Arctic Circle Japan Forum winds up in Tokyo
The Arctic Circle Japan Forum wound up Monday after three days of sessions focused on Asia’s growing role in the North as well as the perspectives of Arctic Council observer countries from the region.
Great panel consisting of representatives from all the #Asian Observers States discussing the future of the @ArcticCouncil. Chaired by @EvanTBloom and organised by @TheWilsonCenter in #USA. pic.twitter.com/kp8FIFxZpD
— Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (@ORGrimsson) March 5, 2023
There were 100 speakers at this years events including Arctic ambassadors and Indigenous representatives from around the North.
Canadian speakers included Herb Nakimayak from Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada, Julie Crôteau, head of the Canadian International Arctic Centre and Mia Otokiak from the Nunavut Impact Review Board.
Topics at this year’s event included Asia’s role in Arctic governance, Asian-Nordic collaboration in the Arctic and the North as a region for securing critical minerals.
The event was co-organized with The Nippon Foundation and the the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF).
“The SPF has presided over the “Study Group on the Future of the Arctic” since 2016, leading discussions on Japan’s Arctic policy and actively participates in international discussion frameworks to demonstrate Japan’s presence in the Arctic field to the international community,” the Sasakawa Peace Foundation said on their website.
There are five Asian countries amongst the Arctic Council’s observer states: South Korea, Japan, China and Singapore and India.
Forums held throughout the year
The Arctic Circle Assembly was established in 2013 and is held in Reykjavik, Iceland every fall. It’s evolved into one of the largest Arctic-themed conferences in the world.
Arctic Circle has gone on to regularly hold satellite forums throughout the year in regions around the world.
“Climate change is having a huge effect on traditional Inuit knowledge”
Mia Otokiak, Technical Advisor, Nunavut Impact Review Board, Canada 🇨🇦 @mia_otokiak #ArcticCircleJapan 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/U4GzBdTYLy
— Arctic Circle (@_Arctic_Circle) March 4, 2023
Besides Japan, Arctic Circle forums have also been held in places like Japan, Alaska, South Korea and Quebec City, Canada.
The Arctic Circle Japan Forum ran March 4-6 in Tokyo.
Write to Eilís Quinn at eilis.quinn@cbc.ca
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Int’l arctic cooperation needs to continue despite rupture with Russia: Canada’s GG, The Canadian Press
Finland: Russian shoppers take Norway’s Schengen shortcut to Arctic Finland, Yle News
Greenland: Historic Hans Island agreement with Canada moves from Copenhagen to Greenland, Eye on the Arctic
Iceland: Climate, integration & Arctic among priorities in Iceland’s Nordic Council of Ministers program, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: NATO will make us stronger, says Nordic defense chiefs, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Three exercises, one scenario: Russia, The Independent Barents Observer
United States: U.S. nominates Alaskan as first Arctic ambassador, Eye on the Arctic
