Minister of the Environment of Japan Supports Kazakhstan’s Ecological Initiatives

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Japan, Yerlan Baudarbek-Kozhatayev, held a meeting with the Minister of the Environment of Japan, Hirotaka Ishihara, during which he briefed the Japanese side on the results of the national referendum on the adoption of the country’s new Constitution.

The parties also discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation in the field of sustainable development and addressing environmental challenges, with particular focus on joint efforts to combat climate change and promote the introduction of green technologies.

The Ambassador informed the Japanese minister about Kazakhstan’s initiative to establish an international water organization under the auspices of the United Nations, and also presented the country’s approaches to ensuring water security, the rational use and conservation of water resources, and adaptation to the impacts of climate change.

Ambassador Yerlan Baudarbek-Kozhatayev presented the program of the Regional Ecological Summit, which will be held on April 22–24, 2026 in Astana and will serve as a key Central Asian platform for attracting green investment, as well as for discussing climate change and sustainable development issues with the participation of business representatives and the expert community.

On his part, Minister Hirotaka Ishihara emphasized Tokyo’s proactive stance in addressing global environmental challenges and confirmed Japan’s participation in the Regional Ecological Summit at the political level. He noted the importance of the Memorandum of cooperation between the relevant authorities of the two countries, signed during the first official visit of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to Japan, and also expressed interest in implementing projects under the Joint Credit Mechanism (JCM) aimed at introducing environmentally friendly technologies and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.