SPF-sponsored delegates onsite at the Yorii plant of ORIX Environmental Resource Management Corporation. L–R: Myanmar Ambassador to Japan Khin Maung Tin, Union Civil Service Board Chairman Kyaw Thu, Interpreter Francis S., a plant specialist, and ORIX Environmental Resource Management Corporation President Kyoshi Maekawa.

A delegation from Myanmar, headed by Chairman Kyaw Thu of the Union Civil Service Board, visited Japan under the sponsorship of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) in late August. The visit was a follow-up to a similar one in September 2011, when the APO Secretariat was invited by the SPF to give a briefing on its activities including Green Productivity (GP). The Myanmarese delegates were eager to learn more about GP in action, and the APO was able to arrange for them to spend the morning of 20 August at the Yorii Plant of ORIX Environmental Resource Management Corporation.

A member of the APO’s GP Advisory Committee, ORIX Corporation generously shared information on its advanced waste treatment plant utilizing zero-emission technology along with other environmental businesses including solar power generation. Following a briefing and tour of the waste treatment facilities, three ORIX staff engaged in lively discussions with the Myanmarese delegation, including how the SPF, ORIX Corporation, APO, and various agencies in Myanmar could potentially cooperate in future GP-related activities.

The SPF was established in 1986 to “contribute to the welfare of humankind and the sound development of the international community, and thus to world peace.” It undertakes surveys and research, develops human resources, organizes international conferences, and other activities to support international understanding, exchange, and cooperation.