| Abstract |

In their recently published 6th Assessment Report in March 2023, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has painted a bleak climate future, stating that “continued greenhouse gas emissions will lead to increasing global warming, with the best estimate of reaching 1.5°C in the near term” (IPCC 2023:p12), further highlighting that climate change remains a crucial global issue that requires urgent attention and action from all countries. To address these issues, the international community has been developing several policies, mechanisms and multilateral agreements, such as The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015. However, achieving these goals requires significant efforts from all countries - particularly those with high levels of carbon emissions - while simultaneously having to balance the energy needs of developing and developed countries alike. Japan, as member of the international community, has been internationally committed to combat climate change, playing an active role in various international forums and initiatives and working to reconcile its national energy needs with international climate change needs.
   As former Director of Climate Change Division (2020-2022) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan, Otaka Junichiro gives unique insights on Japan’s engagement in international climate change cooperation and the country’s position on climate change policies while discussing current trends and examining the development of several multilateral climate change initiatives in this short lecture.

| Bio |

Mr. OTAKA Junichiro (大髙準一郎) is Minister (Deputy Chief of Mission) at the Embassy of Japan in Austria since August 2022. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan (MOFA) in 1995. Working in the foreign service for 28 years, his career has focused on the area of the development of multilateral rule-making in international fora, including those relating to the international environment, human rights, disarmament, chemical and biological weapons, conventional weapons, and non-proliferation. He has taken part in coordinating and negotiating processes in these sectors during his appointments in relevant departments in Tokyo and abroad. Most recently, Mr. Otaka was directly involved in the foreign policy concerning climate change as the Director of Climate Change Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2020 to 2022. During this time, he attended the COP26 held in Glasgow as a core member of the Japanese Delegation.
    Mr. Otaka holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Tokyo as well as a MSc in European and International Politics from the University of Edinburgh and a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge, respectively.

| Date & Time |

u:japan lecture | s06e10
Thursday 2023-05-25, 18:30~20:00
max. 50 participants (on site) + max. 300 participants (online) 

| Place & Preparations | 

| Plattform & Link |

| Further Questions? |

Please contact ujapanlectures.ostasien@univie.ac.at or visit https://japanologie.univie.ac.at/ujapanlectures/s06/#e10.