Oita Gov. Morihiko Hiramatsu on Sunday expressed support for human resource development in Cambodia as part of his initiative for regional revitalization in that country.
Hiramatsu, currently in Cambodia to attend the Asia-Kyushu Regional Exchange Summit, told a press conference in Phnom Penh that a focus on human resource development is vital if Cambodia is to get its local goods onto the global market.
He said Cambodia has numerous local products that have the potential to be marketed globally, as well as tourism resources. He said, however, their utilization depends on the development of human resources.
The governor of the southwestern Japan prefecture is a proponent of the "One Village, One Product" movement. He said he plans to help Cambodia by holding exhibits for Cambodia's specialty goods and by bringing local craft-work producers to Japan for training, among other things.
The movement, proposed by Hiramatsu in 1979, aims to promote regional development based on the independence, motivation and creativity of local residents.
At the same conference, Sok An, Cambodia's minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, expressed gratitude for Hiramitsu's support, noting Cambodia's high-quality bamboo and silk as products with global potential.
First held in 1994, the Asia-Kyushu Regional Exchange Summit encourages regional exchanges between the southwestern Japan main island of Kyushu and the rest of Asia.