Activities (FY2019)

* YWBA: Yokohama Water Business Association
* YWWB: Yokohama Waterworks Bureau
* YEPB: Yokohama Environmental Planning Bureau

The YWBA chief executive meeting was held last February. The City of Yokohama shared activity reports on overseas business expansion of YWBA member companies with the YWBA chief executives. The City and YWBA also exchanged opinions and shared ideas for future activities.

Specialists from the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan Environmental Sanitation Center, and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) were invited to give presentations on the business environment in Indonesia and the current conditions of wastewater treatment and environmental regulations as well as their international business support systems. Seventeen YWBA member companies participated in the networking gathering following the seminar, which also provided participants with opportunities to develop relationships with each other.

An international water conference co-organized by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and JICA was held in Vientiane, the capital of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and five YWBA member companies participated in the event. They promoted their technologies and products in the table sessions and the accompanying exhibition that welcomed approximately 200 attendees including officials from relevant ministries and water utilities of the Lao PDR and national water corporations.

Based on an MOU signed last October, the YWWB hosted two executives and two engineers from the WASA-F, a water utility in Faisalabad, Pakistan, and provided them with lectures on the management of water supply and billing, operation and maintenance of water purification facilities, and other topics. On January 30, five YWBA member companies presented their businesses, technologies, and services.

Representatives from Mumbai City, India, which has been sister cities with Yokohama for over half a century, visited Yokohama and participated in a study tour to learn about Yokohama’s initiatives for reducing flood damage. Officials responsible for sewerage management and operation gave an overview of the stormwater storage pipe called Nippa-Suehiro Kansen and showed them around the pumping facilities. Mr. Vijay Singhal, Additional Municipal Commissioner from Mumbai, told us that Mumbai will implement flood countermeasures based on Yokohama’s initiatives.

As a part of the JICA Grassroots Technical Cooperation Project (Special Frame for Local Development) “Project of Capacity Building on Management of Sewage Works in Hanoi (Phase 2)”, we invited the Hanoi City Department of Construction (DOC) to Yokohama and provided technical training for them.
The training included tours of sewage facilities such as a plant that co-incinerates sewage sludge with solid waste (Eco Plant Himenosawa in Atami City, Shizuoka prefecture).
The YWBA also held a “Sewerage Technical Seminar” and two YWBA member companies* explained how their technical prowess and knowhow could conceivably contribute to efforts in improving the water environment of Hanoi.
*Pasco Corporation, JFE Engineering Corporation

The City of Yokohama has participated in Viet Water as an exhibitor for five years in a row. The event is the biggest water-related exhibition in Vietnam. This year, we took the following three approaches for the first time.

(1) Co-exhibiting and presentation with YWBA member companies
The City of Yokohama co-exhibited with two YWBA companies* at the event, where we all conducted promotional activities such as showing videos, displaying products, and distributing brochures. In the technical seminar, we also made a presentation on the City’s international technical cooperation and the companies’ technologies.
*Nihon Genryo Co., Ltd., Murata Keisokuki Service Co., Ltd.

(2) Business matching session
We held a business matching session with three YWBA companies*, inviting the executives from the HueWACO. It was a great opportunity for the companies to present their technologies to the Vietnamese parties in person.
*Nihon Genryo Co., Ltd., Murata Keisokuki Service Co., Ltd., Aichi Tokei Denki Co., Ltd.

(3) Site tours
We also visited the Thu Duc Water Purification Plant and the Binh Hung Wastewater Treatment Plant in Ho Chi Minh City and learned about the current state of the sewerage systems and issues they are now facing.

IWA-ASPIRE is an event that focuses on the water sector to promote communication and collaboration within the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, it is a platform for sharing best practices, building knowledge, and strengthening relationships in the sector. The 8th IWA-ASPIRE Conference and Exhibition attracted approximately 1,000 participants from 34 countries and regions. The YWWB) exhibited at the Japan Pavilion of the event, and shared information on the City's international initiatives, projects by YWBA companies, and YWBA activities through displays and flyers.

In June 2019, this project was initiated by the YWWB in cooperation with Yokohama Water Co., Ltd. and a private consultant that is a YWBA member company . Implementing the project, named “Team Yokohama Project,” in October 2019, the YWWB hosted five trainees from the Lilongwe Water Board. While the trainees were in Yokohama, five YWBA member companies presented their businesses, technologies, and services.

In relation to “The Project for Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Master Plan of Faisalabad,” which Yokohama Water Co., Ltd. is involved with, the Water and Sanitation Agency Faisalabad (WASA-F）and the YWWB signed an MOU on October 2 at the request of the director general from the WASA-F.
The MOU includes hosting trainees, dispatching experts, and providing business opportunities for YWBA member companies. The WASA-F agreed to consider introducing Yokohama’s technologies. In conjunction with the signing ceremony, the YWWB invited the director general and deputy chairman from the WASA-F and five YWBA companies introduced their businesses on October 4.

As a part of the JICA Grassroots Technical Cooperation Project (Special Frame for Local Development) “Project of Capacity Building on Management of Sewage Works in Hanoi (Phase 2),” we invited the Hanoi City Department of Construction (DOC) to Yokohama and provided technical training for them.
During the training period, the YWBA held a “Sewerage Technical Seminar” and three YWBA member companies* explained how their technical prowess and knowhow could conceivably contribute to efforts in improving the water environment of Hanoi.
We also took the trainees to “Sewerage Expo ’19,” which was held in PACIFICO Yokohama, and showed them around the event, primarily the YWBA member companies’ booths.
*Pasco Corporation, J&T Recycling Corporation, JFE Engineering Corporation

As a part of the JICA Technical Cooperation Project “Port Moresby Wastewater Management Improvement Project,” which Nihon Suiko Sekkei Co., Ltd. has been working on, officials from Eda Ranu learned about the Yokohama’s sewage works and visited the Hokubu Sewerage Center.

The International Symposium on Water Supply Technology is the only international conference of its kind regularly held in Japan. This event was first held in Kobe City in 1988 and since then it has been regularly held once every three years. The theme of this year’s event was “Water Supply Services and their Future: Reliabile, Sustainable, and Smart.”
Domestic and international experts in the field gave lectures on advanced practices and examples, and made presentations of their research papers on water purification, water pipelines, and project management in the technical sessions.
The accompanying exhibition with 41 exhibitors, including 17 YWBA member companies, attracted 3,545 participants and provided opportunities for business networking and information exchange on their advanced technologies. The YWWB and the YEPB co-exhibited at the event in order to promote YWBA activities.

In cooperation with JICA and Yokohama Water Co., Ltd. , the YWWB hosted eight waterworks engineers from seven African countries for training. We provided YWBA companies with opportunities to gather information about water sector in Africa and participate in business networking events.

As a part of the JICA Technical Cooperation Project “Project for Master Plan and Feasibility Study on Flood Control and Drainage in Davao City,” which Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. has been working on, officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways of Davao City learned about the Yokohama’s initiatives for reducing flood damage and visited the construction site of a stormwater storage pipe .

An international seminar organized by the Central - Highland Water Supply Branch of the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association was held in Vietnam. One of the YWBA member companies exhibited at the event. The theme of the seminar was “The fourth water industry innovation; chance and challenge,” and presentations were made on asset management, customer service, non-revenue water measures, and ICT technologies. The event welcomed approximately 200 attendees from 12 countries. The participating YWBA company presented their technologies and products together with a local agency.