Report Compiled on Directions for Future Technical Cooperation on Overseas Industrial Human Resources

1. Background to inaugurating the study group

Soaring labor costs, advanced automatization of production facilities and other elements are changing the human resources skills that overseas subsidiaries of Japanese companies need. Moreover, advancement and dissemination of digital technologies are expanding the potential for non-face-to-face cooperation in development of technologies and human resources.

Furthermore, face-to-face training programs have recently been forced to be canceled or postponed because of the restrictions on overseas travel amid the expansion of the COVID-19 pandemic and this disruption of efforts for human resource development has raised concerns over negative impacts on entire supply chains.

From this viewpoint, METI considers it necessary to quickly shift current technical cooperation on overseas industrial human resources to new cooperation tailored to the with-corona and post-corona era which makes full use of digital tools and introduces Japan’s strengths in monodzukuri into digital technologies.

In addition, it also considers it important to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including carbon neutrality, as a perspective for international trends.

In light of these trends as well, METI inaugurated a Study Group on Ideal Approaches to Future Technical Cooperation on Overseas Industrial Human Resources in order to hold discussions on ideal approaches to new technical cooperation on overseas industrial human resources as an effort focused on the with-corona and post-corona era and the DX era, including the potential for digitalization in the fields of technological transfer and human resource development in overseas countries while taking into consideration the strengths of monodzukuri which focuses on manufacturing floors, and which is unique to Japan. Since the inauguration, the study group has advanced discussions.

2. Report on discussion results

Based on the results of the discussions by the study group, METI compiled a report on directions for future technical cooperation on overseas industrial human resources, and hereby releases it. METI will strive to promote the development of industrial human resources in the fields of carbon neutrality and digital technologies by taking full advantage of remote instruction tools.

• Report on Directions for Future Technical Cooperation on Overseas Industrial Human Resources (Summary) (PDF:173KB)

3. Link to related information

• Study Group on Ideal Approaches to Future Technical Cooperation on Overseas Industrial Human Resources (in Japanese)

Division in Charge

Technical Cooperation Division, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau