Center for Climate Change Adaptation

Director

Director of Center for Climate Change Adaptation
HIJIOKA Yasuaki

Greetings

The Center for Climate Change Adaptation (CCCA) was established on December 1, 2018, coinciding with the enforcement of the Climate Change Adaptation Act. In 2026, we marked our eighth anniversary.

The Climate Change Adaptation Act was launched with four primary pillars: comprehensive promotion of adaptation, development of information infrastructure, strengthening of regional adaptation, and international expansion of adaptation efforts. In recent years, the risk of heatstroke associated with global warming has increased, with over 1,500 heatstroke-related deaths recorded in Japan in some years, indicating the serious impact of this issue. Consequently, the Act was amended in April 2024 to incorporate strengthened countermeasures against heatstroke.

Under this legislation, the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) is formally mandated to perform key roles, including: "the collection, analysis, organization, and provision of information on climate change impacts and climate change adaptation"; "providing technical advice and other technical support to prefectures and municipalities regarding the formulation or promotion of local climate change adaptation plans"; and "offering technical advice and other technical assistance to Local Climate Change Adaptation Centers (LCCAC)." As the core entity for these efforts, CCCA comprehensively promotes technical assistance and research for national and subnational governments, businesses, and individuals, through close coordination with relevant administrative agencies within the national government’s promotion council.

Under our 6th Mid-to-Long Term Plan, the Climate Change Adaptation Promotion Office takes a central role, collaborating with our four specialized laboratories. Together, we provide technical assistance and expert lecturers, enhance the Climate Change Adaptation Information Platform (A-PLAT), and organize workshops and training sessions for local governments, LCCAC, and businesses.

Regarding our scientific research, we operate through three core pillars: the Climate Change Impact Monitoring Section, which detects past and current impacts and elucidates their mechanisms; the Climate Change Impact Assessment Section, which refines assessment methodologies across multiple sectors and spatial scales; and the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Section, which provides scientific support for adaptation strategies tailored to social changes and regional characteristics. These sections lead our Strategic Research Program, joint research with LCCAC, and the development of intellectual research infrastructure. The Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Laboratory builds partnerships with regional organizations to expand and operate the Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Information Platform (AP-PLAT).

Adapting to climate change means preparing for an uncertain future, and its implementation in society is no easy task. However, driven by our mission to realize a sustainable future that overcomes climate risks, we remain steadfast in our commitment to exploring the path of adaptation with unwavering passion and dedication.

Outline of Research

　Based on the Climate Change Adaptation Act, the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) has worked on technical support and research on climate change adaptation in an integrated and comprehensive manner. This has encouraged the national government, local governments, businesses and individuals to take adaptive actions. Considering current reasonable progress of adaptation efforts and studies after seven years from enactment of the Act, the 6^th Medium-and-Long-Term Plan of NIES puts particular emphasis on implementation of research outcomes in society and improvement of adaptation practices so that NIES promotes them.

Technical support related to promotion of climate change adaptation

1.　Development and operation of information infrastructure
　Climate change impacts markedly differ across regions; economic and social conditions vary as well. Therefore, local initiatives play crucial roles to properly implement adaptation measures and avoid or mitigate damages from climate change.
　That is why NIES develops and operates information infrastructure, namely A-PLAT and AP-PLAT, to encourage the national government, local governments, businesses and individuals to take adaptive actions. Information related to climate change impacts and adaptation, including study results, is collected, analyzed, organized and provided through these platforms. NIES also operates the “Liaison Committee of Research Institutions on Climate Change Adaptation” and the “Research Meetings on Climate Change Adaptation” under the cooperative structure of related agencies, led by the National Promotion Council of Climate Change Adaptation. These activities will contribute to the implementation of research outcomes in society and improvement of adaptation practices.
　In addition, NIES will gather information on current trends among various entities and exchange opinions with them to understand their needs and challenges. This will contribute to the further utilization of scientific findings, the societal implementation of research outcomes and the implementation of adaptation. Furthermore, NIES will continue providing information in an easy-to-understand manner via A-PLAT and AP-PLAT, as well as disseminating information through push-based communication tools such as email newsletters, SNS and other appropriate media. For this term, in particular, the goal is to promote public understanding and involvement in collaboration with the national government and related businesses.

2.　Technical support for each entity including local governments
　NIES will provide appropriate technical support to each entity: supporting municipalities in developing local climate change adaptation plans; assisting Local Climate Change Adaptation Centers (LCCACs) in addressing local issues; and helping businesses to promote their own activities. This support includes dispatching staff and lecturers, responding to inquiries, and providing scientific knowledge, including data, documents and tools.
　For local governments and LCCACs, NIES will actively communicate with them to gain an accurate understanding of their situations, which vary by region. Based on this understanding, NIES will provide various training programs tailored to their needs, facilitate opinion exchange sessions and prepare information materials and tools to incorporate research findings into policies. In this term in particular, methods and indicators to properly evaluate their adaptation plans or measures will be developed to make them more tailored. Moreover, NIES aims to mainstream adaptation and enhance synergies with other areas. In order to simultaneously promote regional revitalization, discussions will be held on how adaptation measures should be designed and implemented.
　For businesses, based on a proper understanding of the specific needs and challenges of each business type and category, NIES will promote their initiatives from two aspects: climate risk management and adaptation business. The support will include collecting and disseminating good practices through A-PLAT, organizing seminars and symposiums and developing tools such as e-learning materials. In this term, a particular emphasis will be placed on integrating adaptation among a wider range of businesses in collaboration with financial institutions and business associations.

