Since 1993, Japan Intercultural Academy of Municipalities (JIAM) has continued to progress as a training institution that provides cutting-edge, advanced, and specialized knowledge and skills to mayors, officials of municipal governments, municipal assembly members, and other supporters of local autonomy across Japan. In the 2024 fiscal year, we hosted approximately 6,000 training participants, the same level as in the previous fiscal year, with the total number of participants since our opening exceeding 125,000. This is due to your generous support and cooperation, for which we would like to express our sincere appreciation.

The situation surrounding Japan is becoming increasingly severe, as indicated not only by an increasing worsening population decline, an ageing society, rising prices, and the increase in the frequency and intensification of disasters, but also by concerns over an unpredictable international situation. Standing on the front lines to support the lives of their residents, municipal governments are called upon to boldly respond to these drastic changes in the social environment and the many challenges that await them in order to create sustainable local communities in which everyone can live comfortably.

Accordingly, it is necessary for each and every person involved in the public sector to improve their problem-solving capabilities. At JIAM, we offer training programs that are designed to meet the needs of our program participants, such as the cultivation of a broad perspective that covers international affairs, the ability to flexibly respond to changes in the times, the planning skills to discover and solve local issues, as well as the formation of a professional, nationwide network both inside and outside local governments. In FY2025, in order to address the expansion of the areas of interest of local governments, we are organizing more than 100 training programs based on a wide variety of themes, such as improving organizational strength through human resource management and promoting digital transformation.

JIAM is located in Karasaki, Otsu City. Overlooking Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan, and in close proximity to Mount Hiei, a sacred site in Japanese Buddhism, Otsu City enjoys an advantageous location adjacent to Kyoto, a former capital with a history of 1,000 years. These features have enabled the city to play an important role in the nation's political and cultural history since ancient times. Situated in this ideal location for human resource development and training, JIAM draws many people and helps them to learn and interact, producing achievements that will serve as a powerful driving force to solve local problems.

If you have enthusiasm and motivation, please come and visit JIAM. Our staff is looking forward to welcoming as many people as possible from municipalities across the country to participate in our training.

KOIKE Nobuyuki
President
Japan Intercultural Academy of Municipalities

July 2025