Columns

I was seconded from NTT West to PREX for four years from 2010 to 2014. After returning to NTT West, I retired, was rehired, and am now working for a printing company in Osaka. 

 During my four years at PREX, I was able to take on various challenges and spend very fulfilling days. At that time, investment income from bonds diminished due to currency fluctuations caused by the strong yen. As a result, new business development without relying on JICA-commissioned training programs was required, and in addition to managing training courses, I participated in thematic projects. 

 I joined projects to support SMEs with overseas expansion and public relations. I was involved in the JICA Collaboration Desk, training courses for Vietnamese participants, and setting up collaboration projects with Dong Nai Province, Vietnam. I am very glad that these projects and businesses are still continuing. 

 My image of developing countries used to be limited to “poverty.” However, being exposed to the aspect of conflict prompted me to ask myself why different ethnic groups and religions cannot coexist alongside civilization and prosperity. Reuniting with ex-participants and interacting with local people while traveling in Kosovo and Montenegro (former Yugoslavia), and Lebanon in the Middle East during my time at PREX, brings back many memories. 

The world is currently facing divisions and conflicts as structures of cooperation and communication are crumbling. Instead of imposing responsibility on the state or on politics, we should remember that individuals themselves can create their own happiness. Under such circumstances, PREX’s programs are vital as they help connect people. I hope that PREX will invest in human resources as a driving force to support programs and increase the number of collaborating companies and organizations. I also hope that they will create new value by adapting to the changing times, reevaluating their core competence without being bound by past successes.  

 When I traveled to Jordan in the Middle East this January, I visited As-Salt, the place where we had made a proposal for a support program for World Heritage registration while I had worked for PREX. I keenly realized that the information obtainable directly at the site was fresher and more valuable than anything else. 

(Mr. Masato Morimoto, General Affairs Manager, SAKAI PRINTING CO., Ltd.) 

 

Reunited with an ex-participant in Taraya, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 

 

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Mr. and Mrs. Morimoto reunited with ex-participants in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo