High-level outreach meetings in Japan
Activity list
ITTO Executive Director makes courtesy visit to heads of Japan’s Forestry Agency
2022/09/22
ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru paid a courtesy visit to the Director-General of Japan’s Forestry Agency, Orita Hiroshi, and the Deputy Director-General, Mori Shigeki, on 6 September 2022. The purpose of the visit was to follow up on discussions about how ITTO’s work might contribute to Japan’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050; collaboration on the upcoming 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Egypt in November; the Group of Seven; and the World Horticultural Exhibition, which will be held in Yokohama in 2027.
ITTO Executive Director meets Mayor of Yokohama City
2022/09/22
ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru met with Yokohama City Mayor, Yamanaka Takeharu, on 1 September 2022 to discuss ways in which ITTO’s work might contribute to the city’s carbon-neutrality plan, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and collaboration on the World Horticultural Exhibition, which will be held in Yokohama in 2027.
ITTO’s role is critical for supporting Japan’s efforts in global issues
2022/08/01
ITTO Executive Director, Sheam Satkuru, met with Hayashi Yoshimasa, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan on Monday, 1 August 2022. The Minister expressed the importance of ITTO in relation to Japan as its host country, and that the organization’s work plays an important role in regards to global issues, such as mitigating climate change and the ensuring of sustainable supply chains. Ms. Satkuru ensured the Minister of the organization’s commitment to continue working with Japan to facilitate legal and sustainable forest management and sustainable use of timber in the tropics, which are often correlated to the larger global issues.
ITTO proposed plans for Japan’s carbon neutrality by 2050 at the Ministry of Environment
2022/07/29
On Friday, 29 July 2022, ITTO Executive Director, Sheam Satkuru, paid a visit to the Ministry of Environment in Tokyo to meet with Nakagawa Yasuhiro, Japan’s Parliamentary Vice-minister of Environment; Mizutani Yoshihiro, Director for International Cooperation for Transition to Decarbonization and Sustainable Infrastructure; and Kudo Shunsuke, Planning Officer for the Joint Crediting Mechanism to follow up on a previous meeting in late April to propose plans on how ITTO’s could contribute to Japan’s pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Follow-up meeting with Shimamura Dai, Japan’s parliamentary vice-minister of health, labour and welfare to discuss how ITTO’s work could contribute to Japan’s pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
2022/07/28
A follow-up meeting took place between ITTO Executive Director, Sheam Satkuru, and the parliamentary vice-minister of health, labour and welfare, Shimamura Dai on Thursday, 28 July. This meeting continued discussions on how ITTO’s work could contribute to Japan’s pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, which took place last year in December, when Mr. Shimamura visited ITTO headquarters and met with Officer-in-charge Steven Johnson.
ITTO meets with Japanese government officials to discuss emission reductions
2022/04/27
ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru met with Nakagawa Yasuhiro, Japan’s Parliamentary Vice-minister of Environment, in Tokyo on 27 April 2022 to exchange views on how ITTO’s work could contribute to Japan’s pledge to significantly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Japan’s Forestry Agency makes courtesy call to ITTO headquarters
2022/04/12
Japan’s Forestry Agency Director of Wood Utilization, Kojima Hiroaki, accompanied by the Deputy Director of the Wood Products Trade Office, Tabata Akiko, and the Section Chief of the Wood Products Trade Office, Sugaya Kyohei, visited ITTO headquarters on 12 April 2022.
Head of Citynet visits ITTO headquarters
2022/03/31
ITTO Executive Director Ms Sheam Satkuru received a courtesy call from the Head of Citynet, Mr Onozaki Nobuyuki, and the Director of Citynet’s Project Administration, Ms Kudou Yukiko, on 31 March 2022.
Japan's parliamentary vice-minister of health, labour and welfare, Shimamura Dai, makes courtesy call to ITTO headquarters
2022/01/08
Japan’s parliamentary vice-minister of health, labour and welfare, Shimamura Dai, visited ITTO on 23 December 2021 and met with Officer-in-charge Steven Johnson. Vice-minister Shimamura represents Kanagawa prefecture in Japan’s parliament and is based in Yokohama. Discussions focused on how ITTO’s work could contribute to Japan’s pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050.
