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| Formation
in the Northern International Interchange Bloc |
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With the progress of globalization
these days, the international society is promoting deeper interchange relations,
and the promotion of interchange is expected to increase even more. Moreover,
geographically Hokkaido is situated at the nodal point of North America,
Europe, and East Asia.
For this reason, the 6th term Hokkaido Comprehensive Development
Plan considers the formation of a Northern International Interchange Bloc
to be a major priority, especially since Hokkaido has the merit of geographic
proximity to the Russian Federation Far East area and promoting broad interchange
will contribute to progress in friendship relations between Japan and the
Russian Federation.
Especially with respect to the Sakhalin Continental Shelf and
the Oil / Natural Gas Project where crude-oil production was started in
1999, among people of various regions of Hokkaido taking part in this project,
from the aspect of backup support, there has been growing expectation. Moreover,
there has been continuing support and cooperation with friendship and economic
interchange projects between Hokkaido and the State of Sakhalin, by establishing
in 2001 the Japanese Consulate General in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the Hokkaido
Government Sakhalin Office, and the Hokkaido Business Center, in 2002 establishing
the Wakkanai City Sakhalin Office.
Securing a basic agreement for LNG purchase, signed in May,
2003, between Russia and Japan, represented by Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. and Tokyo
Electric Power Co., Inc., known as Sakhalin 2, prospective sale of natural
gas was assured, resulting in orders for large-scale construction work.
Also Hokkaido companies began to receive orders for related construction
work, and export of construction machinery increased at Wakkanai Harbor.
On top of this, the number of foreign visitors to Japan who
visited Hokkaido in 2004 rose to 427,050 persons (actual count). Divided
according to country of origin, the largest number of foreign visitors were
from Taiwan, next was China (Hong Kong) followed by South Korea. From now
on there is expected to be increasing exchange covering a variety of fields,
including international tourism as the economic development of the countries
in East Asia progresses.
Moreover, since 1992, the Hokkaido Development Bureau, as a
part of the Official Development Assistance (ODA), has accepted the foreign
engineer training project conducted by Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA).
The purpose of this training is to master comprehensive technology,
which includes plan decision and project implementation, for developing
country executive officials who are in charge of regional development. In
2004 this training project accepted 33 trainees from 12 countries. From
1992 to 2004 this project accepted a total of 595 trainees from 51 countries.
From now on international cooperative activities responding
to regional development needs in developing countries will continue. |
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