Information Platform for Local Governments in Japan

In response to changing climate, Japan formulated its first National Adaptation Plan (NAP) in 2015. A portal site, A-PLAT, was funded by the Ministry of the Environment and developed by the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan, in 2016 to serve as an information platform to support effective local adaptation in Japan based on the NAP. A-PLAT consists of the following pages: (1) a basic explanation of climate change and adaptation, (2) information for specific stakeholders, (3) national and local policies, (4) archives of scientific reports, (5) guidelines for local government for their planning, and (6) webGIS displaying research outcomes that project future impacts on major indices in the NAP. Additionally, a local adaptation support tool will be implemented on A-PLAT within a few years. Since its launch, A-PLAT has played an important role in promoting adaptation strategies: local governments increasingly rely on A-PLAT for their planning, and their officers have contacted A-PLAT to seek assistance. As public interest in climate change grows, the government plans to enforce an act regarding adaptation in 2018. The ministry also plans to expand the function of A-PLAT to cover the Asia-Pacific region. It is evident that A-PLAT has been leading adaptation actions in Japan.