Arctic Circle Japan Forum

 The Arctic Circle Japan Forum was held on March 4-6, 2023 at the Toranomon Hills Forum, Tokyo.

 The Arctic Circle is a large-scale international conference to dialogue various Arctic issues, which started in 2013 at the proposal of former Iceland President, Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, as we have previously introduced in our blog. This was the first Arctic Circle regional forum to be held in Japan and was organized in cooperation with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Arctic Circle, and The Nippon Foundation. The approximately 300 attendees included parliament and government officials, researchers, corporations, and NPOs from about 20 participating countries and regions in more than 50 sessions.

 Panelists expressed their expectations for a new Arctic research icebreaker, as further scientific and international cooperation is essential to consider the impact of climate change and its countermeasures in the Arctic region at the panel discussion titled “Science and Technology Collaboration in the Arctic and Effective Use of Research Vessels”.

 JAMSTEC Project Office for Arctic Research Vessel exhibited the model of the new Arctic research icebreaker, videos, panels, and distributed brochures and other materials at the venue. It was a valuable opportunity to introduce the new icebreaker to the many participants from the Arctic community both in Japan and abroad.