Microsoft Innovation Center Report 2010-2011 vol.12
Local Revitalization Program in Chiba: Achievement Report Session
Published: May 13, 2011
Japanese >>
March 8th, 2011, Hotel Port Plaza Chiba (Chiba, Chiba prefecture)
Chiba prefecture and Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan, co-signers of a memorandum to cooperate in the Regional Vitalization Collaboration Program, held Chiba prefecture/Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan, Local Revitalization Program Achievement Report Session to confirm the achievements of the Program during the last year. The achievements of activities for IT venture companies, senior citizens, NPOs and security awareness were reported to a large number of Chiba citizens.
On This Page
Event to Confirm Chiba Prefecture and Microsoft’s Collaborative Achievements
 | I am pleased by Microsoft President Higuchi’s positive remarks on our achievements through the Local Revitalization Program. I believe our fellow citizens will make the best use of what they gained in the last year to energize Chiba prefecture. |  | | Kensaku Morita
(Governor, Chiba prefecture)
| | |
Chiba prefecture and Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan signed a memorandum for a Local Revitalization Program last year. Since the two parties signed the memorandum on February 17th, 2010, to vitalize Chiba through utilizing ICT, Chiba prefecture and Microsoft had offered four joint programs: IT Human Resources Development Assistance Program, NPO Capacity Building Program, Active Senior Program and Security Awareness Program.
At the achievement report session held at Hotel Port Plaza Chiba on March 8th, 2011, the accomplishments of the Local Revitalization Program in the last year were reported. In addition, winners of Senior Citizen’s Short Movie Award, a part of Active Senior Program, were announced and a lecture by Yasuyuki Higuchi (CEO and President, Microsoft Co Ltd., Japan) was held.
“In the last year, we received great support from Microsoft and its employees to revitalize Chiba prefecture by utilizing ICT,” spoke Kensaku Morita (Governor, Chiba prefecture), “I am pleased by Microsoft President Higuchi’s positive remarks on our achievements through the Local Revitalization Program. I believe our fellow citizens will make the best use of what they gained in the last year to energize Chiba prefecture. We will have a lecture by President Higuchi today. Let us re-acknowledge the potential of IT and utilize this knowledge in Chiba.”
Great Achievements via Collaboration Program: Expectation for Further Voluntary Activities
| | I believe you will achieve greater success in the future provided all of you here keep utilizing ICT to drive your local area revitalization activities. | | | Yasuyuki Higuchi
(CEO & President, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan)
| | |
Following the Senior Short Movie Contest Award winner announcement, Yasuyuki Higuchi (CEO & President, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan) delivered the memorial lecture, Future Possibilities with IT. With a demo video about healthcare, Higuchi illustrated how future lives could change by utilizing existing ICT technologies to the maximum extent.
Based on his own background, Higuchi also pointed out business challenges in today’s Japan. He discussed how standardization and globalization are essential for the IT industry in Japan to participate in the global market.
“Although it is possible to make profit in a traditional business operation by reducing costs and streamlining organizational structure,” Higuchi spoke, “We cannot expect an enhanced competitive edge. Japan has advanced technical skills and the integrity to respect customers. By utilizing these advantages in a wider range of fields, in addition to standardizing and modernizing, Japan would gain an even greater reputation by rolling out business operations with a global perspective.”
The Local Revitalization Program is designed to vitalize a particular region by utilizing ICT, and Microsoft has long worked together with a number of local governments in various activities, including support for human resource development, local area economic revitalization, and social participation. In the one-year collaboration with Chiba prefecture, many different activities were held that obtained remarkable results, including some voluntary activities the prefecture will continue to manage.
“Throughout the last year, we have engaged in various activities with people in Chiba to achieve local area revitalization by utilizing ICT,” President Higuchi continued, “and I am pleased to see such great achievements that we may need to revise our existing plan. Whether or not these successful activities would continue after this program comes to an end, however, depends on the growth of the regional leaders. I believe you will achieve greater success in the future provided all of you here keep utilizing ICT to drive your local area revitalization activities.”
Re-acknowledging Advanced Knowledge and Technical Skills Chiba’s Citizens
| | Not only do the leaders of each program have great knowledge about ICT, but the citizens do, too. It was quite an experience to collaborate with you all and we learned a lot from it. | | | Masumi Makino
(Citizenship Lead, The office of the President, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan)
| | |
In the Local Revitalization Program offered by Chiba prefecture and Microsoft, a total of 2,600 people attended at various seminars and other activities. Of the seminars offered by IT Human Resources Development Assistance Program, 30 people attended the Next Generation IT Seminar, 53 the Cutting-Edge Technical Training, and 550 the On-Campus Seminar. In NPO Capacity Building Program, 194 people attended the IT Leader Development Session and 186 the IT Usage Session. In addition, campaign events are underway by ICT 31, a group founded by 31 IT leaders, and the group plans to continue its activities in the future.
“Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan has collaborated with over 35 local governments,” spoke Masumi Makino (Citizenship Lead, The office of the President, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan), “We have worked together with people in Chiba for IT Venture Support Program since 2004. In our collaboration over the last year, we learned again that people in Chiba have quite advanced knowledge and skills. Not only do the leaders of each program have great knowledge about ICT, but the citizens do, too. It was quite an experience to collaborate with you all and we learned a lot from it.”
Tomoko Tobe (Director General, Residential Activity & Cultural Division of the Environmental & Social Affairs Department, Chiba prefecture) and Masumi Makino (Citizenship Lead, The office of the President, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan) reported the achievements of these collaborative activities to the audience. Reports by the participants of the programs were also delivered.
| Collaboration Activities report | • | Achievement Report: Local Revitalization Program
Reported by Tomoko Tobe (Director General, Residential Activity & Cultural Division of the Environmental & Social Affairs Department, Chiba prefecture) and Masumi Makino (Citizenship Lead, The office of the President, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan)
| Reports from participants | • | IT Human Resources Development Assistance Program ( Industrial Promotion Division of the Commerce, Industry & Labor Department, Chiba prefecture)
Aiming at revitalizing regional IT industry and creating new employment opportunities, seminars and training sessions for IT companies and their engineers were held to develop companies and human resources capable of adopting next generation IT technologies.
Reported by Rai Kamata (Student, Department of Environmental Information, Tokyo University of Information Sciences)
| | • | NPO Capacity Building Program (Residential Activity & Cultural Division of the Environmental & Social Affairs Department, Chiba prefecture)
Aiming to strengthen the foundations on which NPOs autonomously and continuously conduct activities, sessions on how to utilize IT (to create documents for self-promotion, conduct conference and events, and so on) were held for NPOs and their supporter organizations.
Reported by Yoko Nabeshima and Harumi Shimura (Specified Nonprofit Organization Chiba Citizenship Activity/Citizenship Project Support Club)
| | • | Active Senior Program (Senior Citizen Welfare Division of the Health and Welfare Department, and Residential Activity & Cultural Division of the Environmental & Social Affairs Department, Chiba prefecture)
To help senior citizens participate in local area revitalization and lead active social lives, various sessions were held, including PC 101 for senior citizens and instructor skill-building sessions for organizations working for ICT diffusion.
Reported by Akira Horie (Ichiekai, Funabashi Class)
| | • | Security Awareness Program (Information Network Division of the General Affairs Department, Chiba prefecture)
Aiming at promoting a safe IT environment, Chiba Regional IT Promotion Association held basic security skill training sessions for people in Chiba to use the Internet securely, and other activities to recruit and foster regional IT leaders.
Reported by Takao Osada (E-administrative Promotion Section of the Planning Department, Funabashi City Office) | |