Japanese expertise sought for smart cities

Business Tuesday 11/September/2018 14:33 PM
By: Times News Service
Japanese expertise sought for smart cities

Muscat: A delegation from the Special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm (Sezad) led by Yahya bin Saeed Al Jabri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sezad, on Tuesday, visited the Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City to discuss the Japanese experience in the field of Smart Cities.
The visit comes as part of the promotion campaign, "Invest in Duqm", organised by Sezad in Japan and includes the cities of Tokyo and Osaka in cooperation with the Sultanate's embassy in Tokyo.
The campaign is being attended by representatives of the Public Authority for Investment Promotion & Export Development (Ithraa), the Oman Oil Company, Port Duqm Company, and Oman Dry Dock Company.
The visit aims to identify Japanese experiences in the setting up of Smart Cities and to benefit from them on the authority plan to make Duqm a Smart City.
In July, Sezad had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Land and Transport of the Republic of Korea to cooperate in the field of Smart Cities. According to the MoU, a number of studies and models of Smart Cities will be prepared so as to finally adopt the one that is appropriate for Duqm.
Kashiwa city is one of the smart cities in Japan and is built according to a "new vision for cities of the future" by combining the use of modern technologies and the preservation of the environment in the various facilities and components of the city. It also includes a residential area, hotel and two universities and a large shopping centre and multiple areas of sports and it hosts a number of small businesses institutions.
During the visit, the delegation reviewed the stages of building the city of Kashiwa and the growth witnessed during the past years and the plan to develop the city until 2030. The delegation also learned about the systems and technology used in the city and how to employ the environment in the city's facilities and services.
The Omani delegation also visited the international container terminal at the port of Tokyo, one of the largest and most important Japanese ports, on Tuesday, to learn about the port's potential and the growth in shipping and cargo traffic and the port's technological solutions.