On February 22nd, the JWF hosted a symposium entitled World Water Day in Tokyo 2017, Water Conference for Future. It was attended by 110 participants, including speakers.
Water Conference for Future is a symposium organized by the JWF. This initiative began in 2016 in the face of a new trends in water-related policy at home and abroad such as SDGs, the Paris Agreement, and the Water-Cycle Policy in Japan. It is aimed at presenting a broad long-term vision for future water action policies and contributing to the promotion of various water-related activities and innovation.
The previous symposium was held on March 1, 2016, and was entitled World Water Day in Tokyo 2016 International Symposium for Future-proofing our Society – Climate is Water –, just after the Paris Agreement was officially adopted at the Conference of the Parties (COP) 21. We discussed the necessity of dealing with water issues from the aspects of mitigation and adaptation, and deepened the dialogue on challenges and directions for the future.
This is the second year since the SDGs were established. It is essential that a variety of players work together towards achieving the SDGs and solving other environmental issues. World Water Day in Tokyo 2017 focused on companies as important players. Companies are our partners in building sustainability. In order to consider the roles of companies, we focused on the trends of ESG (environment, society and governance) investment. From that perspective, we confirmed that it was important for companies to tackle environmental issues as part of their business strategies.
The outcomes of this symposium: Mission Statement of World Conference for Future 2017 (PDF)
The JWF will be involved in transmitting the latest information and Japan’s knowledge to the rest of the world, raising awareness and presenting recommendations for the resolution of water issues.
Outline
| Event title | World Water Day in Tokyo 2017, Water Conference for Future |
| Date / Time | Wednesday, 22 February 2017 / 14:00-17:00 (door open 13:30) |
| Venue | Multipurpose hall, First Members’ Office Buildings of the House of Representatives, Tokyo |
| Organizer | Japan Water Forum (JWF) |
| Supporters | Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Ministry of the Environment (MOE), IWA Japan National Committee, Japan Society of Hydrology and Water Resouces and Water Security Council of JAPAN(WSCJ) |
Program (PDF)
| Remarks | ・Ms. Yuko NAKAGAWA, Chief of the Secretariat of Special Mission Committee on Water Security Strategy and member of the House of Representatives |
| ・Mr. Takashi IGARASHI (Director, Water Resources Department, Water and Disaster Management Bureau, MLIT/Secretary General, Cabinet Secretariat Headquarters for Water Cycle Policy) | |
| Special Address | ・Mr. Mikio MORI (Deputy Director General, International Cooperation Bureau, MOFA)
「Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)- Japan’s Efforts -」 |
| Presentation | ・Ms. Natsuki SASAKI (Consultant, Environment and Energy Division 2, Mizuho Information & Research Institute, Inc.) (PDF) ・Dr. Michiyo MORISAWA (Japan Director, CDP) (PDF) ・Dr. Youhei KANEKO, (Vice President, Corporate Sustainability-Ecology, Kao Corporation) (PDF) ・Prof. Taikan OKI （Senior Vice-Rector, United Nations University/Professor, Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo) (PDF) |
| Panel Discussion | 「Working Together to Build Sustainability」 ・Facilitator: Prof. Taikan OKI ・Panelists: Dr. Michiyo MORISAWA, Dr. Youhei KANEKO and Mr. Masahiko SHIBATA (Senior Consultant, Environment and Energy Division 2, Mizuho Information & Research Institute, Inc.) ※PDF data are Japanese only. |
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| Ms. Yuko NAKAGAWA | Mr. Takashi IGARASHI |
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| Mr. Mikio MORI | Ms. Natsuki SASAKI |
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| Mr. Masahiko SHIBATA | Dr. Michiyo MORISAWA |
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| Dr. Youhei KANEKO | Prof. Taikan OKI |
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| Dr. Kotaro TAKEMURA | |
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| Question and Answer from the audience | |
(Reported by Sayoko KUWAHARA, Manager)
This symposium is supported by the River Fund in charge of the River Foundation
