The 20th Tripartite Presidents Meeting among NIES, NIER and CRAES

The Tripartite Presidents Meeting (TPM) is an annual meeting since 2004 with the objective of furthering environmental research in Japan, Korea, and China through efforts among the leading environmental research institutes in their respective countries. Presidents of the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES; Japan), the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER; Korea) and the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES; China) exchange information, review plans and progress of joint research activities, and discuss future collaborations for the environmental research enhancement in the Northeast Asian region.

The 20^th Tripartite Presidents Meeting (TPM 20) was held in Tokyo from October 30 to November 2, 2023 in person for the first time after 4 years of online meetings with due considerations to the pandemic. In this milestone year of the 20th TPM, the Presidents reviewed the past twenty years of cooperations and joint research in the environmental field among the three institutes, and confirmed continuous contribution on improvement of environmental issues in Northeast Asia. At the TPM20 parallel workshop, presentations and discussions were made on exposure factors in East Asia. The Presidents agreed to strengthen and develop future research collaboration and summarized the results in a Joint Communiqué.

With the introduction of the hybrid format at TPM20, the Presidents noted that such a format allows participants to participate not only physically in the venue but also online from their home countries and agreed to incorporate this format in future TPMs. They also confirmed the importance of using the “TPM+” concept, which allows inviting experts from outside research institutes, as well as the importance of exchanging information and collaborating with young researchers. During the Main Meeting, the Presidents also listened to current activity reports and possibilities of future joint research from the four Potential Research Areas (PRAs) presented by each Leading Institute’s Focal Points. In addition to these reports, the Water Environment PRA also presented each institute’s situation as a comparative study to deepen mutual understanding among the three institutes.

At the Parallel Workshop themed on Exposure Factors in East Asia, a Focal Point and a young researcher from each institute presented their research which aims for future harmonization in the Northeast Asian region. The workshop became a precious opportunity to discuss concrete methods for further research cooperation among the three institutes.

NIER will host TPM21 in 2024 in Korea. Details of the meeting will be announced later.

Toshihiro AZUMA, General Manager, Planning Division
Yoshitaka EBIE, Manager, International Coordination Office, Planning Division
Email: tpm (at) nies.go.jp