– ICLEI Japan Member Information –

City of Yokohama

Message from the Mayor of Yokohama

Takeharu Yamanaka

With the adoption of the Paris Agreement at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), expectations for the actions of cities are rising worldwide. Yokohama has set a goal of ‘Zero Carbon Yokohama’ and is working towards decarbonization by 2050, and as an SDGs Future City selected by the Japanese Government, the city is focusing its efforts on creating a sustainable city, including measures to combat global warming.

Yokohama has long been working to solve urban issues in cooperation with other cities and international organizations in Japan and abroad. We would like to share our knowledge with the participating cities of ICLEI and promote cooperation and collaboration to create a sustainable society together.

Overview of Yokohama City

Yokohama is a beautiful international port city located in the metropolitan area of Japan. In addition to the modern waterfront area symbolized by the Minato Mirai 21 district, the suburbs are filled with lush greenery, residential areas, and farmland, making the city a diverse and attractive place.

Yokohama’s development was triggered by the opening of the port in 1859. Since then, Yokohama has overcome various hardships such as the Great Kanto Earthquake, rapid population growth, and pollution, and has grown to become the second largest city in Japan with a population of 3.7 million. The urban management knowledge and technological capabilities cultivated during this process have become the foundation for our current international contributions.

In recent years, the city has also been strong in tourism MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Conferences, Exhibitions), hosting many international conferences such as the Asian Development Bank Annual Meeting and the African Development Conference, and attracting 36 million tourists in 2023.

Basic information

3,773,476

Population
(As of 1 July 2025)

437.78㎢

Area

City of Yokohama Website

Environmental Initiatives

Yokohama has been a pioneer among other cities in taking measures to combat global warming, such as saving electricity, energy efficiency measures, and expanding the use of renewable energy.

In January 2023, the Yokohama City Action Plan for Global Warming Countermeasures was revised, setting a 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 50% (compared to 2013 levels) and working towards virtually zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2050.

In order to achieve this goal, Yokohama is working to create a series of measures to combat global warming in an ‘all-Yokohama’ manner through the introduction of new technologies in cooperation with businesses, smart use of renewable energy in collaboration with other local governments, and activities that utilize the power of citizens. Furthermore, the ‘Minato Mirai 21 area’ was selected as a national ‘Decarbonization Leading Areas’.

Together with our citizens, we will build a model for decarbonization in major cities, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity consumption to virtually zero by 2030.

Yokohama’s Initiatives in Addressing Global Warming

Circular development

Asian Circular Cities Declaration (ACCD) Kicks Off to Advance Circular Urban Development

Takeharu Yamanaka, Mayor of Yokohama, played a central role in launching the ACCD at the Asia Smart City Conference 2025. He highlighted the importance of resource circulation and waste management, and drew on the European Circular Cities Declaration as a model for Asia.
Yokohama served as the initiating city and became the first signatory of the ACCD framework, which aims to accelerate circular urban development and strengthen regional collaboration across Asia.

Learn more

Circular development

The Mayor of Yokohama has joined ICLEI’s Global Executive Committee as Circular Development Portfolio Holder

Takeharu Yamanaka, Mayor of Yokohama, has been appointed to the Global Executive Committee of ICLEI as Circular Development Portfolio Holder — the first Japanese local leader to join the committee since 2012.

Learn more

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Associate Partnership

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Associate Partnership is available to non-governmental organizations, universities, state and national government agencies and not-for-profit research institutions. The purpose of Associate Partnership is to facilitate dialogues between local governments and these partners, to provide knowledge transfer in line with ICLEI’s Mission and Charter, and an avenue for which partners can support ICLEI’s work and mandate.

HARNESS the power of the ICLEI Network! " Governments need to give (the sense of) direction, as Business leaders we don't make the wind, we sail the boats. So policy should set the winds in the right directions if you want the boat going fast to the right harbor." Philippe Joubert Senior Advisor, World Business Council
on Sustainable Development

Click here to view a full list of our associate partners

All India Institute of Local Self Government
Center for Environmental Studies Foundation
Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board
China Center for Urban Development (CCUD)
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission
Council of Wards in Tokyo
Fondation Biladi pour le Developpement Durable
German Federal Association for Sustainability
The Guangzhou Award
ICDI - International Climate Development Institute
IGOB-lnteressengemeinschaft okologische Beschaffung
International Association for Medina-Mary
Local Government Network-LG Net
National Institute of Urban Affairs
National Procurement Ltd.- Denmark
Natureparif
North-West University, Potchefstroom
RADP - Rural Area Development Programme
Selenyi Kirov
Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition
Taiwan Environmental Action Network
TCO Development
The Ideas Bank Foundation
VITO-Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek
Water Research Commission

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Eva Madeira Head of ICLEI Global Membership & Governance

Got any questions? I will be happy to assist. Please contact me at iclei(at)iclei.org