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Open Session at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Public Health “Municipalities × Planetary Health × Public Health” (October 29, 2025)

Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) and the Planetary Health Alliance Japan Hub will co-host a group work session titled “Municipalities × Planetary Health × Public Health” at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Public Health on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. (HGPI event website)

Planetary Health is an interdisciplinary concept that envisions a new form of public health based on the understanding that human health and the health of the Earth’s natural systems are inextricably linked. Global environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution have direct implications for local public health policies.

In this session, we will explore the practical applications of Planetary Health from the perspective of “community-driven health and environmental sustainability,” drawing on case studies from local municipalities and insights from leading researchers.

Participants will work collaboratively to develop actionable plans tailored to their regional challenges, with entry points such as elder care, living environments, and community-based healthcare coordination. The session will also serve as a platform to discuss models of multisectoral collaboration—among municipalities, public health centers, and local residents—that aim to achieve co-benefits for both human health and the environment.

Please Register on the HGPI website (Here)

[Session Overview]

(HGPI event website)

• Date & Time: Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 14:50-16:20 (Doors open at 14:40) JST
• Format: In-person (Lecture segment will be recorded and made available on-demand)
• Venue: Room 910, 9th Floor, Venue 8, Granship Shizuoka Convention & Arts Center
  (2-3-1 Higashi-Shizuoka, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka 422-8019, Japan)
• Language: Japanese
• Session Number: G-102 (Group Work)
• Participation Fee: Free (Please note that registration for the Annual Meeting is required)
• Co-hosts: Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), Planetary Health Alliance Japan Hub
• Target Audience: This session welcomes anyone with an interest in the theme. We especially encourage participation from: Local government and public health center staff; Professionals engaged in public health, healthcare, or environmental policy; Practitioners and researchers working on sustainable community development or environmental health

[Program] 

(Titles omitted, order of appearance may vary)

Chair: Shu SUZUKI (HGPI), Saori KASHIMA (Hiroshima Unviersity)

14:50-14:52 | Opening Remarks and Session Introduction

14:52-15:00 | What is Planetary Health?

Chiho Watanabe (Professor, Nagasaki University / Chair, Planetary Health Alliance Japan Hub)

15:00-15:05 | Case Presentation (1)

Keiko Nakamura (Professor, Institute of Science Tokyo / Steering Committee Member, Planetary Health Alliance Japan Hub)

15:05-15:15 | Case Presentation (2)

Noriyuki Oba (Mayor, Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture)
Koji Ishizuka (Municipal Staff Representative)

15:15-15:25 | Case Presentation (3)

Yoshiyuki Sakurai (Mayor, Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture)
Kokoro Sakurai (Municipal Staff Representative)

15:25-16:10 | Group Work

16:10-16:20 | Group Sharing and Closing Summary

[Important Notes]
This session is held as part of the 84th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Public Health.
Please note that registration for the conference is required to attend.

[Speaker Profiles]

Chiho Watanabe (Professor, School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University)

Chiho Watanabe withdrew from the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo in 1989 after completing required coursework. He was appointed Professor of Human Ecology at the same graduate school in 2005. In 2017, he became President of the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), a national research and development agency. From 2021 to 2022, he served as Professor and Special Advisor to the President (Planetary Health), School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University. From 2022 to 2023, he served as the first Dean of the Interfaculty Initiative in Planetary Health and continued as Professor at the same school. He is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo and holds a Doctorate in Health Science. His previous roles include President of the Japanese Society of Health and Human Ecology (2017–2022), President of the Society of Environmental Science, Japan (2021–2023), Associate Member of Section II of the Science Council of Japan, former Third Vice President of the Society for Human Ecology, and former Chair of the Human Ecology Section of the Ecological Society of America. He currently serves as a Steering Committee Member of the Planetary Health Alliance (PHA) and Representative of the Planetary Health Alliance Japan Hub.
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Keiko Nakamura (Professor Emeritus, Institute of Science Tokyo)

