The Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among Japan, China and Korea (TEMM) has been held annually since 1999. Within this framework, the three countries aim to play a leading role in environmental management in Northeast Asia and contribute to improving the global environment.

The TEMM holds an annual ministerial meeting on a rotating basis among the three countries, to hold a dialogue and issue joint communiqué. TEMM projects are implemented on the basis of the agreements reached at the ministerial meetings.

In 2023, Nagoya City and Aichi Prefecture hosted the 24th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among Japan, Korea, and China (TEMM24), which took place from 3-4 November. In the run-up to the TEMM24 Meeting, on 26 October, ICLEI Japan co-organised the ‘Local Government Forum: Towards the 24th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among Japan, Korea, and China‘ with the Executive Committee for Supporting the TEMM24 Meeting, comprising the City of Nagoya and Aichi Prefecture. At the forum, local governments from the three countries presented case studies of their initiatives in the environmental field and shared their knowledge and experiences, thereby deepening cooperation between the participating local governments.

Midori Sugino, Deputy Mayor of Nagoya City declared that the active involvement of local governments in sustainability issues would further deepen cooperation between the three countries and contribute to the achievement of sustainable goals for the environment.

The theme of the forum was circular economy and biodiversity, and participants included Aichi Prefecture, Kitakyushu City, Nagoya City, Sado City, Guiyang and Daqing in China, as well as Gwangming, Goyang and Suncheon in South Korea. The participating local governments demonstrated their cross-sectoral efforts approach to the challenges faced by their cities, highlighting the cooperation between national and local governments, citizens and businesses. During the panel discussions, there was a lively exchange of views on what the speakers regarded as important issues on each theme and what they would like to learn from other local authorities.

The declaration, which was presented at the Local Government Forum, was handed over to Shintaro Ito, the Minister of the Environment by Midori Sugino, Deputy Mayor of Nagoya City and Togo Uchida, Executive Director of ICLEI Japan. The Declaration was also presented at a welcome reception hosted by Nagoya City and Aichi Prefecture, where the outcomes of the Local Government Forum were communicated to the Trilateral Government officials, and that local governments can actively contribute to the goals of TEMM in the future.

Through international frameworks such as the TEMM, the role of local governments in environmental issues and cooperation between national and local governments will continue to become increasingly important and make a further contribution.

For more information on the Deputy Minister of the Environment’s address to the Local Government Forum, click here. (Japanese)