In addition to workshops held with both Bangkok and Yangon to promote the 3Rs and waste management improvement in those cities, this year for the first time the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) held a similar workshop with Ulaanbaatar. At this event, Tokyo and Ulaanbaatar staff had active discussions about what could be done to help resolve Ulaanbaatar's burgeoning waste problem.

Transportation and earthquake training programs were held in Tokyo in the high summer heat of August. This report is to introduce readers the fully-packed contents of these training programs, which featured both field trips to a range of facilities within Tokyo, and the sharing of a variety of information concerning the measures being undertaken by different member cities, etc.

In this two-part series, we have spoken to two international students currently studying at Tokyo Metropolitan University (TMU) about their hometowns, about their reasons for wanting to study in Tokyo, and about what they feel their roles in Asia to be. In the second part of the series, we interviewed Mr. Peeramed, a doctoral student from Thailand.