Video Summary - 【国内の活動】国際協力、ズバリ、日本へのメリットは？世界をもっとよく知りたい！#６

Summary of the Video’s Main Points

The host frames international cooperation as something Japan benefits from, not only during crises (e.g., support Japan received after the Great East Japan Earthquake), but also through long-term mechanisms that build Japan’s knowledge, human capital, and future capabilities.
A key emphasis is that Japan’s overseas support is not one-way transfer:
- Experience and systems developed through aid and collaboration can later strengthen Japan.
- This can also create new opportunities for Japanese organizations and people.

Tokyo Metro’s collaboration with JICA began through support in Hanoi, Vietnam (since 2013).
- JICA supported the creation of the urban railway operating company for Hanoi’s opening.
- Tokyo Metro contributed mainly to operations and management (not only building systems).
  - The discussion highlights Japan’s hallmark strengths: punctuality, safety, and efficient operations.
An operational lesson is emphasized:
- Building rail is one thing, but running it reliably requires specialized capabilities.
- Tokyo Metro’s operational expertise was transferred to local operators.
Additional spillovers mentioned:
- The project links to easing motorcycle-heavy commuting problems in Hanoi, reducing a major social issue.
- In the Philippines, JICA-supported rail construction is underway (two lines). Tokyo Metro-style technology and operations are expected to help address Manila’s congestion caused by limited rail infrastructure.
- A cooperative educational initiative uses Japanese train cars and training/engagement activities to build local workforce capacity and enthusiasm.
A major claim:
- Japanese rail projects face growing demand, so Japan must also develop the talent pipeline needed to sustain both construction and operations.

One guest explains that working through JICA-supported projects helped expand business beyond the original scope:
- Tokyo Metro-related experience enabled broader work, including operational involvement in London’s Elizabeth Line (secured through bidding).
The discussion stresses a practical limitation:
- Private companies often cannot enter large-scale infrastructure roles in developing countries independently due to the complexity of working with governments, bureaucrats, and political systems.
Therefore:
- JICA functions as a bridge, lowering barriers and making cross-border collaboration feasible.
- It also allows private-sector capabilities to be applied internationally.

JA Biz (SDGs business support program):
- Runs for 13 years, with over 1,600 proposals.
- These proposals have led to overseas business opportunities.
Example:
- A Vietnamese company (Rion Co., Ltd.) deployed diagnostic equipment in hospitals after building trust with the Vietnamese government through JICA-related cooperation.
Overall message:
- Japan’s international presence is not only about big firms.
- There are also opportunities for SMEs and a wide range of technologies and services.

The video shifts to returning volunteers and how overseas experience helps address Japan’s problems.
Guest: Dai Kurino, director of the general incorporated association Choiful, who returned from service in Ethiopia (2014–2016).
Current work in Tokyo (Adachi Ward):
- Focuses on child poverty and creating a “safe space” using three program pillars:
  1. Food support (delivery or pickup)
  2. Safe space / children’s cafeteria-style support
    - Uses community spaces such as akiya/unused homes
  3. Next-care / welfare navigation
    - Connects families to appropriate welfare services
The guest links this to the “choice/opportunity gap”:
- Children from low-income families may have fewer options.
- They may miss support programs due to timing or access barriers.
- Choiful’s mission is framed as building a society of choice.
The role of JICA-backed trust is repeatedly emphasized:
- JICA support helped the volunteer obtain cooperation and resources that might have been difficult otherwise (e.g., enabling events through relationships with officials).
Future plans:
- Expand toward a one-stop consultation service for families facing multiple intersecting challenges, including:
  - disability
  - school refusal
  - bullying
  - foreign roots
  - LGBTQ+ issues
- Broaden impact nationally.

The video also highlights that JICA supports research and development internationally via SATREPS (since 2008).
SATREPS is described as a “full-phase” bridge:
- help developing countries build research capabilities,
- enable joint international research,
- then move results into real-world societal application.
Example discussed:
- Diagnostic technology work (in Zambia and other locations) for quickly detecting infectious diseases.
- The diagnostic kit is approved locally and later approved in Japan.
- This is framed as reverse innovation—benefits flowing back from developing countries to Japan.
Reported outcomes:
- High-quality academic output (papers cited among top percentages),
- patents linked to future application,
- increased global attention and researcher credibility.

Across railways, business support, volunteering, and research, the video argues for a “cycle”:
- trust built through JICA enables overseas action,
- that experience grows organizations and people,
- and the results feed back to benefit Japan and contribute globally.
The host concludes with a desire to create more projects that keep trusted relationships at the center.

Yuka (host)
Mr. Nishio (interviewer/presenter; appears as the other host figure)
Takahiro Tanisaka (Tokyo Metro; International Business Department)
Professor Akie Iriyama (Waseda University Graduate School)
Dai Kurino (director, General Incorporated Association Choiful)
Ms. Kuno / Kuno-san (referenced as the Ethiopia volunteer who is Kurino’s counterpart/identity in the narrative; discussed as the person dispatched to Ethiopia and now running the program)