Japan, China, and Korea Strengthen Local Government Role in TEMM26 Environmental Action Plan
From September 27 to 28, 2025, the 26th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the People’s Republic of China (TEMM26) was held in Yantai, Shandong Province, China.
TEMM is an annual meeting held on a rotating basis among Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea, the core countries of Northeast Asia. The meeting brings together the environment ministers of the three countries to engage in dialogue on regional and global environmental issues and to strengthen trilateral cooperation. Established in 1999, TEMM has a 26-year history of fostering collaboration on environmental challenges.
Adoption of a New Joint Action Plan (2026-2030)
At TEMM26, ministers exchanged views on the progress of national environmental policies, regional and global environmental challenges, and the progress in implementating the Tripartite Joint Action Plan on Environmental Cooperation. The meeting concluded with the adoption of a new Joint Action Plan on Environmental Cooperation (2026–2030) and a joint communiqué, marking a new milestone in environmental cooperation across East Asia.
The newly adopted Joint Action Plan (2026-2030) highlights the importance of local governments’ engagement—the first time in TEMM’s 26-year history that such cooperation has been formally acknowledged. It also outlines enhanced trilateral cooperation across key priority areas, such as climate change, biodiversity, circular economy, and air quality, while committing to deepen engagement with cities and regions under the TEMM framework.
Local Government’s Contributions Leading up to TEMM26
Back in October 2023, during TEMM24 held in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, ICLEI Japan, along with the TEMM24 Supporting Executive Committee (comprising Nagoya City and Aichi Prefecture), co-hosted the Local Government Forum – Toward TEMM24.
At the forum, local governments from Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea shared their innovative environmental and climate initiatives. They adopted a Joint Declaration pledging to strengthen cooperation among cities and contribute to achieving TEMM’s goals. The Joint Declaration was officially handed to then-Minister of the Environment, Shintaro Ito, by Midori Sugino, Deputy Mayor of Nagoya City, symbolizing the collective commitment of local governments to advancing regional environmental collaboration.
The specific mention of cooperation with local governments in the new Joint Action Plan (2026-2030) is widely recognized as a direct outcome of these ongoing local-level initiatives and continued advocacy.
Comments from the City of Nagoya and ICLEI Japan
Deputy Mayor Sugino of Nagoya, who also participated in the Local Government Forum – Toward TEMM24, and Dr. Kazuhiko Takemoto, Chair of ICLEI Japan, shared the following comments.
“At the Local Governments Forum held in Nagoya in 2023 as part of TEMM24, local governments from Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea shared the importance of collaboration in the environmental field and presented the Joint Declaration expressing their commitment to cooperation under TEMM.
The specific mention of “promotion of cooperation with local governments” in the newly adopted Joint Action Plan (2026-2030) represents a significant achievement for local governments across the three countries and is highly meaningful.
Nagoya, recognized domestically and internationally for its initiatives in industry, economy, and the environment, has actively promoted innovative efforts toward sustainable urban development. Moving forward, we will continue to fulfill our responsibilities and potential in international environmental cooperation and advance environmental policies that connect local actions to global impact.”
— Midori Sugino, Deputy Mayor of Nagoya City
“We welcome the specific mention of local government cooperation in the Joint Action Plan (2026–2030). Cities play a critical role in addressing environmental challenges such as climate change, and ICLEI Japan will continue supporting local governments’ initiatives and exploring ways to contribute to the successful implementation of this new action plan.”
— Dr. Kazuhiko Takemoto, Chair, ICLEI Japan
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