'J-NET.'

This system aims at extending timely and flexible technical cooperation and policy advice to the developing countries, by linking the core centers in Tokyo and Okinawa and satellite centers to be set up at human resource building bases in developing countries through technologies such as satellite communications. It is planned that satellite centers will be established in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in JFY2001.

III. IT related projects in the ASEAN-Japan Centre

The ASEAN-Japan Centre in Tokyo plans to expand and enhance its information capability by utilizing the latest technology of information and communication. For this project, the Japanese Government allocated 50,838,000 yen from FY 2001 budget.

The purposes of the project are outlined as follows;

• to create a new internet web-site in the Centre's homepage in which various ASEAN export products are virtually displayed and detailed information and data on ASEAN export companies are shown in Japanese as well, facilitating the Japanese importers to expand their imports from ASEAN countries. At the same time, investment related information and data in the homepage will also be expanded and deepened to further promote Japan's investment to ASEAN.
• to create a new internet web-site in the Centre's homepage on tourism that includes information delivery of vivid images of famous tourism spots in ASEAN countries, by which more Japanese people will be induced to make travel to ASEAN countries.

IV. Cooperation by OOF (Other Official Flows)

1. Export Loans (Loans to the export of plants and technologies by Japanese firms)

As of June 30, 2001, the Government of Japan, through Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), has conducted 2 export loans to Asian countries including the following loan; - August 2000, loan (buyer's credit) to 1st Silicon (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysian Corporation) for its project on building a water fabrication plant for semiconductors.

2. Overseas Investment Loans (Loans to overseas investment undertaken by Japanese firms)

As of June 30, 2001, the Government of Japan, through Japan Bank for International Cooperation, has conducted 13 investment loans including the following 2 loans; - February, 2001, loan to a Philippine enterprise, established by a Japanese corporation, for its business on production and sales of electronic components such as integrated circuits and other related products - August, 2000, loan to an Indonesian enterprise, established by a Japanese corporation, for its business on production and sales of semiconductor products which are used for PCs and cellular phones

V. IT Cooperation Conferences hosted by Japan

1. The Japanese Government organized following conferences on IT cooperation.

1.1 Japan-ASEAN Consultation (15 September, 2001, Tokyo)
1.2 Japan-China-ROK Working Group Meeting (16 September, 2001, Okayama)
1.3 East Asia IT Cooperation Conference (17 September, 2001, Okayama)

2. Dr. Heizo Takenaka, Cabinet Minister for IT Policy, chaired 1st Asia IT Ministers' Conference on 28 October, 2001, in Hong Kong.

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