Initiatives

On March 17, 2021, the governor of Tokyo, Koike, attended the Advanced Efforts Toward Decarbonizing Cities session at the Zero Carbon City International Forum hosted online by the Ministry of the Environment. The forum was held to boost the work done by cities in their quest for net zero emissions. It invited representatives from various cities and related organizations from both Japan and overseas, providing a venue for them to share advanced cases and discuss necessary measures to strengthen city-to-city cooperation. The sessions in the two-day forum were attended by 11 international organizations, including representatives of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as well as 28 local governments from 15 countries including 10 local governments of Japan.

“Now is the time to accelerate effective actions against the threat of climate crisis,” said Gov. Koike expressing her determination for the future. “To that end, actions taken by cities at the forefront are extremely important. In the spirit of the ‘TIME TO ACT’ slogan, Tokyo will continue to develop various policies and contribute to the decarbonization of the world in cooperation with overseas cities.” In the session, she also showcased Tokyo’s pioneering urban cap-and-trade program, policy support focused on measures for buildings provided to Kuala Lumpur, and other specific initiatives of Tokyo, such as hydrogen energy and green finance. (* The meeting was held in English.)