The 19th 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. The 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 19^th Tripartite Presidents Meeting (TPM 19) was held online on November 24, 2022. Last year marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relationship between Japan and China, and the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relationship between China and Korea. The Presidents reviewed the past bilateral or tripartite cooperation and joint research in the environmental field, as well as to confirm continuous contribution to environmental issues in Northeast Asia together. They exchanged information on research activities, discussed how they can proceed their collaboration, and summarized the results in a Joint Communiqué. The Presidents agreed to continue sharing research results and promote research collaboration to synergize for reducing emissions of air pollutants and carbon dioxide in the future.

Amid the pandemic situations, research activities had been steadily progressed in each institute. Four researchers taking the role as Focal Points (FPs) of each Potential Research Areas (PRAs; Air, Water, Climate Change and Environmental Health) as Leading Institutes (LIs) reported their current activities and possibilities of future joint research especially for the next three years.

Climate Change is of great concern to all three institutes. The Presidents expect to strengthen the cooperative relationship for observation of carbon emissions, modeling and adaptation related to climate change through keen communication among the Climate Change FPs.

The Parallel Workshop on Atmospheric Observation and Source Apportionment based on Emerging Technologies was also held and two researchers from each institute gave presentations on their research. After the discussion, they emphasized that concrete cooperation could be further strengthened among the three institutes since air pollution is not an issue for one country but for the whole region of Northeast Asia and the world.

NIES will host TPM 20 in 2023. Details of the meeting, including whether it could be held in person in Japan or not, will be announced later.