ICLEI Japan is pleased to welcome its newest member, the City of Hamamatsu, located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

Hamamatsu City is a government ordinance-designated city, located between Tokyo and Osaka along the Pacific coast, with an area of 1,558 km² and a population of approximately 790,000.

As of 1 April 2022, Hamamatsu City became a member of ICLEI. A handover ceremony was held on 25 April, ICLEI Japan, Chairman Mr. Hamanaka and Executive Director Mr. Uchida visited Hamamatsu City and handed Mayor Yasutomo Suzuki a membership certificate in a wooden frame made of ‘Tenryu wood’, a local wood.

Hamamatsu City is not only Japan’s largest producer of solar power among all local governments in Japan, but also Japan’s largest producer of renewable energy, including wind power and biomass. It also has the largest area of FSC-certified forests in all municipalities nationwide. Taking advantage of these characteristics, Hamamatsu City, as an ‘SDG Future City’, is taking pioneering steps to utilize local resources to achieve a sustainable society.

“Hamamatsu City is working towards a sustainable society in order to address the various challenges facing the city, such as climate change and the transformation of its industrial structure. In particular, decarbonisation is an urgent issue, and the city is also actively involved in energy policy ahead of the rest of the cities, as promoting the introduction of renewable energy, including solar power generation, which has the highest installed capacity in Japan. As an ‘SDGs Future City’ selected by the government, the city is promoting measures that make the most of its characteristics, such as ‘Energy’, ‘Forestry’ and ‘Diversity’. In 2022, a new Carbon Neutral Promotion Project Headquarters has been established to strengthen decarbonisation and energy policies and building a sustainable society. In addition to the initiatives in the city, we will further work towards the realisation of a sustainable society in the world through information exchange and networking with all the cities participating in ICLEI”, explained by Mayor Yasutomo Suzuki.

Through ICLEI’s network of 125 countries, ICLEI will share the knowledge of its member local governments in Japan and abroad, and actively promote Hamamatsu City’s progressive initiatives and attractions.