Japan to Host the 48th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM48)

Japan will host the forty-eighth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM48) to be held around May 2026. This is the first time for Japan to host ATCM in 32 years since 1994. The ATCM is the annual meeting hosted on a rotating basis among the Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty.

The Government of Japan has decided to hold the meeting in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, after careful consultation following an open call for applications.

As an original signatory and a consultative party to the Antarctic Treaty, Japan has actively participated in discussions on Antarctica. In preparing for this meeting, the Government of Japan wishes to take this opportunity to enhance international cooperation on Antarctica, in close collaboration among relevant ministries and with Hiroshima city.

(Note) Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM)
The Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) is an annual meeting of the 29 Consultative Parties, which are actively engaged in scientific research in Antarctica, to formulate, discuss, and recommend to the governments of the Consultative Parties means to promote the principles and objectives of the Antarctic Treaty, including the peaceful use of the Antarctic region, the promotion of scientific research in the region, and the protection and conservation of biological resources. The meeting is hosted by each consultative party on a rotating basis. The Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) is convened on the sidelines of the ATCM in accordance with the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty.