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The 38th Cross Cultural Event was held.
On September 7, iCONM held a Cross-Cultural Event for its staff members, facility users, and representatives from Kawasaki City and the Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion. In this special session, we welcomed Yurie Suzuki of the Kawasaki Coastal Area International Strategy Headquarters, who is involved in promoting the coastal area and working with schools. She introduced the background behind the development of KING SKYFRONT, as well as the work and organizational culture of Kawasaki City Hall.
The presentation first introduced the background behind the development of KING SKYFRONT. Since the Meiji era, industries such as automobiles, steel, and petrochemicals have developed in Kawasaki’s coastal area. Later, as the industrial structure changed and the Isuzu Motors factory in Tonomachi closed, Kawasaki City turned its attention to the health and medical fields as new areas of industry and developed KING SKYFRONT on the former factory site. She explained that the growing concentration of research institutions and companies has created new jobs and also contributed to increases in land values and tax revenues.
Next, she introduced the work and organizational culture of Kawasaki City Hall. Employees are often transferred to different departments every two to three years, gaining experience in a wide range of fields such as education, welfare, industrial promotion, and urban development. This approach helps develop generalists with experience in different areas. She also explained that while much of the work involves coordination with many different parties, including residents, businesses, the city council, and the national government, there is also a culture of taking on new challenges without precedent, such as KING SKYFRONT and hydrogen-related projects. This reflects Kawasaki City’s efforts to create its own distinctive appeal as a city located between Tokyo and Yokohama. The city’s brand message, “Colors, Future!,” also reflects the importance Kawasaki places on diversity.
During the Q&A session, participants asked about Kawasaki City’s strengths compared with other cities and the future of KING SKYFRONT. The relatively young average age of its residents, its favorable location between Tokyo and Yokohama, and a culture that makes it easier to take on new challenges were mentioned as some of Kawasaki City’s strengths. She also explained that Kawasaki ranks highly among Japan’s government-designated cities in terms of safety and expressed her hope to further promote Kawasaki as a safe city. In addition, she shared her hope that more people will come to know KING SKYFRONT as a hub for life science and nanoscience research.
Through this event, participants learned how KING SKYFRONT, where we carry out our daily activities, came into being, while also gaining insight into the characteristics of Kawasaki and the work and culture of Kawasaki City Hall, which we do not often have the opportunity to learn about. The diversity valued by Kawasaki City is also essential to iCONM, where people of many different nationalities and areas of expertise come together. By sharing their knowledge and ideas, we hope to foster innovation.
