Asian Human Network Databank : Interaction Asia

２: Introducing ANMC21 Joint Projects

(2) Administrative Staff Table-Tennis Exchange Fostered by ANMC21

　In Asian Network of Major Cities 21(ANMC21), member cities have united to perform a variety of joint projects; among these, there have been more than a few cases of a deepening of exchanges between the administrative staff of participating cities. Below we introduce the report of one Tokyo Metropolitan Government administrative officer who had a chance to revisit Taipei through "2009 Intelligent Cities ICT Forum Taipei", that is part of joint project "ICT Initiatives for Urban Development", organized by Taipei city.

REPORT: Director Noriyuki Iizuka,
Bureau of Urban Development, Tokyo Metropolitan Government

　In September, 2009, I participated in the "2009 Intelligent Cities ICT Forum Taipei" (Interaction Asia Vol.8). There, we made a presentation on the "Tokyo Ubiquitous Technology Project" (Interaction Asia Vol.4), an advanced technologies project of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, as well as other advanced ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in Japan.

　In the social party afterwards, I happened to be seated next to Han Ying-Jun, Chief of the Personnel Department of the Taipei City Government. I learned from him that table tennis, my own hobby, was also very popular in Taipei, and he said that we should definitely come back to play some exchange matches. I received the same invitation several times after I returned to Japan, too, and, during our summer vacation, on August 6, 2010, all 10 members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Table Tennis Club participated in the Taipei City Government Administrative Staff Table-Tennis Tournament.

　At our hotel, Mayor Hau Lung-bin had sent each member a lovely fruit basket. At the Tournament site, we were warmly welcomed with cheers and applause by all participating athletes, and such enthusiastic support continued during all of our contests. And during the closing ceremony, all of us received awards. Every member was deeply touched by such kindness and friendship. At the fellowship party afterwards, we had a chance to enjoy meeting with many Taipei City Government leaders—including re-acquaintance with Dr. Lin Chien-Yuan, Deputy Mayor of Taipei City, and Ding Yu-Qun, Chief of the Department of Urban Development—as well as persons involved in table tennis. In this way, our day passed in the blink of an eye.

　During our Taipei City tour afterwards, we saw numerous digital signage (electronic monitors) that had been set in place as a means of providing information, and we were impressed that there is active, positive use of ICT. The subway tokens took the form of a small plastic coin that used a non-contact type IC chip that worked in the same fashion as the Suica and PASMO cards (Note). Also, at the museum, there were terminals that used touch-displays for the display of documents. In this way, ICT was in active use in a variety of places.

　We fully enjoyed Taipei, a city of vibrant culture, with both advanced technologies and warm human hearts.

Note: "Suica" is a registered trademark of the East Japan Railway Company.
"PASMO" is a registered trademark of PASMO Co., Ltd.

Commemorative photograph with the leaders of the Taipei City Government, who welcomed us with warmth and passion. (The author is located sixth from the right in the back row.)	Mr. Hatakeyama (Leader of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Table Tennis Club; at rear of photo), who played many fervent games with administrative staffers of the Taipei City Government.

Within a pleasant underground station (an electronic monitor is set onto the left-side wall).

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