Result of the 11th Tripartite Policy Dialogue on Air Pollution (TPDAP)

The Ministry of the Environment (MOE), Japan, held the 11^th Tripartite Policy Dialogue on Air Pollution (TPDAP) between Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the People's Republic of China in Incheon, the Republic of Korea, on July 10 and 11, 2024. The three countries exchanged information on their air environment management policies, discussed their future initiatives, and agreed to continue cooperation.

The results of this dialogue will be reported to the 25^th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting (TEMM25) to be held this year.

The Tripartite Policy Dialogue on Air Pollution (TPDAP) has been annually held among Japan, Korea, and China, based on the agreement of the 15th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting (TEMM15) in 2013, and the 11th Policy Dialogue was held this time.

(1) Results of the experts’ working group meeting
At the working group meeting held ahead of the Policy Dialogue, experts from the three countries shared information and exchanged views under the theme “The Latest Research on Joint Control for Ozone and PM2.5.” The experts cited investigation into factors that generate ozone, and countermeasures against precursors such as nitrogen oxide (NO_x) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as challenges commonly faced by the three countries. The three countries discussed integrated management of air pollutants and carbon dioxide and the necessity of use of satellite observation.
The results of the working group discussion had been reported at the Policy Dialogue, and the three countries agreed to continue technology exchanges.

(2) Air quality management policies
Japan presented the status of its air environment and its policy measures, the re-evaluation of environmental criteria on photochemical oxidants (ozone), and a plan to observe carbon dioxide (NO₂) by satellite observation. Korea presented the current status of its air quality policy strategies, and China presented the current status of its prevention and management of air pollution.
The three countries also shared information and exchanged views on countermeasures against PM2.5, ozone and its precursors, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxide (NO_x), re-evaluation of environmental criteria on ozone, and use of terrestrial observation and satellite observation.
 
(3) Future initiatives
The three countries achieved common understanding on:
- further promotion of sharing of knowledge and experiences and exchange of opinions on the current status of air pollution, environmental criteria, and countermeasures with a main focus on PM2.5, ozone, and its precursors, VOCs and NO_x;
- integrated management of air pollution and climate change;
- complementary use of terrestrial observation and satellite observation for improving the efficiency of air environment monitoring and the precision of modeling; and
- sharing of the outcomes of this meeting with other countries (3 + X) through other international frameworks, such as the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET).
 
It was decided that the next Policy Dialogue would be hosted by Japan in 2025 and held in Niigata. At the next policy dialogue, the action plan of the third phase (2026-2030) will be formulated.
 
■　Future actions
The results of this Policy Dialogue will be reported at the 24th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among Japan, Korea, and China (TEMM25) to be held this year.

The results of this Policy Dialogue will be reported at the 24th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among Japan, Korea, and China (TEMM24) to be held this year.