The original of this article was written in Japanese and can be found here.

※ This article was originally published in the Japan Malaysia Association (JMA) membership bulletin “Malaysia,” Vol. 56 (issued January 10, 2025).

Last November, for the second consecutive year following the 2023 program, the Japan Malaysia Association (JMA) supported an overseas training program for mid-level Malaysian government officials (from federal and state government agencies). Under Malaysia’s Look East Policy, the program was commissioned by the Malaysian Public Service Department to the Human Resource Development Centre of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and conducted in Tokyo, with JMA serving as a co-sponsoring organization.

This year, two groups visited Japan in successive weeks and carried out their training in Tokyo.

Group 1 comprised 35 mid-level managers from the Selangor State Government and Universiti Sains Malaysia. Group 2 comprised 19 mid-level managers from various federal ministries and the Perak State Government. The program aimed to strengthen organizational capacity in the public sector through expert lectures across a range of fields, exchanges with Japanese government agencies, and the development of action plans incorporating Japanese experiences in organizational reform. The following describes the program as it was implemented.

Group 1

Dates: Sunday, November 10 – Sunday, November 17, 2024

Participants: 35 mid-level managers from the Selangor State Government’s general affairs, human resources, public relations, and accounting divisions and district offices, as well as from USM’s administrative, accounting, and IT departments.

Training Day 1 (November 12)

The opening session and lectures were held in a conference room at a hotel in Tokyo. At 8:00 a.m., Dato’ Musa Ali, Director of the USM Human Resource Development Centre, delivered welcoming remarks on behalf of the organizers and officially opened the program. Lectures followed on “The Concept of Organizational Reform” (by Dato’ Omar Osman, Chairman and Vice Chancellor of DRB-HICOM University of Automotive Malaysia), “An Introduction to Japanese Society” (by Takuji Arai, Executive Director of JMA), and “Local Government Reform and Challenges in Japan” (by Kiyotaka Yokomichi, Professor Emeritus at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies). Each lecture was followed by a question-and-answer session with the participants.

At 12:30 p.m., an opening ceremony was held with H.E. Dato’ Shahril Effendi Abd Ghany, Ambassador of Malaysia to Japan, as the guest of honor. JMA Chairman Koichi Ogawa delivered welcoming remarks on behalf of the host, followed by an address from Ambassador Shahril, who officially declared the start of the two-week training program. Commemorative gifts were then presented to Chairman Ogawa and Ambassador Shahril by the Selangor State Government and USM.

After lunch, at 2:00 p.m., JMA Director Takashi Moribayashi delivered a lecture titled “What I Learned from Japanese Management: Reflections from Post-War Experience and a Career in Business.” A Japanese calligraphy workshop was then held with an invited instructor as part of the cultural experience component of the program.

Training Day 2 (November 13)

In the morning, the group visited the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). Starting at 10:00 a.m., MIC’s Administrative Management Bureau presented its “Administrative Management Innovation” initiatives. Planning and Coordination Division Chief Yoshiyuki Nishizawa opened with a welcome address, followed by a briefing from Deputy Administrative Director Ryosuke Yamauchi on Japan’s administrative organizational structure and challenges, and the ministry’s work style and operational reform efforts. Officials responded to participants’ questions with considerable enthusiasm, and the session concluded at 11:30 a.m.

In the afternoon, the group visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG). From 2:00 p.m., Zaisanchi Shimizu, Senior Manager of the Structural Reform Division at the Policy Planning Bureau, briefed the participants on the TMG’s structural reform initiatives — including the digitalization of administrative procedures, remote work promotion, open data utilization, and collaboration with startups under Tokyo’s structural reform program “Shin-Tosei.” After the briefing, the group toured the Digital Services Bureau floor to observe the bureau’s “future office” model, which features hot-desking, flexible meeting spaces, and private focus booths.

The group then took in the view of Tokyo from the TMG observation deck before moving to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly building, where Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Yuki Kawano welcomed the delegation.

This visit to the TMG was made possible through the assistance of Assembly Member Kawano, who arranged the reception at the request of JMA Vice President Haruko Arimura, a mutual acquaintance.

