India-Japan Environment Week

Toward Resilient & Decarbonized Society
At COP26 in 2021, Prime Minister Modi stated that India will achieve the target of Net Zero by the year 2070. In addition, in August 2022, the India’s cabinet approved a climate change measure that updated the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted in 2015 and deepened the targets to include a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2005 levels and approximately 50% of electricity supply from non-fossil fuels. India, the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is expected to take strong emission reduction measures to achieve the target of Net Zero, and the international community is expected to support India in achieving this goal. The Ministry of Environment, Japan (MOEJ) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India (MOEFCC) held discussions on bilateral cooperation at the vice-ministerial level in April 2018, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on environmental cooperation in October of the same year, agreeing to promote cooperation in the field such as climate change and air and water pollution, etc. In September 2021, at the 1st Japan-India Environmental Policy Dialogue, it was agreed to further promote cooperation between the two countries as well as to work together in multilateral frameworks such as the G20. Meanwhile, the Indian private sector has been promoting energy conversion to high energy efficiency and energy conservation/renewable energy through technology transfer, and the issuance of green bonds and ESG bonds by Indian companies has been increasing rapidly in recent years. In addition, the Japan-India Technology Matching Platform (JITMAP) was established in 2016 to promote the transfer of low-carbon technologies from Japanese companies to Indian companies. As addressed in SDGs Goal 13, climate change countermeasures are an issue that must be urgently addressed by all people around the world, regardless of generation or national borders, and it is important for India to realize the target of Net Zero. In order to achieve this goal, conversion and adoption of environmental infrastructure and technologies is essential. In this session, participants from Japan and India will discuss the challenges and necessary measures to achieve further collaboration among central and local governments and the private sector to build a resilient decarbonized society in India.

Seminar Recordings

• His Excellency Mr. Akihiro Nishimura, Minister of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ)
• His Excellency Mr. Bhupender Yadav, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India (MOEFCC)
• Mr. Susumu Wakamori, President, Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India (JCCII)
• Mr. Subhrakant Panda, President, Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

  “Building a Resilient Decarbonized Society in India through Environmental Infrastructure and Technology”

< Moderator >Dr. Kazuhiko Takemoto, President of Overseas Environmental Cooperation Center, Japan (OECC) / Former Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs, MOEJ / Former Director of Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, United Nations University (UNU-IAS)

< Panelist >

• Mr. Daisuke Abe, Weathernews Inc.
• Dr. Mona Anand, Director of Research and Knowledge Management, CDRI
• Ms. Arisa Matsukiyo, ZERO Co., Ltd.
• Mr. Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, India (MOEFCC)
• Mr. Anagh Singh, Senior Manager, Invest India

As a part of the “India-Japan Environment week”, the Ministry of Environment of Japan (MOEJ), Asia Development Bank (ADB) and Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) organize a thematic seminar on integrated waste management including marine plastic waste. The seminar aims to (i) introduce current status and policies of waste/plastic management of India, and (ii) discuss potential application of Japan’s waste/plastic management technologies and relevant activities by ADB and ERIA in combatting waste/plastic management challenges in India.

Seminar Recordings

• Seminar Keynote Address

  Ms. Binay Jha, Director, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA)

  Mr. Saito Norio, Director for the Urban Development and Water Division of the South Asia Department, ADB

• Panel Discussion / Q&A “Introduction to the Panel Discussion”

  Mr. Amit Jain, Managing Director, IRG Systems South Asia Pvt. India

  Mr. Raghavendra Rao Tirumalasetty, Hitachi Zosen India

  Mr. Soumya Bhattacharya, JFE India

  Mr. Rio Waza, Daiki Axis India

  Ms. Naomi Mizokami, Fukuoka City

  Mr. Sahil Ghai, Shakti Plastics

  ERIA's presentation

  Mr. Michikazu Kojima, Senior Advisor on Environmental Issues, ERIA

The implementation of Article 6 is expected to revitalize carbon markets and private investment, and to contribute to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and economic growth at the same time. This workshop aims to: (i) introduce the latest developments in the international carbon markets including Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and; (ii) introduce examples of market mechanisms such as the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) and opportunities for private sector.

