Supporting Sustainable Development through JICA International Cooperation and the “Japanese-Style Ecomuseum”
For many developing countries with limited natural and mineral resources, tourism development is regarded as an essential means of overcoming poverty, while also contributing to the achievement of multiple SDGs. In these regions, we have provided technical support through JICA’s international cooperation projects, promoting community-based tourism (CBT) as a guiding principle. Our approach emphasizes rediscovering and transforming local nature, history, and culture into valuable resources, as seen in the concept of cultural landscapes and the ecomuseum, which presents an entire region as an “open-air museum.”
Within JICA’s international cooperation, approaches such as Kaizen (continuous improvement), OVOP (One Village One Product movement), and Michi-no-Eki (roadside stations) are well known. More recently, the concept of the “Japanese-style ecomuseum” has also emerged as a key term in international cooperation.