[Sapporo City] Finance Seminar Hosted by Climate Bonds and Others

On July 22, 2025, the “Climate Transition Finance Seminar,” organized by the international NGO Climate Bonds Initiative and others, was held in Tokyo. Ms. Kaori Nishiyama, Director General for Green Transformation Promotion at the City of Sapporo, attended as a panelist at the event, where policies and investment opportunities related to decarbonization were actively discussed. She promoted Sapporo’s initiatives, such as certification systems and the GX Information Platform, stating, “Hokkaido has a unique potential unmatched in the country. We believe that if GX doesn’t succeed here, it won’t succeed anywhere else, so we are proceeding with strong resolve.”

The seminar was well-attended, with over 80 participants from the finance industry, public institutions, and various other sectors. Ms. Nishiyama joined Mr. Hideki Takada from the GX Acceleration Agency and Ms. Yumiko Watanabe from Climate Bonds for a panel discussion. Speaking from the perspective of promoting regional revitalization through GX, she highlighted challenges, saying, “Unless we go so far as to build a renewable energy-focused supply chain, it won’t be sustainably bankable.” She also spoke about the need to attract talent.

With a year passed since being designated the Special Zone for Financial and Asset Management Businesses specialized in GX, Sapporo is further intensifying its efforts. Ms. Nishiyama appealed to the audience, saying, “Our selling point is a financial special zone you can come, see, and touch. Please come and see the actual location.” Her words were met with cheers from the participants.

A networking session was also held during the break, where lively exchanges took place among participants from different industries.

Climate Bonds, the City of Sapporo, and Hokkaido issued a joint statement last December and participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by Climate Bonds in May of this year, demonstrating their deepening collaboration in promoting GX.