The 19 participants were environmental officers from the three countries (nine from Japan‚ five from Korea‚ and five from China). The training utilized simultaneous interpretation and included lectures‚ presentations from each country‚ and discussions on the theme of “circular economy and resource efficiency.” In addition‚ although it was a short-term intensive training program‚ the two days of which included visits to Eco-Town enterprises and Japanese cultural experiences‚ the participants highly evaluated it as promoting understanding of the training as a whole‚ and praised it for helping to stimulate exchanges between the three countries.

Meanwhile‚ as it does annually‚ the Ministry of the Environment of Japan’s National Environmental Research and Training Institute held two domestic courses in Japan: “Specialized Training in Waste and Recycling (Course for the Implementation of a Recycling-Oriented Society)” (42 participants. Hereinafter referred to as “Waste and Recycling Training”) and “Basic Training for International Environmental Cooperation” (22 participants. Hereinafter referred to as “International Training").

Both training courses are held for Japanese local government officials. The waste and recycling training aims for participants to acquire the specialized knowledge necessary for waste and recycling measures via practical field trips aimed at the establishment of a recycling-oriented society. Since the central and local governments are required to engage in international environmental cooperation in response to the increasing environmental burden originating from developing countries‚ the international training aims for participants to acquire basic knowledge and motivation via a program that includes lectures and tours of related facilities.

Furthermore‚ a hybrid curriculum of "online preparatory study via the transmission of video lectures" and "facility tours and group discussions in group training held in Kitakyushu" was adopted for the training system. The curriculum that was implemented is expected to lead to more extended networks‚ in addition to improving the efficiency of the training‚ as well as facilitating the acquisition of knowledge through visits to enterprises and mutual dialog and interaction between lecturers and participants.

As a result‚ the participants praised the fact that they were able to watch transmissions of the preparatory video lectures whenever they wanted‚ without any time constraints. In addition‚ the group training in Kitakyushu included visits to Eco-Town enterprises‚ discussions and group debates with people who have practical experience of international environmental cooperation and overseas students‚ and social interactions amongst the participants in the evening. It was highly evaluated in terms of the interactions‚ mutual education‚ and network building typical of face-to-face training. Going forward‚ we will do our best to further improve the training curriculum by building on these results.