Yokohama Deputy Mayor welcomes participants to virtual Council session
2020/11/09
Yokohama’s Deputy Mayor, Hayashi Takumi, has welcomed delegates to the 56th Session of the International Tropical Timber Council, which is being held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his video greeting, Mr Hayashi spoke about long-standing collaboration between the City of Yokohama and ITTO, including joint efforts to raise awareness of the importance of tropical forests.
Deputy Mayor of Yokohama visits ITTO headquarters
2020/07/14
ITTO Director of Operations Ms Sheam Satkuru received a courtesy call from the Deputy Mayor of the City of Yokohama, Mr Hayashi Takumi, on 14 July 2020. Mr Hayashi, who was accompanied on the visit by support staff, was appointed to the position in April.
ITTO and Soka Gakkai to help empower women in Togo through forest restoration
2020/07/01
ITTO and the Soka Gakkai organization have agreed to join forces to support forest landscape restoration (FLR) in Togo with the aim of empowering women to improve their livelihoods and increase the resilience of local landscapes in the face climate change. Soka Gakkai is a global community-based Buddhist organization that promotes peace, culture and education.
ITTO and Soka University agree to increase collaboration
2020/02/25
ITTO and Soka University have agreed to collaborate with the aim of increasing the knowledge and exposure of Soka University students to global environmental issues through the exchange of publications and other information materials, speakers, the joint organization of seminars, and opportunities for internships at ITTO.
ITTO and Japanese agencies convene REDD+ 2020 start-up seminar
2020/01/21
Japan’s Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Japan Public–Private Platform for REDD+ and ITTO jointly convened a seminar in Tokyo on 21 January 2020 to explore current and future opportunities for REDD+, including those of the private sector in support of national-level activities. The seminar provided an overview of the experiences gained in REDD+ over the last decade; tools, guidelines and technologies; and the performance of selected projects funded by the Government of Japan.
Executive Director of General Affairs Department, City of Yokohama, makes courtesy call to ITTO headquarters
2019/10/30
ITTO Executive Director Dr Gerhard Dieterle received a courtesy call from Mr Watanabe Takakazu, who was appointed recently as Executive Director of the General Affairs Department, International Affairs Bureau, City of Yokohama. Mr Watanabe and support staff visited the ITTO office on 30 October 2019.Yokohama is ITTO’s host city, and the Organization has always enjoyed a strong and productive relationship with the City and its officials.
Courtesy call by Soka University and Soka Gakkai
2019/09/05
Representatives of Soka University and Soka Gakkai visited ITTO on 5 September 2019 to extend an invitation to the Holocaust Exhibition to be held at Sanbo Center on 19 September 2019. For more details of the event visit https://www.soka.ac.jp/assets/static/special/holocaust/ (in Japanese).
ITTO speaks with Japanese private sector on international tropical timber trade
2019/08/23
ITTO Executive Director Dr Gerhard Dieterle presented on global trends in the tropical timber trade in August 2019 at a one-day seminar hosted by the Japan Forestry Association. In his presentation, Dr Dieterle spoke about the outlook for demand for timber and wood products, the substitution effects of the increased use of wood products for mitigating climate change, and the need for more investment in afforestation and reforestation.
Meeting with members of the House of Representatives from Kanagawa Prefecture
2019/06/05
A Courtesy call between ITTO Executive Director Dr Gerhard Dieterle and Mr. Manabu Sakai, a member of the Japanese Diet from the prefecture of Kanagawa, resulted in expressed appreciation for Kanagawa’s prefecture support, Mr. Sakai’s appreciation on ITTO’s activities with communities in Yokohama and discussion over ITTO activities in Africa.
Courtesy call with Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary
2019/05/24
Courtesy call of Dr Gerhard Dieterle, ITTO Executive Director and H.E. Yoshihide Suga, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary on 24 May 2019. ITTO is grateful for the support of the Japanese government and look forward to increase collaboration in mutually beneficial endeavors.
Courtesy call with Japan's State Minister for Foreign Affairs
2019/05/23
Courtesy call of Dr Gerhard Dieterle, ITTO Executive Director and Dr Toshiko Abe, Japan's State Minister for Foreign Affairs (right) on 23 May 2019. ITTO is proud to have meet H.E. Toshiko Abe and discuss ways to increase collaboration in mutually beneficial endeavors, such as climate-change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and sustainable timber supply chains.