HSPI Hosts Hiroshi Yamada, Mayor of Suginami City, Tokyo

In a special forum on the future of the U.S.-Japan relationship, The Homeland Security Policy Institute hosted Mayor Hiroshi Yamada of Suginami City, Tokyo, on February 11, 2008.

Mayor Yamada explained that the goal of his trip to Washington, DC, was to develop and strengthen the network of ties between the next generation of leaders in Japan and the US. At a time of growing uncertainties in the Asia-Pacific region, he said, the US-Japan alliance is too important to neglect. That alliance faces a number of challenges, from a nuclear-armed North Korea, to an emerging China, to a relationship at risk of going stale by focusing too much on a single issue, defense. To bolster the alliance, the Mayor argued that the US and Japan must focus on shared values –democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and free trade – and shared interests.

Just as important, argued Mayor Yamada, is the need to look beyond the purely military aspects of that relationship to equally important areas: economics, international development, the environment, and homeland security, to name a few. Mayor Yamada focused on this last aspect’s potential to open up a new, dynamic area of cooperation.

Japan, he said, had much to learn from the US with regard to preparing against terrorism. Suginami City, for example, held its first bioterrorism preparedness exercise in 2005 – the first Japanese city to do so. First responders in Japan have little knowledge of necessary measures for dealing with terrorism. In contrast, Japan is well prepared for natural disasters, experiencing regular earthquakes and tsunamis. The two countries are well-positioned to help each other develop comprehensive, all-hazards homeland security approaches.

Public preparedness is central to Japanese homeland security. Throughout Japan, local governments have developed volunteer firefighter organizations and citizens’ groups consisting of farmers, shop owners, and others who train to respond to emergencies. Public education is vital, emphasized the Mayor. Citizens are educated to identify the warning signs of natural disaster so they can be responsible for their own safety. Students can play an important role in emergency preparedness, a lesson learned from the Kobe earthquake. In Suginami City, middle school students learn to fight fires and perform CPR and other life-saving techniques.

The private sector is also well-integrated into disaster response. Suginami City, for example, has arrangements with trucking companies, whose employees report to the city any emergencies. Constantly moving through the city, truck drivers are well-positioned to report building collapses and fires, hallmarks of Japan’s near-daily earthquakes. Construction companies have been enlisted to clear debris from roads after an earthquake, while local supermarkets have agreed to provide free food to the community in an emergency.

Municipalities and local governments are, in any country, usually the first government responders to an emergency. Ideally, leaders at all levels of government would be able to communicate quickly and easily with each other. However, warned Mayor Yamada, the national government lags far behind local governments in terms of preparedness. Moving slowly to develop and implement homeland security plans, the national government has left a gap that is being filled by Japan’s Mayors and governors. Because of this, many of Japan’s municipalities are reaching out to develop relationships directly with US municipalities and – as with Mayor Yamada’s visit to HSPI – think tanks and research institutions. In this way, local governments in Japan hope to share knowledge and compare best practices directly with local governments in the US.

Mayor Yamada described a growing desire on the part of Japanese citizens to promote development and prosperity throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Seeing it as part of the national interest as well as in the interest of developing countries, the Mayor believes that promoting international development is another area of the US-Japan relationship with great potential for growth.

Mayor Yamada also spoke about the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management (MIGM), the premier higher education institution for senior Japanese officials, of which the Mayor is a graduate. Prior to the Institute’s founding, said the Mayor, political service in Japan was limited to a small cadre. Frank Cilluffo, director of HSPI, described the Institute as Japan’s response to the global challenge of “professionalizing public service – how we recruit, retain and sustain the best and brightest in public service.” For the last 29 years, the Institute has provided aspiring leaders with education in politics, law, business, and Japanese culture. The Institute has produced dozens of Diet members, governors, Mayors, and local assembly members.

The Homeland Security Policy Institute seeks to provide innovative leaders in the fields of national and homeland security with a forum to discuss current and future counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts on a regional or country-specific basis.