,~----",~

·erie cesCLAY PEARSON / cm MANAGER, THE CITY OF NOVl, MICHIGAN

n October

I 2007. I visitedTokyo and

Sendai (MiyagiPrefecture), as partof a two-week

study fellowship.My wife. Jenniferand I represented the InternationalCity/County Management Association(ICMA) in comprising the 2007 Il­member delegation from the U.SA. andCanada. The Japan trip is hosted underthe auspices of an internationalizationeffort of Japanese prefecture

governments. Active with organizations

around the world. our host, the Councilof Local Authorities for InternationalRelations (ClAIR) provides educationand exchanges from Japanesegovernment and schools to and nom

Japan.A major theme of the study tour

was quality economic development auniversal worldwide goal amongstcommunities. At each stop in Japan withgovernment and business leaders. Idistributed materials (aU in Japanese)about the State of Michigan and the Cityof Novi. These items were alwaysenthusiastically and graciously received.With Novi being a strong center ofJapanese culture and with the expatriatesand Japanese-Americans we host, theexperience was particularly beneficial.We look forward to further strengtheningour cultural and economic ties betweenNovi and Japan. Recently, the E."CecutiveDirectot of JLGC (CLAIR, NY), Mt.Hiroshi Sasaki led a group of several ofhis incoming New York stafl" members toNovi in March 2008.

The experience provided a wealthof knowledge about Japanese state andlocal governments, as well as its cultureand people. Our itinerary was filled withofficial lectures, site visits, and a homestay weekend with a most graciousJapanese f.unily in Senda.i City. We werewarmly welcomed and met with theGovernor of Miyagi, the Mayor ofSendaiCity (population 1.2 million), severalentrepreneurs from business incubators,the president of the Toyota Tohokll Plan,

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engineers from a jet propulsion lab, thepresident ofa local food processing plant,and leaders of Tohoku University. Therewas entertainment and site-seeing tours;including one karaoke b,lr excursion, andtrips to incredible temples, and naturalareas, such as the gorgeous MatsushimaBay.

Japan and its cities are amazingplaces of "Ultras", Ultra-ftiendly, -clean,-safe, -industrious, ~organized, and ­focused. The experience was invaluableas a first-hand £Oue which will help mebetter serve oue Novi-a.rea's Japaneseresidents and businesses.

There were many clearopportunities in Miyagi Prefecture.Japan's industry and investment isfocused on the area from Tokyo south toNagoya. Miyagi Prefecture lS an up-and­coming area to the north of Tokyo, anefficient 90-minute commute fromTokyo via one of the 60 bullet trainsscheduled daily. The recipe for success inMiyagi is a large skilled popuJation basesurrounded by open space and beautywith excellent ports and transportationlinks. Toyota has opened a key pansoperation there.

Tohoku University in Semlai is anational university with 18,000 students,and features advanced research institutesfocused on materials andnanotechnology. Tohoku Universityhelps give Sendai a youthfuldemogtaphic ptofile (1/3 of thepopulation is between 20 and 30 yearsold), especially compared to the rest ofthe country. Our delegation toured theirIndustry Creation Hatchery Centerwhich was newly commissioned and isscaled for immediate future growth.

There is tremendousfocus and cooperation betweencitizens, their governmem, andbusiness in Japan for manythings, including economicdevelopment. Japanesegovernment officials portrayeda definite openness and desireto host and send investment.The cooperadon of the privateand public sectors is not thesame thing as the Ministry of

Trode and Indusny which up until 2001created an iron interdependence directingprivate business. Japanese economicpolicy today seems relatively more flexibleand less stringent than past history. Infact, a recent edition of The Economist(November 29, 2007) devotes a specialsection to the Japanese hybrid policy ofincorporating the energy of Americanenterprises with a consensus culture. ]n

Tokyo, we heard lectures from Federnlgovernment officials describing a nationalgovernment strategy which focuses publicresearch support and dollars towardsleading areas for different technologies.

