The 39th IAPH Japan Seminar, hosted by the Japanese Foundation for IAPH, was held at the Bayside Hotel Azur Takeshiba in Tokyo on 9 July. The annual seminar disseminates IAPH activities to an audience of Japanese port professionals across the IAPH membership. Masahiro Inada, director-general of Ports and Harbours Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) opened the event, after which IAPH president Jens Meier gave a presentation on Port of Hamburg’s complex journey towards becoming a sustainable energy hub. Gene Seroka (VP for America North), spoke extensively about balancing the imperatives of economic growth and climate action goals at the Port of Los Angeles. Stéphane Raison (VP for Europe) spoke about the decarbonisation strategy and energy transition plan of HAROPA PORT. Noritaka Hasegawa, director general of Port of Kobe (Port and Harbor Bureau, City of Kobe) outlined plans to decarbonize Kobe port, while Shigeru Yamamoto, general manager, hydrogen strategy division, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, spoke about the value of liquefied hydrogen as a future fuel. Both Takashi Owaki, president of the Foundation, and of the Japanese Ports & Harbors Association, and Narikuni Nakao, past-president of the Foundation, were in attendance.
