We Are Tomodachi Spring / Summer 2018

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13The town of Kutchan, located a two-and-a-half hour drive from New Chitose Airport, is one of Japan’s top ski resorts. Kutchan has become internationally recognized for its high-quality powder snow and scenic landscapes, and the number of foreign tourists has risen dramatically over the past 20 years. Luxury condominiums are being built in rapid succession thanks to foreign direct investment, transforming the town into an international resort.Kutchan Mayor Eiji Nishie explains, “In order to prevent disorderly development, we take the landscape into account in our planning, for example by restricting the height of buildings to that of local trees. This has benefitted our town’s reputation overseas and attracted more foreign investment.”The town has worked hard to make life easier for non-Japanese visitors, including by providing foreign language services at its general hospital. Since tourism is a highly seasonal industry, Kutchan has also implemented measures to attract conventions during the off-season and become an all-year resort. “The entire town has made great efforts to become even more hospitable towards our guests, putting up additional guidance signs and enhancing Wi-Fi coverage. We’ll be able to treat everyone to a stress-free stay for the upcoming G20 ministerial meeting, and we hope to make the meeting an opportunity for all participants, including ministers, to share examples of their own difficulties and successes in promoting tourism,” says Mayor Nishie. Evolving into One of Japan’s Preeminent International ResortsTourism Ministers’ Meeting (Kutchan, Hokkaido Prefecture)Eiji Nishie, Mayor of KutchanBorn in Hokkaido in 1963. Became mayor in 2015, after serving as Kutchan’s Construction Section Manager and in other positions.Kutchan supports the development of luxury condominiums and hotels, while enforcing strict environmental standards. Ibaraki Prefecture is located in the vicinity of Tokyo, and the region boasts agriculture and manufacturing that are not only highly developed, but also highly in balance. Furthermore, the ministerial meeting’s host city of Tsukuba is known as Japan’s leading science city, with scores of cutting-edge technologies. Roughly 8,700 non-Japanese researchers and students representing about 140 countries live in this international city. Tsukuba enjoys easy access from Tokyo, located only about 45 minutes from the city center by train.Ibaraki Prefecture Governor Kazuhiko Oigawa explains, “We’re taking advantage of the favorable conditions in Ibaraki to pursue efforts that are ahead of other prefectures’ in order to further boost our industry and cultivate future leaders.” Examples of these efforts include Ibaraki’s approaches to resolving social issues through the use of innovative digital technologies such as autonomous driving and robotics, and fostering human resources with the help of digital equipment.“Through the upcoming meeting, I hope to promote Tsukuba to the world as a cutting-edge technological hub while showcasing Ibaraki Prefecture’s beautiful nature, and enable this region to show the world the way forward for global economic partnerships and digital technology utilization,” says Governor Oigawa.A Science City and Hub of Cutting-Edge TechnologyMinisterial Meeting on Trade and Digital Economy (Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture)Kazuhiko Oigawa, Governor of Ibaraki PrefectureBorn in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture in 1964. Joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (the present Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) in 1988. Left the Ministry in 2003 and served in positions such as Director of DWANGO Co., Ltd., before assuming the office of Governor of Ibaraki Prefecture in September 2017.Ibaraki is devoted to the use of robotics and digital technology for educating its next generation of skilled professionals.Ibaraki Pref.