The northern Tohoku region ispurposefully prioritizing nanotechnology,sem.iconductors, and food production.The Miyagi Prefecture government andthe 5endai City government are closelylinked and are cooperating partners in allof their public service delivery. TheGovernor of Miyagi Prefecture and theMayor of Sendai City are friends whodescribe their working relationship as"older and younger brothers." Therewas serious policy discussion about theaging population demographics andabout welcoming foreign workers intotheir communities. There was

engagement and partnership facing thetune, familiar to U.s. local governmentears, about decreased federal assistanceand increased autonomy. There was noevidence of elected officials, once elected,of continuing to position fot partisanpoints. There was also no evidence onour brief visit of competition for creditIresults between their city, prefecture, andnational governments.

JLGC Newsletter No. 64· 02008 I'J"'" lAul Go"""m<n' c.nter

JLGC Staff Visit The City'-.AT--NA'~Mff~iKHII~

Detroit Consul General of Japan, Executflf& Director of JLGC and staff with Mayor David LBnchy

At the invitation of Clay Pearson,

Novi's City Manager. Executive

Director Hiroshi Sasaki and sixJLGC Assistant Directors including new

arrivals from CLAIR, Tokyo visited the

city of Novi, Michigan to experience the

workings of local government and

culture.

A participant of last year's CLAIR

Fellowship Program. Mr. Pearson learned

about Japanese public administration

during his stay in Tokyo and Miyagi

Prefecture. As a reciprocal gesture. Mr.Pearson afforoed the JLGC staff the

opportunity to learn about local

government policies and practices in the

city of Novi. For the newer members of

the JLGC staffwho had just arrived fromJapan to begin their two year stay in the

United States it was an early introduction

to the study of American local

government and perhaps a bit of culture

shock as well.

A reception was held for JLGC

and citizens of Novi, including Mayor

David Landry and members of the city

council greeted the group. Mayor

Landry's welcome message included a

brief introduction of the city and how it

functions.

The city of Novi IS located in

JLGC Newsletter No. 64· f>l2008 J;1pon I.o.>c>l Gow<",m.n, C.n«.

southeastern Michigan and bas a

population of about 52,000. Thirtypercent of Novi's population areJapanese, and there are quite a few

Japanese companies doing business in

Novi. Mr. Tamotsu Shinotsuka, Detroit

Consul General of Japan and Mr.

Shotaro Nakahama, Executive Director

of Japan Business Society of Detroitattended the reception, too. The city of

Novi has strong relationship with Japan.

The staff was kept busy visiting

and inspecting various organizations

and companies, an elementary school,and a hospital. I personally inspected

each administrative department and

division; including the police

department, fire department, a public

school and the office of public works. It

was refreshing to discover

similarities and differences

between the American and

Japanese systems of local

administration. quicklyrealized the value of being in

Novi and learned early on that

studying and comparing local

government administration

would help me be a better

public servant.

Perhaps the highlight

of our stay in Novi was our

groups' appearance on Novi's Cable

Television station. Executive Director

Sasaki and one member of the JLGC staff

spoke with Mr. An Topouzian,

Economic Development Manager of

Novi City and exchanged their views and

opinions regarding the differences in

local government administration

between Japan and the United States.

Our hosts arranged visits for us

with companies such as Toyoda

Boshoku, Retail ITC and theconstruction site of an emergency room

at Providence hospital. We also toured

the Ford Factory in the City of Dearborn

and sat in on a meeting of the

Engineering Society of Detriot to learn

about economic development and

medical c.-ue measures.

Mayor Landry, City Manager

Pearson and other hospitable Novi

residents graciously opened up theirhomes providing many JLGC staff

members with a valuable home stay

experience where we could observe and

participate in American family life.

Our heartfelt appreciation goes

out to the people of Novi and theirdecred representatives for their good willand hospitality. Our visit to Novi willalways occupy a special place in our

memories of living and working in the

United States.

Nov' TV appearance of JLGC staff

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