Seminar Recordings

• Opening Remarks

  - Mr. Kazuhisa Koakutsu, Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ)

  - Dr. Kazuhiko Takemoto, President of Overseas Environmental Cooperation Center, Japan (OECC)

• Session 1: Paris Agreement Article 6 & COP27 decision

  - “Article 6 decision and carbon market mechanism including the JCM”

     Mr. Kazuhisa Koakutsu, MOEJ

  - Dr. Rambabu Paravastu, Co-Chair of Climate Change Committee, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

• Session 2: Discussion -Opportunities for technology cooperation-

  - “Agrivoltaic Pilot Project in Mandi, Himachal Paradesh under JCM project scheme”

     Mr. Masayuki Iwai,CEO, Farmdo Group

     Mr. Rajiv Ranjan, Gramin Vikas Trust, India

     Mr. Vikash, Gramin Vikas Trust, India

  - “Spread of Coke Dry Quenching (CDQ) System - Introduction of merits and importance of stability of the plant -”

     Mr. Jaspreet Singh, Nippon Steel Engineering India Private Limited

  - “Project candidates of District Cooling System and Energy Efficiency”

     Mr. Girja Shankar, Energy Efficiency Services Limited

• Session 3: Q&A and Overall discussion

The main objective of this seminar is to introduce the outline and outcomes of activities to promote Japanese environmental technologies to Indian government agencies, experts such as energy auditors, and business people, etc. through JITMAP, in order to raise awareness of JITMAP and to promote understanding of the benefits of introducing the technology, including its superior performance and advantages in life-cycle cost. In addition, business people and other stakeholders from Japan and India will be invited to share information about specific barriers and challenges to the introduction of Japanese environmental technologies, and specific solutions to them, including cooperation between the governments of Japan and India, will be discussed and examined.

Seminar Recordings

• Welcome Remarks:

  Dr. Satoshi Kojima, Programme Director, Kansai Research Center, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)

• Special Remarks:

  Mr. Yasuo Takahashi, Executive Director, IGES

• Overview, Accomplishments, and Challenges of JITMAP

  Moderator: Mr. Girish Sethi, Senior Director, Energy Program, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

  Background Presentation and Activity Reports:

  • “Report on JITMAP Activities (General)”

    Mr. Toshinori Hamaguchi, Programme Manager, Kansai Research Centre, IGES

  • “Report on JITMAP Activities on Compressed Air System”

    Mr. Tsukasa Saito, IGES Fellow and former employee of Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems

  • “Introduction of Energy Efficiency Improvement through JITMAP Activities”

    Mr. Dinesh Raskar, Trinity Engineers Pvt. Ltd

  • “Report on JITMAP Activities on Steam Management System”

    Mr. Ravi Mishra, TLV PTE LTD. India Liaison Office

• Panel Discussion “Issue for Introduction of Japanese Environmental Technologies and Their Solutions”

  Panelists:

  - Mr. Ketan H Kakkad, Senior Consultant, Gujarat Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation Limited (GITCO), Ahmedabad

  - Mr. Tsukasa Saito, IGES Fellow

  - Mr. Dinesh Raskar / Mr. Pravin Narsale, Trinity Engineers Pvt. Ltd.

  - Mr. Ravi Mishra, TLV PTE LTD. India Liaison Office

• General Summary and Closing Remarks

  - Mr. Girish Sethi, Senior Director, Energy Program, TERI

Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Kyoto, Japan is conducting a five-year project, starting in 2020, entitled "An Interdisciplinary Study Toward Clean Air, Public Health and Sustainable Agriculture: The Case of Crop Residue Burning in North India", which is commonly known as "Aakash project" meaning sky in Hindi. In this seminar, we will report the latest findings from this project on the relationship between post-harvest rice straw burning in Punjab and Haryana and air pollution in Delhi. The seminar will also cover measures to reduce rice straw burning, including the effective use of rice straw as biomass fuel and the generation of biochar, as well as a research plan to raise awareness of farmers through health surveys. Through this seminar, we hope to demonstrate the potential of Japan-India technical cooperation to improve air pollution in India.

