Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry traveled to Tokyo, Japan, and Tianjin, People’s Republic of China from August 31 to September 3, 2021, to engage with international counterparts on bilateral and multilateral efforts to raise climate ambition ahead of the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held October 31 to November 12, 2021, in Glasgow, United Kingdom.
In Tokyo, Special Envoy Kerry met with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and senior officials, including Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, METI Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama, Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, to continue their ongoing discussions on bilateral and multilateral efforts on climate action in this decisive decade. Special Envoy Kerry also met with Kimiko Hirata, International Director of the Japanese climate NGO Kiko Network and winner of the 2021 Goldman Prize for her leadership in driving climate change action in Japan. Separately, Special Envoy Kerry and Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi participated together in a pre-recorded public dialogue hosted by the U.S.-Japan Council, entitled, “Bilateral Boardroom: U.S.-Japan Leadership in Addressing the Climate Crisis,” to discuss U.S.-Japan leadership to tackle the climate crisis. On the occasion of the Special Envoy’s visit to Japan, Japan and the United States issued a U.S.-Japan Joint Statement.