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Batam, Yokohama to collaborate in urban development projects
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The executive director of the development cooperation department at Yokohama’s International Affairs Bureau, Toru Hashimoto, talks about the city's ongoing development projects to a group of visiting ASEAN journalists. The Yokohama administration hopes to soon kick off collaborative projects with the Batam municipal administration. (JP/Linda Yulisman)
T
he administration of Yokohama, Japan’s second largest city, expects to soon kick off several collaborative projects with the Batam municipal administration to promote sustainable development in Indonesia’s key business hub.
Through the projects, Yokohama will provide technical assistance to address major issues in Batam, such as solid waste management, oil sludge treatment and energy preservation, according to Toru Hashimoto, the executive director of the development cooperation department at Yokohama’s International Affairs Bureau.
“Right now, that [the project] is under consideration by the [Japan's] minister of the environment,” Hashimoto told The Jakarta Post. “I think we are going to get the answer either this month or next month.”
The Ministry of the Environment in Japan provided grants under Joint Credit Mechanism (JCM) totaling US$100,000 to conduct feasibility studies on a number of Yokohama government projects as part of the country’s initiative to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia.
(Read also: Indonesia committed to promoting low-carbon growth: Minister)
The cooperation with Batam is among several initiatives under Yokohama Partnership of Resources and Technologies (Y-Port), through which Japan’s first harbor city discusses urban development issues based on its own experiences with cities in Asia’s emerging economies.
It is a follow up to a letter of intent signed by the former mayor of Batam, Ahmad Dahlan, on May 27, 2015 with Yokohama Mayor Fumiko Hayashi.
The Yokohama administration is also working on similar projects with Cebu City, the Philippines; Da Nang, Vietnam; and Bangkok, Thailand.