Keiko Nakamura graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at Tokyo Medical and Dental University. She served as Professor in the Department of Global Health Entrepreneurship at the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences at the same university from 2016 to 2025, and became Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Science Tokyo in April 2025. Her past appointments include Board Member of the Society of Environmental Science, Japan (2013–2017), Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Cities and Urban Policy Research (2016–2024), Board Member of the Japanese Society of Public Health (since 2017), Member of the Urban Health and Wellbeing Scientific Committee of the International Science Council (since 2020), and Chair of the Environmental Risk Subcommittee, Science Council of Japan (since 2024). Her research focuses on urban environment and health, health promotion, and Planetary Health.
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Noriyuki Oba (Mayor of Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture)

Born in 1963 in Ugari (Dainichi), Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Noriyuki Oba graduated from the Faculty of Science and Technology at Keio University in 1987 and joined HORIBA, Ltd. the same year. From 1988 to 1992, he was stationed at Horiba Europe in France. In 1993, he became a Director at Wada Juku Co., Ltd., and in 1994, a Director at Showa Co., Ltd. He was first elected to the Shizuoka Prefectural Assembly in 2001 and became a Director of Scene Making Co., Ltd. in 2003. In 2009, he was appointed President and CEO of Wada Juku (now Lighthouse Education Co., Ltd.) and also assumed the role of Representative of ISC Ryugaku-net, a study abroad support service. He became Chairman of the Board in 2015 and Honorary Chairman in 2021. In April 2021, he was elected Mayor of Fukuroi City and is currently serving his first term.
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Yoshiyuki Sakurai (Mayor of Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture)

Born in Mie Prefecture in 1963, Yoshiyuki Sakurai graduated from Mie Prefectural Kobe High School in 1981 and from the Faculty of Sociology at Kansai University in 1986. He began his political career as a member of the Kameyama City Council in 1991 (serving one term) and went on to serve four consecutive terms in the Mie Prefectural Assembly from 1995 to 2008. During his time in the prefectural assembly, he held key positions including Chair of the Council for the Promotion of Linear Construction, Mie Prefectural Auditor, and the 101st Vice Speaker of the Assembly. In 2009, he was elected Mayor of Kameyama City and is now serving his fifth consecutive term as of 2025. As mayor, he has worked to strengthen inter-municipal collaboration in Mie Prefecture, serving as Vice President (2015–2016), President (2019–2020), and Auditor (2023–2024) of the Mie Prefecture Mayors Association. He currently serves in multiple leadership roles, including: Head of the Japanese Chapter of the Alliance for Healthy Cities, Board Member of the National Council for the Preservation of Historic Districts for Traditional Buildings, Director of the Mie Prefecture Civil Infrastructure Development Association, and Vice Chair of the Suzuka-Kameyama Regional Union. His motto is: “Think big, start small.”

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■ Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI)  https://hgpi.org/en/

Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) is a non-profit, independent, non-partisan health policy think tank established in 2004. In its capacity as a neutral think-tank, HGPI involves stakeholders from wide-ranging fields of expertise to provide policy options to the public to successfully create citizen-focused healthcare policies. Looking to the future, HGPI produces novel ideas and values from a standpoint that offers a wide perspective. It aims to realize a healthy and fair society while holding fast to its independence to avoid being bound to the specific interests of political parties and other organizations. HGPI intends for its policy options to be effective not only in Japan, but also in the wider world, and in this vein the institute will continue to be very active in creating policies for resolving global health challenges.
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■ Planetary Health Alliance Japan Hub  https://phajapan.jp/english

The concept of Planetary Health was introduced in the 2015 report “Safeguarding Human Health in the Anthropocene Epoch,” published by the Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on Planetary Health in The Lancet in 2016. In the same year, key members of the commission established the Planetary Health Alliance (PHA), a consortium now based at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. PHA has since become a global network of more than 400 universities, NGOs, research institutes, and government agencies from over 60 countries, serving as a leading force in the rapid growth of this interdisciplinary field. In May 2023, the Planetary Health Alliance Japan Hub was established with its secretariat hosted by Nagasaki University. The Japan Hub has since been facilitating discussions to explore frameworks for Planetary Health tailored to Japan and the broader Asia-Pacific region, where the relationship between nature and human society is uniquely situated. The Hub welcomes participation from a wide range of disciplines and age groups—from students to senior professionals.