A Message from the Chairman
The Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship(AOTS) is Japan's first international technical cooperation organization operated under public-private partnership. Its main objective is to promote mutual economic development and friendly relations with developing countries by offering training to their industrial human resources. AOTS, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009, has made steady achievements since its establishment, thanks to continued understanding and tremendous support from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, industrial circle, academia, local governments and others. In addition to contributing to the economic development of many countries, particularly in Asia, our activities during the past 50 years have also given rise to unique tangible achievements, such as 70 Alumni Societies established voluntarily by ex-trainees in 43 countries to develop a network among them, resulting in stronger friendly relations with those countries.
The private sector has been the center of attention recently as an important player to realize, among many others, autonomous and sustainable support for developing countries. In collaboration with Japanese corporations, AOTS has built a unique public-private partnership model to leverage the strength of the private sector, and provided efficient and effective training to engineers and managers from developing countries in a timely manner, based on the accurate assessment of the needs of those countries.
Amid the ever changing global economic environment, technical cooperation and the development of industrial human resources are now considered as important as ever, as an effective means of supporting developing countries in their sustainable growth, as well as in their efforts to realize both environmental protection - a common issue for humankind - and economic growth. With this as a background, the need for Japanese advanced technology and business management techniques is increasing rapidly, and so is the importance of the role of AOTS.
In addition, as globalization vitalizes traffic of people across national borders, the way of providing support for international human resource development is also being diversified, expanding the role that AOTS can play in and outside of Japan. AOTS has already started its activities in new areas in which good human resources are in high demand, by fully utilizing its organizational and human networks and training know-how developed over many years. AOTS will continue fulfilling its responsibility as a pioneer of the times, and playing an important part in the creation of a new society where different cultures can live together in harmony.
For the next 50 years, AOTS will work even harder to flexibly meet the increasing and diversifying needs in the areas of economic cooperation and human resource development under its unchanging philosophy "LINKING THE WORLD through Human Resource Development," and seek to fulfill its social mission. We appreciate your continued support and cooperation.
