CRAES and National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) has built together close relationship which goes quite a long way back. The records unfold that CRAES and NIES has visited each other countless times during the 1980s. The research collaboration topics varied between CRAES and NIES such as atmospheric environment and water environment for example. Also from 2001 to 2005, CRAES and NIES collaborated on a JICA project on Water Quality Improvement of Taihu Lake which was highly assessed.

CRAES and NIES share another side of history. CRAES took an initiative among the three countries, CRAES (China), NIES (Japan) and National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER; Korea) to accelerate environmental research. This was the start of Tripartite Presidents Meeting (TPM) which was first held in 2004. Since then, the three countries have been holding TPM once a year, taking turns to host it. TPM serves as a platform for sharing information on environmental issues and active discussions on the on-going and future possibilities for joint research among the three institutes. TPM will contribute not only to the three countries but to other Asian countries and ultimately to the world.

NIES is Japan’s only research institute that undertakes a broad range of environmental research in an interdisciplinary and comprehensive manner. Since its inception in 1974, NIES has played a vital role in solving a variety of environmental problems. NIES established Fukushima Branch in April 2016 and Lake Biwa Branch Office in April 2017, and operates several research facilities/fields in Japan and foreign countries. NIES shall continue to conduct broad-based research that covers the environmental science field in its entirety (Synthesize), promote comprehensive research that seeks to cover everything from the basics to social implementation (Integrate), further advance and enhance research networks domestically and globally (Network), and carry out research of a high level that contributes to broadly understanding and solving environmental problems (Evolve), thereby appropriately disseminating its store of scientific knowledge. Additionally, to produce scientific findings on environmental protection, NIES will carry out research projects that include consolidating the institute’s research foundation through basic research, data acquisition and analysis, preservation and provision of environmental samples, and other efforts.

Link: http://www.nies.go.jp/index-e.html