3.　International coordination and cooperation
　NIES will contribute to promoting climate change adaptation in the Asia-Pacific regions. This will be achieved by collaborating with international and national institutions to collect scientific information on climate change impacts and adaptation, developing tools and disseminating them through AP-PLAT. In this term, NIES will embark on developing tools to support the countries to access finance.

Promoting research on climate change adaptation

　One of the most important roles of NIES is scientifically supporting projects to promote climate change adaptation. In order to foster the adoption of climate change adaptation in society, NIES will package research on climate change impacts and adaptation and organize them into research projects. NIES will launch three studies: research on predicting climate change impacts that incorporate the effects of adaptation measures; research on integrating and deepening adaptation strategies; and research on implementing adaptation at the local level. It is expected that the findings of these projects will contribute to policy making, including governmental reports on the comprehensive evaluation of climate change impacts and revision of adaptation plans. At the same time, these findings, which will be disseminated through A-PLAT and AP-PLAT, will help local governments and other stakeholders in conducting their own adaptation measures.

　Further details on the three projects are presented below.

Research on predicting climate change impacts that incorporate the effects of adaptation measures
Climate change impacts will be projected, taking into account the effects of implementing adaptation measures. These projections will be carried out at international and national levels. At the international level, global impact model studies will be conducted, primarily through participation in international model intercomparison projects. These studies will enable the estimation of how climate change and human activities may impact on society and ecosystems. At the national level, impact mechanisms will be revealed through observations, experiments and surveys. Based on these findings, models to evaluate adaptation measures will be developed. This will contribute to impact predictions using the latest future scenarios.
Research on integrating and deepening adaptation strategies
Crosscutting analyses will be conducted using cross-sectional and spatiotemporal methods to climate change risks and adaptation strategies. These analyses include assessing the priority and urgency of adaptation measures, revealing regional vulnerabilities and the interrelationships among impact factors, and developing adaptation pathways. In addition, examining methods for translating scientific knowledge related to climate change risks by using projection information will improve adaptation measures taken by local governments and individuals. Designing and disseminating information also help their adaptation measures.
Research on implementing adaptation at the local leve
Practical research will be conducted at several sites in Japan and in parts of the Asia Pacific region, and the findings will be generalized. The research areas include establishing scientific information infrastructure, improving legal systems and building implementation systems. For example, factor analyses aimed at enhancing regional adaptive capacity and approaches for developing comprehensive adaptation strategies will be explored. At the national sites, inclusive adaptation strategies focusing on coastal ecosystems, water resources and EbA will be developed. In the parts of the Asia-Pacific regions, climate-resilient development pathways will be formulated.

Organization

Office for Climate Change Adaptation Coordination
Collaborative frameworks are established with relevant research institutions and Local Climate Change Adaptation Centers to advance climate change adaptation. In addition, domestic and international information on climate change impacts and adaptation, together with research outputs generated within the Center, are collected and organized. These resources are then leveraged—in collaboration with each research division—to provide technical support for the formulation of climate change adaptation plans and the implementation of adaptation measures by Local Governments and other entities.
Climate Change Impacts Monitoring Research Section
To detect the impacts of climate change on heatwaves, natural ecosystems and air quality across Japan and the Asia-Pacific region, we conduct on-site observations and systematize historical datasets. These efforts allow us to identify long-term trends and analyze their correlation with climate change. Additionally, we perform research to establish the underlying mechanisms and methodologies required for causal attribution. We also work to build comprehensive observation and monitoring systems to track these climate change impacts over time and develop databases that aggregate observation data.
Climate Change Impacts Assessment Research Section
We enhance methodologies for assessing climate change impacts across multiple sectors at the global, Asia–Pacific, and Japan scales. Using the latest climate and socio-economic scenarios, we conduct comprehensive impact assessments, including evaluations of differences in outcomes with and without adaptation measures. In addition, we work to disseminate climate scenarios and assessment results, and to improve the efficiency of impact assessment calculations.
Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Research Section
Informed by scientific evidence on climate change impacts and adaptation measures, we conduct research to strengthen adaptation strategies tailored to social change and regional characteristics and to advance evidence-based policymaking (EBPM) in the adaptation field. By disseminating scientific evidence and information on climate change through the Climate Change Adaptation Information Platform (A-PLAT), we support adaptation efforts at the national and local levels in Japan.
Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Research Section
We generate scientific knowledge to support climate risk-informed decision-making and the implementation of effective adaptation measures by national and local governments across the Asia-Pacific region in response to a wide range of climate change impacts. We also build practical partnerships to co-create scientific knowledge and useful tools, and strive to enhance and operate the Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Information Platform (AP-PLAT).

Research Staff

Research Staff - Center for Climate Change Adaptation