FY2024 Activity Report

Overview

Since July 2018, Shizuoka City has been working as an "SDGs Local2030 Hub," promoting awareness and hosting various events to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The city has now transitioned from the "awareness and understanding" phase to the "action and partnership" phase. In FY2024 (April 2024 – March 2025), efforts have focused on three key themes:

1. Youth Empowerment
2. Promotion of Organic Farming
3. Development of Marine-Related Industries

This report details the initiatives and achievements in these areas.

1. Youth Empowerment

Several events were held to encourage youth participation in SDGs-related activities.

Shizuoka Local 2030 Hub Student Meeting 2024

Held online on August 2, 2024, this event brought together 50 high school students from Shizuoka City, Taipei City (Taiwan), Hue City (Vietnam), and Hobart City (Australia) via Zoom. Under the theme " SDGs Initiatives High School Students Have Found in Their Communities," participants presented their schools’ and cities’ initiatives in English to their international peers.

TGC SHIZUOKA 2025 for SDGs

Held on January 11, 2025, this was the fifth edition of the event since its inception in 2019. With the theme "Empower the FUTURE," the event featured a fashion show aimed at young women, promoting youth and women’s empowerment while emphasizing sustainable fashion. The event recorded approximately 7,980 in-person attendees and 1,305,000 online viewers.

SDGs Runway SHIZUOKA 2025

Also held on January 11, 2025, under the theme "STEP into the FUTURE," this event featured corporate and organizational booths, as well as an SDGs stage program. The "Youth Action Area" showcased initiatives by high school students, including sales of products co-developed with companies. From children to seniors, the event provided people of all ages opportunities to learn about the SDGs and experience them hands-on.

Shizuoka City Youth Action Forum

Held on January 25, 2025, this forum, themed "Young People Creating Shizuoka’s Future and Supporting Companies & Organizations!" allowed youth active in community development and social contribution fields to present their initiatives. Approximately 80 attendees participated, facilitating valuable networking between youth, companies, and organizations.

The SDG Partnership Awards 2024

This initiative invites companies and organizations to submit their collaborative initiatives aimed at solving local challenges. The awards recognize groups that conduct activities that are easy to replicate and encourage participation. The Grand Prize was awarded to a group of university students in an LGBT society who created a map listing LGBT-friendly stores in central Shizuoka City and designed logo stickers for businesses supporting LGBT inclusivity. The "Youth Action Award" was given to a high school project that reduced food waste by developing products using non-standard vegetables in collaboration with local businesses. Winning projects were compiled into case studies and distributed, and an award ceremony was held to garner media coverage.

2. Promotion of Organic Farming

Shizuoka City collaborated with businesses and producers to support cultivation techniques and promote organic farming awareness through various initiatives and events.

Supplying Organic Ingredients for School Lunches

Menus featuring locally grown organic produce and processed goods were provided in school lunches 17 times throughout the year.

Sales and Awareness Events for Organic Produce

During "SDGs Runway SHIZUOKA 2025," the "Shizuoka City Organic Market" was held, showcasing booths related to organic food.

Cultivation Technology Workshops

Ten cultivation technology workshops were conducted by innovating producers and experts, including six for tea production and four for rice cultivation.

Pilot Farms for Demonstration Cultivation

Demonstration farming, cost analysis, and financial evaluations were conducted on four model farms.

Development of Marine-Related Industries

Shizuoka City established a collaborative framework between businesses, academic institutions such as universities, and government agencies (municipal and prefectural government) to promote workforce development and research relating to marine digital transformation (DX).

Establishment of a Public-Private-Academic Collaboration Framework

The "Suruga Bay Marine DX Promotion Council" was formed as a decision-making body to drive public-private-academic initiatives under the "Suruga Bay Marine DX Advanced Hub Initiative."

Establishing a Talent Development System through the Creation of a Marine DX Graduate Master's Program 

To build an educational and research hub for Marine DX, we are collaborating with local universities to prepare for the establishment of a talent development program. A promotion office has already been set up within Shizuoka Institute of Science and Technology. Additionally, Shizuoka Institute of Science and Technology and Shizuoka University have agreed to jointly establish the Marine Informatics Institute as of April 1, 2025.