Seminar Recordings

• Seminar Opening Address

  Dr. Prabir K. Patra, Principal Scientist &Sub-group Leader, JAMSTEC, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

• Presentation

  “Aakash Project Summary: Results and Future Scopes”

  Dr. Sachiko Hayashida, Professor, Aakash Project leader, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan

  “Investigation of Perception About Air Pollution And Its Health Risks”

  Dr. Kayo Ueda, Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

  “Ex-Situ Management of Crop Reside in Punjab: Some Insights”

  Dr. Kamal Vatta, Professor and Head, Department of Economics and Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

  “Negative Emission Technology for Carbon Dioxide in Agricultural Fields”

  Dr. Shigeto Sudo, Leader, Mitigation System Group Division of Climate Change Mitigation Research Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

• Comments from Industries

  - Indian Oil

  - TROMSO

• Discussion (All)

Asia is vulnerable to climate change and account for a significant share of greenhouse gas (GHG). Therefore, adoption of cost-effective technological solutions to decarbonize key sectors like industry and transport is imperative for the region. The main purpose of this seminar is to introduce some of the new and emerging cleaner technologies where Japan is the leader like green hydrogen, low-carbon technological options for ‘hard to abate’ industry sector like steel and hybrid vehicles to key stakeholders (policy makers, industry, technology providers, academic and R&D institutions, and financial institutions) in India. The seminar will raise awareness of cleaner technological options emerging and to highlight the opportunities to reducing GHG emissions and to build collaborations for transformative changes between India and Japan. The seminar will provide a platform to deliberate on new collaborations and strengthen existing partnerships between the two countries to facilitate low carbon energy transitions.

Seminar Recordings

• Welcome Remarks

  Mr. Girish Sethi, Energy Program, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

• Seminar Opening Address

  Mr. Abhay Bakre, Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power

• Presentation

  “Potential role of hydrogen in decarbonizing Indian economy”

  Mr. Shirish S Garud, Senior Fellow and Director, TERI

  “Energy efficient technologies for cold chain”

  Mr. Hiroyuki Egashira, Mayekawa, Japan

  “Steel sector decarbonization strategies in Indian industry”

  Dr. Mukesh Kumar, Advisor, Jindal Steel and Power Limited

  “Gas Turbine Technology advancements for Energy Transition”

  Mr. Hiroyuki Shinohara, Vice President, Mitsubishi Power India Private Limited

  Mr. Saurabh Jajoo, AGM Marketing, Mitsubishi Power India Private Limited

  “Green technology solutions”

  Dr. Toshiyuki Suda, IHI

  “Emission measurement technologies”

  Mr. Kunal Soni, Horiba

• Q&A

• Closing Remarks

  Mr. Satoshi Kojima, Programme Director, Kansai Research Centre (KRC), IGES

While India's economy is growing to become the fifth largest in the world, the development of sewage treatment facilities for industrial and domestic wastewater has not caught up, and untreated wastewater, far exceeding the natural purification capacity, continues to be discharged into rivers and other water bodies. This seminar will provide information on the business situation and water environment business in India to the parties concerned in Japan and India, promote the introduction of water environment improvement technology and investment in India, and deepen understanding of the "Model Project for Improvement of Water Environment in Asia" sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ) and Japanese technology, so that parties concerned in both countries can introduce water environment improvement technology and make use of the scheme of the model project.

Seminar Recordings

• Opening Remarks

  Mr. Michihiro Oi, Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ)

• Presentations

  “India and its Environment-related Business Opportunities”

  Mr. Taku Hiroki, Director, JETRO New Delhi

  “Introduction of “Model Project for Improvement of Water Environment in Asia””

  Mr. Fumiaki Hasegawa, Deputy Director, Water Environment Division, Environmental Management Bureau, MOEJ

  “Ganges River Purification Plan and Johkasou Installation Project”

  Mr. Takuya Katagiri, Daiki Axis Co., Ltd.

  “Project for Improving the Water Quality from the Wastewater Treatment Facility and its Operation in Fishery Processing Factories”

  Mr. Parthasarathy Chibibharath, Hiyoshi India Ecological Services Private Limited

  “Business Development in Sewage Treatment in India”

  Mr. Hiroaki Kobayashi, Toshiba Water Solutions Private Limited

  “Business Development in Sludge Treatment in India”

  Mr. Takahiro Yokoi, Ms. Natsu Ohki, AMCON INC.

  “NJS: Our Activity in India and A Pilot Project Overview under MOE Japan”

  Mr. Yoshihiro Kirishima, NJS Co., Ltd.

• Q&A

Opportunity to learn latest environmental-related solutions / technologies from private organizations in Japan.

• National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES)
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)