2007

1. Research on the Regional Financial Cooperation in East Asia

“Measures for Possible Use of Regional Monetary Units for Surveillance and Transaction”
For an ongoing project commissioned from the ASEAN Secretariat in 2006, we further explored the possibilities of the use of the Regional Monetary Units which are to be composed by the currencies of the Asian countries, expanding our prospects for their use in the regional economic surveillance as well as in various public and private transactions. We made policy recommendations to promote their practical use. Besides, IIMA served as a coordinator in summarizing the reports submitted by the responsible research institutes in Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Korea.

2. Technical Assistance to Foster Asian Bond Markets

“Technical Assistance to Vietnam on the Development of the Vietnam Securities Depository’s Functions in Vietnamese Government Bond Market”
As in 2006, we continued to provide technical assistance to Vietnam in order to help develop their Government Bond Market. We gave advices and know-how to the ongoing project to transform the Hanoi Securities Exchange Center into the Vietnamese Government Bond Market. Moreover, we helped design and draft the rules and regulations that should guide the transactions of government bonds in the HSEC, as well as helping architect the Vietnamese Securities Depository with its necessary rules and regulations on such areas of registration, deposit, liquidation, settlement and so on.

3. Research on the Investment Income of Japan

“Research on the Present Position and Prospect of Japan’s Investment Income”
Amid the continued slow growth of Japanese economy with rapid aging and declining birth rate, it is desirable to increase outward investments, especially direct investments with higher earnings ratios in order to maintain Japan’s income surplus in the middle-and long-term horizon. Based on this perspective, we analyzed the developments and performance of the Japan’s portfolio and direct investments in comparison with the cases in the US and some European countries, and discussed the merits of outward investment income, and how they are beneficial to the Japanese economy, how they could be increased, and so on.

4. Research on Development Assistance

“Basic Research for the Poverty Reduction Assistance to the FATA in Pakistan”
We conducted a general research on poverty reduction assistance to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan, and submitted a report to the commissioner together with recommendations for managing the assistance.

“Analyses and Advices for International Conference of the DAC on Conflict, Peace and Development Cooperation”
We participated as an advisor in the international meeting held by the OECD/DAC in November 2007 in Paris and provided consultation to the participants while collecting information. Prior to the plenary meeting, we analyzed the agendas and related documents and made policy suggestions to the Japanese government on how to address to the problems.

5. Others related to International Finance”

“Survey on Foreign Workers’ Remittance in Japan”
We conducted survey on the actual situation of foreign workers’ remittances to their homelands and summarized the results in a report.

“Survey on Environment Business of the Major European Financial Institutions”
We visited the major European financial institutions, authorities as well as research institutes to conduct a survey on the actual status of the environment business in Europe, which is believed to be the most environmentally advanced region.

6. International Conference

“10 Years after the Crisis—Evolving East Asian Financial System and Challenges Ahead”
We served as a secretariat to manage the international conference titled “10 Years after the Crisis—Evolving East Asian Financial System and Challenges Ahead”, which was jointly organized by Policy Research Institute of the Ministry of Finance and Asian Development Bank Institute. The conference invited several outstanding researchers from home and abroad, and during the conference, they revalued the policy responses to the currency crisis of 1997/98 and also discussed the agendas for further economic development in East Asia, including trade and investment issues.