On October 18, 2023, the third City-to-City Cooperation Workshop towards Decarbonization between the City of Yokohama and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) was held in Bangkok, Thailand. Since signing a memorandum of understanding in 201 for technical cooperation in the environmental field, the City of Yokohama, in collaboration with JICA, has cooperated in technical training of BMA officials and in the formulation of the BMA’s Climate Change Master Plan.

In 2022, the collaborative project between Yokohama and Bangkok was adopted by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment. In collaboration with the Overseas Environmental Cooperation Center (OECC) and the Yokohama Urban Solution Alliance (YUSA), the project aims at (1) formulating an energy action plan for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, (2) promoting the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), and (3) creating business opportunities on decarbonization between Japanese and Thai companies. During this workshop, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration introduced a draft of its Energy Action Plan and a roadmap toward carbon neutrality by 2050. The City of Yokohama also introduced the initiatives of Minato Mirai 21, which has been designated by the Japanese government as a Leading Decarbonization Area.

In his opening remarks, Bangkok Governor Chatchart mentioned the importance of learning from each other, expressing the desire for Yokohama City to draw inspiration from Bangkok’s efforts, while also showcasing Yokohama’s advanced decarbonization initiatives. The workshop also included presentations and Q&A sessions for companies by experts on Thailand’s carbon market and the Joint Crediting Mechanism(JCM).

In the business session, 11 Japanese and Thai companies took the stage. Among these, four companies from Yokohama (AGC, FOMM, Nissan, and Macnica), which have their headquarters and/or R&D functions in the city and are doing business in Thailand, introduced their decarbonization solutions for buildings and mobility. Approximately 270 Japanese and Thai companies participated in the workshop, which was held in a hybrid format of both face-to-face and online sessions, fostering lively exchanges among the participants at the local venue.