Event supported by GCoM Japan secretariat at Nagoya University
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) awarded badges to eight municipalities in Japan during a ceremony on September 23, 2025. The event was held at the European Union (EU) Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, under the auspices of the Japan-EU Green Alliance. Nagoya University serves as the secretariat for the Japanese branch of the organization, GCoM Japan.
The ceremony was attended by leaders of the eight municipalities that were awarded a badge for compliance (Kamishihoro and Yoichi in Hokkaido; Tomiya in Miyagi Prefecture; Yamagata in Gifu Prefecture; Okazaki, Ichinomiya, and Obu in Aichi Prefecture; and Sakaide in Kagawa Prefecture), as well as representatives from the delegation of the European Union to Japan. The badge for compliance is awarded to municipalities that have been officially recognized by the global secretariat in Brussels as having completed all three stages of both the climate change mitigation measures (inventory assessment, target setting, and planning) and adaptation measures (risk and vulnerability assessment, target setting, and planning).
At the beginning of the ceremony, Nagoya University Associate Professor Feifan Xu and Designated Professor Noriko Sugiyama, the Secretariat for GCoM Japan, gave an explanation about the purpose of the ceremony.
Jean-Eric Paquet, Ambassador of the EU to Japan, then spoke about the urgency of climate change measures, emphasizing the importance of municipalities continuing to take the lead role. Additionally, Naoko Hamashima, Director of the Office for Regional Decarbonization Policy at the Ministry of the Environment, expressed her hope that municipalities would promote the creation of “regional circular and ecological spheres” together with the people living in their communities.
At the main event of the day, the badge conferral ceremony, Ambassador Paquet presented the badges of compliance to the leaders of the municipalities. The awardees took to the stage and introduced the climate policies that their regions are focusing on, such as the “leading decarbonization regions” initiative, and expressed their determination to make use of this network to further accelerate their efforts.
In addition, Margot Roose, a Deputy Mayor of Tallinn, Estonia, spoke about her experience of when Tallinn was selected as the European Green Capital in 2023, and Professor Albert Edman from the Swedish National Research Institute (RISE) delivered a speech on green transformation in European cities.
At the end of the ceremony, Andreas Roettger, Head of the Asia-Pacific Regional Team in the EU Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, and Nagoya University Professor Hiroki Tanikawa, Dean of the Graduate School of Environmental Studies, where the GCoM Japan office is located, stated that they would continue to support the creation of sustainable and resilient communities in collaboration with local governments and civil society.
