Commissioner Sinkevičius visits Japan to strengthen EU-Japan relations in environmental matters

The Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, visits Japan from 9 to 11 November. This visit represents an important opportunity to engage ahead of several Conferences of the Parties (COPs) for which Japan is an important player, such as COP15 on Biodiversity which will take place in December and which is a key priority, and COP19 of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) taking place in November. On Thursday 10 November, the Commissioner will meet the Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Research Commission on Environment and Global Warming Countermeasures of the Japanese Liberal-Democratic Party, Shinji Inoue. Commissioner Sinkevičius will then exchange views with a group of international and local NGOs. In the afternoon, he will meet the Minister of Environment, Akihiro Nishimura, the State Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Takaaki Katsumata and the State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kenji Yamada. These meetings will notably focus on the Green Alliance Operational Working Plan, COP15, the Global Plastic Pollution Agreement, deforestation-free supply chains, circular economy, the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) negotiations, IUU fishing, marine protected areas in the Antarctic under CCAMLR and the Indian Ocean Tuna Committee. The Commissioner will then attend a working dinner with businesses. On Friday 11 November, Commissioner Sinkevičius will start the day with a meeting with State Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Nakatani, and then proceed to give a lecture on “EU Green Deal and International Agenda” at Sophia University. On Friday 11 November, Commissioner Sinkevičius will meet the State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Hosoda Kenichi, to discuss circular economy; have a discussion with Sumitomo Electric Industries on sustainable batteries; meet representative of Keidanren, Japan’s largest business federation and, in particular, its Committee on Nature Conservation; and give a lecture on “EU Green Deal and International Agenda” at Sophia University.