Just a day before a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, ICMA signed an agreement with Toyo University in Tokyo to share leading public management practices from the United States with Japanese students. The agreement was formalized on March 10 by Ron Carlee, ICMA Chief Operating Officer, and Sam Tabuchi, Professor in Toyo University's Public-Private Partnerships Graduate School, Department of Economics. 

Under the agreement, ICMA will deliver a four-day workshop, "Introduction to Public Management in Local Governments" for approximately 100 students. The intensive sessions will introduce the principles and practices of U.S. public management in democratically based, decentralized local governments.

The purpose  of the workshop, which is designed for local government leaders and those who work with local government, is to enhance the professionalism, efficiency, and effectiveness of local government in Japan. It will cover:

• The structure and system of local government in the United States, including counties, cities, town, and districts
• The roles of officials and sectors, including ethics and law, the differing roles of elected officials and appointed professionals, the roles of citizens and the private sector, and interorganizational and intersectoral relations
• The nuts and bolts of effective management, including practices that foster a high performing organization; budgeting and performance measurement; public-private partnerships and contracts; service sharing; human resource management; and sustainability/resiliency at the local level
• Essential elements of organizational leadership.

The workshop is scheduled for August 2011. Toyo University has campuses in Tokyo, Saitama, and Gunma; after the earthquake, its website announced that the university will carry out its program of academic activities for the spring term.