Second "Citizens' Choice! Carbon Zero Local Award" Call for Applications Begins Today — Seeking Excellent Decarbonization Measures from Across Japan that Create Healthy, Comfortable, and Safe Communities

Winners of the 1st "Citizens' Choice! Carbon Zero Local Award" (October 28, 2025, Shinbashi, Tokyo)

The "Citizens' Choice! