GRIPS conducted the Thai Public Administration and Leadership Training Program (PMLTP) for 12 days, from June 10 to 21, 2013. The program has been held at the request of the Office of the Civil Service Commission of the Thai government since 2007. In this seventh year of the program, GRIPS welcomed 13 promising government officials selected by the Thai government. They are in manager or assistant manager positions, and they all have a few years of experience in their positions.

During the program, participants attended lectures given by PMLTP Program Director, Senior Professor Masahiro Horie (Director of Executive Development Center for Global Leadership) as well as lectures given by GRIPS faculty members including Senior Prof. Yonosuke Hara, Prof. Mikitaka Masuyama (Executive Advisor to the President), Prof. Hiroshi Ikawa, Prof. Hiroko Ota, Prof. Hideki Masui, Senior Prof. Shigeru Morichi and Adjunct Professor Hiroshi Nagano (former Professor of GRIPS). In addition lectures and seminars were given by Prof. Hideaki Tanaka (Graduate School of Governance Studies, Meiji University), Mr. Tsuyoshi Yoshimuta (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications), Mr. Takeshi Erikawa (Former President of the National Personnel Authority), and Mr. Youichi Sugimoto (Executive Officer of SECOM Co., Ltd.).

Leadership workshops were held three times at GRIPS with young executives from the public and private sectors as well as with GRIPS students to exchange ideas and build networks. Prof. Horie, Prof. Yokomichi and Assoc. Prof. Hatakeyama served as moderators.

In Tokyo, participants visited the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as well as the Ministry of the Environment. At the Ministry of the Environment, they were given special lectures on Japanese trade policy in ASEAN, Japanese energy policy, water and air pollution problems as well as climate change policies and measures in Japan. At the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Thai participants gave a presentation for the first time in addition to Japanese presentations that have long been a part of the PMLTP. Participants also visited the National Diet.

The PMLTP delegation also took a field trip to Nara Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City to pay courtesy calls and receive briefings on the commemorative events of the 1300th Anniversary of Nara Heijo-kyo Capital, tourism policy and environmental policy. In addition, they also visited Shimadzu Co., Ltd., one of the leading-edge companies in Kyoto.

Lastly, participants completed the training program by writing and presenting concept papers on “Leadership in Flood Crisis in Thailand,” “Leadership of the Present Thai Prime Minister” and “The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).”