Community-level Institution Building through International Cooperation: Self-motivation for Changing Society in Two Japanese Towns

Abstract

This article describes a paradigm shift in international cooperation from government level to local level as a way to effect social change. Rural areas in Japan are now suffering from the effects of depopulation and aging. Against this background, JICA (the Japan International Cooperation Agency) has proposed that its training programs, originally intended for developing countries be used as a way to revitalize such areas. JICA advocates this strategy as promoting a “win-win” relationship between developing countries and Japanese rural areas.

Through participating in JICA's training, the local people in Koura Town, Shiga Prefecture and Takikawa Town in Hokkaido found their own meaning of international cooperation, and have been establishing community-level institutions of international cooperation. In Koura Town, for example, Kitaochi District made an agreement with a local village in Thailand involving various forms of international exchange, while the residents of Takikawa Town established the “Malawi Club”, which served to raise interest in Malawi and other developing countries, to promote mutual friendship among club members, and foster a global perspective through international cooperation. Interviews conducted with key persons of Kitaochi District and the Malawi club revealed that such local institutions were established for two main reasons: firstly, as a means to gain insights into Japanese society by observing developing countries, and secondly, as a way to convey the importance of international cooperation to the next generation.

In conclusion, the case studies of Koura and Takikawa Town suggest that employing a normative framework has great significance in the study of community development.