,~----",~
·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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