Press Conferences

Foreign Press Secretary KITAMURA Toshihiro: I have one announcement regarding an international conference to be held in Japan.

The 48th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM48) will be held in the City of Hiroshima from May 11 to May 21. This will be the first time in 32 years, since 1994, that Japan has hosted an ATCM.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the commencement of Japan’s Antarctic research activities. Over the course of this period, Japan’s research activities have made significant contributions to the understanding of global environmental issues, including the discovery of the ozone hole.

At this meeting, the main agenda items include addressing the growing volume of tourism activities in Antarctica in recent years, the impact of climate change on the Antarctic region, and enhanced transparency regarding the activities of various countries in Antarctica. Japan, as the host country, intends to make this an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of peace and international cooperation with an eye to the future, while returning to the fundamental principles of the Antarctic Treaty, namely the peaceful use of the Antarctic region, international cooperation in the region, and the prohibition of nuclear explosions.

This is the logo for this meeting. It features penguins living in Antarctica and the shape of large waves, rendered in five traditional Japanese colors. From left to right, the colors are hiiro (scarlet), yamabuki-iro (bright golden yellow), aotake-iro (bamboo green), kakitsubata-iro (iris purple), and konpeki-iro (deep blue). The design represents how the world is connected through the five oceans: the Southern Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean.

We distributed QR codes to everyone here, through which you can access information on the meeting, a promotional video, and guidance on press registration. In addition, MOFA will disseminate various related information and event updates on its website, as well as through the X account of the Global Environment Division, the bureau responsible for this meeting at MOFA. We encourage you to refer to these sources.