The Seminar, attended by over 300 guests, including representatives from six sister ports and eight African countries, was held in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Port of Yokohama. It began with remarks by Messrs. Hiroshi Nakada, Mayor of Yokohama, Eiji Hashimoto, Director of JICA, and Gichiri Ndua, President of the IAPH. The keynote address was delivered by Mr. Tsunenari Tokugawa, Chairman of the Port of Yokohama Promotion Association whose presentation traced the history of Japan from the Warring States Period to the opening of Japan, paying particular attention to Japan's contacts with the outside world during this time. Mr. Tokugawa explained that the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, of whom Mr. Tokugawa is a descendant, was not inherently abhorrent to foreign contact, and Japan was closed due to the sale of firearms in Japan by Jesuit missionaries. Even with self-imposed isolation, Japan's culture and economy flourished during this period due to low taxes, political stability and education for almost all men as well as a significant proportion of women.

Working Session 1

 

Working Session 1 featured presentations on port sustainability and environmental challenges by representatives of the Ports of Shanghai, Vancouver and Melbourne, as well as the Ports Authority of South Africa. Community and local government engagement in the environmental aspects of port development was a common theme. Processes such as dredging were being implemented in a sustainable fashion and practices like idling were being cut down through various means. In the question and answer session, financial issues, the legal status of each port, the inefficacy of fragmented approaches to sustainable port development, and relations with port authorities, different levels of government and users were discussed.