Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that on October 15, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Akiko Ikuina hosted a welcome reception at the Iikura Guest House for participants in the GEA International Conference 2026.
In her remarks, she described GX (Green Transformation), the conference theme, as a pressing need of our time: achieving stable energy supply, economic growth and decarbonization together. With climate risks growing more serious, the ministry said it will continue working to resolve these issues through growth investment in GX.
Attendees included the Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and the President and CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), along with figures from politics, business and academia in Japan and abroad. Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress attended the opening ceremony on October 15, as did the Prime Minister.
GEA is an NGO established to help solve global environmental problems and contribute to sustainable development. It was founded in 1991, ahead of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit), and holds an international conference in Tokyo every two years where leaders from politics, business and academia discuss the global environment.
Key points
- An international conference held in Tokyo every two years by the environmental NGO GEA
- Theme: contributing to the global environment through growth investment in GX
- Participants from politics, business and academia, in Japan and abroad
Why this news deserves attention
It is notable that a conference organized by an NGO brings government, business and researchers together to discuss the global environment. Environmental problems are hard to solve within a single field, so it matters that people from different positions sit at the same table.
GEA has been active since the early 1990s, creating spaces for dialogue on the environment since the days of the Earth Summit. For anyone interested in international cooperation or the environment, this is a good way to learn about that history.
Editor's comment
We have shared news of a welcome reception held for an environmental NGO's international conference. Climate change is a theme that touches each of our daily lives.
The outcomes of the conference will become clear through announcements from GEA and related organizations. NGO Network Japan will keep reporting on developments in the environmental field, so please keep an eye out.