Assembly Member Kawano greeted the delegation, noting that he had welcomed the group to the TMG in the spirit of friendship between Malaysia and Japan and the Tokyo Metropolis, that he himself had once visited Kuala Lumpur on a wastewater technology cooperation mission, and that his constituency of Itabashi is engaged in exchanges with Penang through a botanical garden partnership — and expressing his hope that ties with Malaysia would continue to grow. The delegation responded with words of thanks and presented a commemorative gift. Assembly Member Kawano then personally guided the group through the assembly chamber and committee rooms, explaining the workings of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, concluding the TMG program.

Training Day 3 (November 14)

At 9:00 a.m., the group convened at the International Conference Room of the First House of Representatives Members’ Office Building for a wrap-up session, group presentations, and the completion ceremony.

Following a briefing by the delegation leader, participants divided into six groups to discuss what they would stop doing, continue doing, and newly introduce in their own departments based on what they had learned during the program. Groups recorded their conclusions on large sheets of paper, then presented to the full group and engaged in Q&A, deepening the discussion around future action plans.

Participants then voluntarily rehearsed a traditional Malaysian dance to be performed at the completion ceremony — an exercise also intended to build cross-organizational bonds among the participants.

At 2:00 p.m., the completion ceremony was held, welcomed by JMA President Keiji Furuya.

President Furuya addressed the gathering: “It is with great pleasure that I congratulate you on the second consecutive year of this overseas training program for mid-level Malaysian government officials, held here in Tokyo, Japan’s capital. Through expert lectures and exchanges with government agencies, this program has given participants the opportunity to learn from Japan’s experiences in strengthening public sector organizational capacity. In today’s rapidly changing society, organizational reform suited to the needs of the times is an urgent challenge for government agencies in every country, and our interactions with you have given us much to learn in turn. I sincerely hope that programs like this one will continue to advance the friendship between Japan and Malaysia.” Following his remarks, President Furuya presented completion certificates to each participant.

The delegation then performed a traditional Malaysian dance as a gesture of thanks, after which a group photo was taken. The participants subsequently joined a guided tour of the National Diet Building.

Group 2

Dates: Sunday, November 17 – Monday, November 25, 2024

Participants: 19 mid-level managers from the Prime Minister’s Department, the Public Service Department, the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (all federal government), and the Perak State Government.

Training Day 1 (November 19)

In the morning, lectures on “The Concept of Organizational Reform,” “An Introduction to Japanese Society,” and “What I Learned from Japanese Management” were delivered in a hotel conference room, followed by Q&A with participants. In the afternoon, the group paid a courtesy call to the Embassy of Malaysia in Japan, where they held an exchange with Deputy Chief of Mission Anwar, Minister-Counsellor Razwin, and Counsellor Zahiri on the topic of public and private sector exchanges between Japan and Malaysia.

Training Day 2 (November 20)

After a calligraphy workshop at the hotel conference room, participants heard lectures on “Local Government Reform and Challenges in Japan” and “Japan’s Economic Relations with China and the United States, and Security” (by Prof. Keisuke Iida, Graduate Schools for Law and Politics, The University of Tokyo), followed by Q&A.

Training Day 3 (November 21)

In the morning, the group visited the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, receiving the same briefing on the “Administrative Management Innovation” initiative as the previous week, followed by Q&A. MIC expressed its hope to share information on each side’s respective initiatives, and JMA later forwarded feedback collected from participants to MIC, working to foster a two-way exchange.

In the afternoon, the group visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, where — as the previous week — they received a briefing on the TMG’s organizational reform efforts and toured the Digital Services Bureau’s future office facilities.

The group then proceeded to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly building, where Assembly Member Kawano again welcomed them and provided a guided tour of the assembly chamber and committee rooms, with an explanation of the assembly’s structure and functions.

Training Day 4 (November 22)

Starting at 9:00 a.m. in the International Conference Room of the First House of Representatives Members’ Office Building, the group held their wrap-up session, presentations, and completion ceremony.

Through group discussions and presentations, participants deepened the debate around future action plans. They also voluntarily rehearsed a traditional Malaysian song to be performed at the completion ceremony.

At 2:00 p.m., the completion ceremony was held, with JMA Chairman Ogawa presiding. After addresses from the delegation leader and Chairman Ogawa, completion certificates were presented to each participant. The delegation then performed a traditional Malaysian song as a gesture of thanks. After a final group photo, participants joined a guided tour of the National Diet Building, bringing the program to a successful close.

The Japan Malaysia Association will continue to support Look East Policy civil servant training programs in Tokyo in response to requests from the Malaysian side.

We wish to express our sincere gratitude to all those who contributed to making this program a success.