President’s Greeting

Welcome to the JIAM homepage.

I am deeply grateful to the many individuals and organizations which, on an on-going basis, cooperate with and support JIAM’s work.
In order to provide superior, specialized training to municipal personnel (among others) throughout the country, the Japan Municipal Training and Research Foundation was created on October 1, 2008 as the new administrative body, responsible for JIAM’s management.

In response to changes caused by government decentralization at the regional level, more than ever before, it is essential for local governments to develop flexible human resources possessing the volition and skills required in an era of rapid change. Together with other affiliated training institutions, JIAM offers a specialized and scientific curriculum that is designed to promote regional growth and social services by nurturing effective human resources at the municipal level throughout the country.

Local governments, feeling the impact of changes in the environment that are resulting from globalization, declining population, and decentralization, are seeking new management methods that are both effective and efficient.
To satisfy this need, training styles solely targeting government personnel have proved to be outdated. Thus, widening the scope of our work in a way that includes mayors, assembly members, municipal personnel, members of locally vital NPOs, and even individual residents striving to improve their localities, is of great importance.

For this reason, serving as a comprehensive training institute dedicated to raising the level of local government administrative skills, JIAM offers:

1）	Training designed to increase the overall regional management skills of elected mayors and assembly members;
2）	Hands-on training opportunities for municipal personnel to think, act, and then evaluate the results of their efforts; and
3）	Opportunities for NPOs to train staff in regional problem-solving so as to enable effective cooperation with municipal offices.

At the foot of Mount Hiei, facing Lake Biwa, JIAM is blessed with a tranquil environment, a substantial facility with superlative instructional equipment, and is conveniently located just fifteen minutes from Kyoto Station. I earnestly hope that all those concerned will continue to take full advantage of the invaluable learning opportunities available.

Yasuhiko Ichihashi, President
July 2010