Implementation of Marine Informatics Research

What is Marine Informatics?
Marine Informatics refers to utilizing big data from the ocean as information to solve various challenges.

• We have selected 20 new research themes across the four foundational fields of Marine Informatics: Marine Information, Marine Biology & Ecology, Marine Observation & Communication System Networks, and Marine Industry.
• A state-of-the-art large-scale computing system for processing various types of massive marine data and information will be introduced at Shizuoka Institute of Science and Technology, with installation scheduled for completion by the end of March 2025.

Planning of Joint R&D Projects (Including Development of "Smart Fishing" and Marine Observation Equipment and Technologies) Aimed at Commercialization in Collaboration with Universities, Research Institutions, and Related Companies

A subcommittee system has been established within the consortium, with a roadmap and business plan currently under development. Each subcommittee is working on R&D themes with potential for commercialization and societal implementation.
The Blue Carbon Subcommittee and the Marine Equipment Subcommittee have engaged both established corporations and startups from the outset to ensure business feasibility.

 

In addition to the above initiatives, Shizuoka City continues to collaborate with its sister city, Cannes (France), and friendship city, Hue (Vietnam), to promote SDGs.

4. Collaboration with Cannes City (France) & Hue City (Vietnam)

Collaboration with Cannes City

• Sustainable Urban Development: Shizuoka City and its sister city, Cannes (France), are jointly conducting policy research to achieve sustainable urban development under a "Policy Research Memorandum." This memorandum focuses on disaster prevention, tourism & culture, higher education, and environmental policies.
  From April 15 to 18, 2024, the Mayor of Shizuoka City visited Cannes and met with Mayor Lisnard to reaffirm the importance of this collaborative research. During the visit, the delegation observed initiatives such as the "Urban Vegetable Cultivation School," which efficiently practices organic farming on small plots, as well as Cannes' tsunami and flood prevention measures utilizing new technologies. Additionally, they explored the role of Cannes' newly established university as a hub for the content industry and startup support. Through these exchanges, they deepened their knowledge of inclusive urban development that ensures a safe and comfortable living environment for all.
• 8th Japan-France Local Government Exchange Conference: Hosted in Shizuoka City from November 18–21, 2024, this international conference gathered local governments from sister cities to discuss sustainable urban development. The theme of the conference was "The New Value Brought by the Japan-France Partnership to the World." The conference explored how to utilize shared social assets, including public, civic, and intellectual resources, to maximize social benefits and citizen well-being. In addition, participants were divided into economic, social, and environmental working groups based on the SDGs "Wedding Cake" model, where they presented examples of efforts by Japanese and French municipalities. The Cannes City delegation visited Shizuoka City for the conference and, representing the social sector, presented on inclusive urban development that promotes solidarity and intergenerational exchange, deepening mutual understanding with participating local governments from both countries.

Collaboration with Hue City

Since 2005, Shizuoka City has maintained a friendship city partnership with Hue City. Starting in FY2024, the two cities have expanded their collaboration to include a new area: decarbonization. This initiative utilizes the national program "City-to-City Collaboration for a Zero Carbon Society (Ministry of the Environment)." Through this exchange, local governments share challenges and know-how related to decarbonization policies, while businesses conduct feasibility studies on introducing decarbonization technologies and equipment in Hue using the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM). In December 2024, Shizuoka City officials visited Hue City and exchanged views with Hue City staff on decarbonization measures.
This collaboration aims to create a positive economic, social, and environmental cycle by supporting local companies' overseas expansion and strengthening the friendship city relationship.
Note: The Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) is a system that quantitatively evaluates and recognizes Japan’s contributions to reducing or absorbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is then used to reduce Japan’s GHG emissions.

Discussion on decarbonization policies between Hue City officials and Shizuoka City staff
(December 2024).

Future Outlook

In FY2025, Shizuoka City will continue refining and expanding these initiatives. By fostering youth engagement and strengthening partnerships across sectors, the city will advance its SDGs efforts and share its progress both domestically and internationally.