Activities (FY2020)

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

In the process of implementing the JICA Grassroots Technical Cooperation Project (Special Frame for Local Development) “Project of Capacity Building on Management of Sewage Works in Hanoi (Phase 2)”, the in-person training programs in both Hanoi City and Yokohama that were planned for the year were all postponed. Instead, technical training was continued online with the Department of Construction (DOC) of Hanoi City. (FY2020 online trainings/meetings: 26 times in total)
In the field of flood control, one of the YWBA member companies* provided training on sewerage ledger systems for DOC officials.

*Pasco Corporation

The YWWB carried out technical cooperation in Hue, Vietnam based on the Memorandum of Understanding between the YWWB and HueWACO (July 2017-Dec. 2019). An online discussion was conducted on March 24th, 2021 for participants to discuss the results of water distribution block system development in a pilot area.
According to a survey conducted for YWBA members, Vietnam was raised as the country the member companies were most interested in. Accordingly, the meeting was opened to the member companies and fifteen participants from nine companies observed the discussion.

The YWBA chief executive meeting was held online. The City of Yokohama shared information on support for overseas expansion of YWBA member companies and discussed the Association’s policy for the future with executives.

The organization that supports the overseas expansion of Japanese companies has support systems for infrastructure development, including systems related to the field of sewerage, such as forming a coalition of businesses to gather relevant information. An official from the YWBA secretariat explained the support systems and proposed some ideas utilizing them. After the explanation, representatives from eight companies discussed the potential of utilizing the systems and confirmed that they would continue to cooperate with each other going forward.

WASA-F and the YWWB signed an MOU for technical exchange in October 2019, on the request of WASA-F which had evaluated the activities of the YWWB through a Yokohama Water Company project. The exchange between the two local governments leads to the promotion of human resource development for both parties and the activities of YWBA member companies.
In February 2021 the YWWB hosted an online seminar, inviting not only WASA-F but also Water and Sanitation Agency Lahore (WASA-L) which is in the capital of Punjab province where WASA-F is located. Sixteen people from YWBA member companies observed the seminar and six member companies presented their businesses, technologies, and services to a total of eight executives from WASA-F and WASA-L.

The 1st YWBA workshop on overseas water business was held online. Representatives from JICA and JETRO Yokohama provided information on their business support systems and the future of water business. Representatives from fifteen YWBA member companies participated in the event and discussed overseas business expansion. The event also served as an opportunity for YWBA participants to network.

The YWWB has been accepting trainees from Africa for the past several years, a program that was inspired by the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development held in Yokohama in May 2008. Since 2009, the YWWB has hosted training courses for waterworks engineers from English-speaking African countries every year, in cooperation with JICA and Yokohama Water Co., Ltd. The YWWB has accepted 142 waterworks engineers from 30 African countries so far, including nine trainees from four countries participating in the FY 2020 course.
In January 2021, the YWWB hosted an online training course for two weeks by streaming video material and holding a webinar including Q&A sessions for the trainees instead of in-person training due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the training course, promotional videos of two YWBA member companies introducing Japanese technology were shown. If the pandemic is under control and the trainees can visit Yokohama next year, exchange between both parties will be promoted further in person.

Representatives from Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Asian People’s Exchange (APEX), and Aquas Co., Ltd. provided information on the current situation of wastewater treatment in Thailand and Indonesia and introduced their projects in those countries.
The seminar was held in the same hybrid format as the first one. Twenty YWBA member companies participated (seventeen virtually and three in person) in the seminar.

The 1st YWBA seminar on overseas water business, which focused on water business in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Fiji, was held in a hybrid format. Three YWBA member companies introduced examples of how they expanded their business overseas. An expert from Y-PORT project also joined the seminar and explained how networking among YWBA member companies and integrated infrastructure packages can expand opportunities for overseas businesses. In addition, he provided information on the current situation of the water environment and wastewater treatment in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Fiji.

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. It has been implemented as the "Team Yokohama Project." In October 2020, the YWWB held a technical training course online as the trainees were not able to visit Yokohama due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was streamed live on YouTube for YWBA member companies to observe.
Additionally, in December the YWWB held a business matching session where three member companies presented their businesses, technologies, and services to the executives of Lilongwe Water Board.

As part of the African Business Education Initiative for Youth and Innovative Asia JICA training programs implemented by Hinode Sangyo Co., Ltd., the Yokohama Environmental Planning Bureau and International Affairs Bureau provided lectures on their initiatives in the fields of sewerage works and international cooperation for the participants. Young officials from the City of Yokohama also joined the training and joined discussions with the trainees.

*African Business Education Initiative for Youth (ABE Initiative), Innovative Asia
The objective of the ABE Initiative and Innovative Asia is to support young professionals and teach them to become "Navigators" for contributing to the development of industry in African and Asian countries. The program offers opportunities for young professionals to obtain graduate degrees at Japanese universities and experience internships at Japanese companies.

Based on the agreement of friendly exchange between the cities of Yokohama and Shanghai, the YWWB and Shanghai Water Authority have developed their partnership for over 40 years. Normally, mutual visits or training sessions in Yokohama are conducted on a yearly basis. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, acceptance of trainees in Yokohama was postponed in FY 2020. Instead, the YWWB held an online seminar as a new initiative. After overview presentations on the water supply systems in both the YWWB and Shanghai, the participants had a discussion on water purification/quality, distribution management/leakage prevention, and customer service/PR. As the YWBA’s first attempt at such an initiative, the seminar was opened to the member companies and 21 participants from fourteen companies joined the seminar as observers.

As part of the African Business Education Initiative for Youth* JICA training program implemented by Hinode Sangyo Co., Ltd., the Yokohama Environmental Planning Bureau and International Affairs Bureau provided lectures on their initiatives in the fields of sewerage works and international cooperation for the participants.

*African Business Education Initiative for Youth (ABE Initiative)
The objective of the ABE Initiative is to support young professionals and teach them to become "Navigators" for contributing to the development of industry in Africa. The program aims to cultivate skilled professionals with a deep understanding of Japanese business culture to support the growth of Japanese companies in Africa.