Relay Talk

Corinne Mckeown (Coordinator for International Relations, Prefectural Government of Kagawa)

A more digital Kagawa

I came to Kagawa Prefecture in December of 2021.
Since then I have been living in Takamatsu City working as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) in the International Affairs Division of the Kagawa Prefectural Government. Before I came here, I was living in my hometown of Birmingham, located in the West Midlands of England.
I majored in Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield, and in my third year I went to Osaka to study at the Center for Japanese Language and Culture at Osaka University for just under a year. As such, I’d say I’ve gotten used to Japanese culture, and life in Japan, for the most part. Working in Japan, though, is of course quite different to studying here, and I can’t help but compare Takamatsu to Birmingham.

Birmingham City Council House,
Victoria Square, Birmingham

Birmingham is the second biggest city in the United Kingdom, so I’m sure you can imagine how different it is to Takamatsu in terms of size, population, etc. I’ve been very happy here in the relaxed environment of Kagawa, away from the rain of the United Kingdom, and there are very few things that trouble me in my everyday life. For the most part, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by life here, but working in a Japanese office, I’ve noticed something of a trend.
Paper. Everything on paper.
In the U.K., almost everything is done online. Want to change your bank account? Online. Applying for paid leave at work? Online. Paying your bills? Online.

Attendance record etc.

I had never even seen a fax machine before working here.
It’s a shame to see all of the paper being used in our office, and I imagine in all other offices like it. I know that Kagawa is working towards being greener, and it’s a great honor to have the G7 Sustainable Urban Development Ministers’ Meeting here in July, so it’s my hope that Kagawa can take this opportunity to develop into a more sustainable prefecture. Ideally, all of the paper being used should be being recycled, but can we be 100% sure that it is?

Even if all of this paper is being recycled, or reused, we need to think about convenience, also. How much time does it take to print out a document, add some handwritten notes, find the fax number for the recipient, place it in the fax machine, enter the number, and wait for it to go through? Now imagine how much time it takes to open a file, type in some comments, and email said document to the recipient. I think we can all agree on which method wins in terms of speed and convenience.
When applying for paid leave here in the office, I need to fill out a form by hand, stamp it with my hanko (a personalized stamp used in place of a signature), have that form checked by my supervisor, they stamp it with their hanko, and then that paid leave gets entered into our schedule, in the form of an excel sheet. Would it not be quicker and easier to have the system for paid leave online, where these changes to schedules can be changed automatically?

Kagawa is a beautiful prefecture, with so much history, culture, and excellent local products. Takamatsu is an easily accessible city, with almost everything you need in life a walk or short train ride away. But I think it’s time to bring Kagawa into the future, to create a more digital, online prefecture. We can save so much paper, and time.
I hope we can use the G7 Sustainable Urban Development Ministers’ Meeting as a starting off point to think more about what it is to be green, and sustainable.
Let’s work together to create a more digital Kagawa!

Relay Talk

Corinne Mckeown (Coordinator for International Relations, Prefectural Government of Kagawa)

A more digital Kagawa

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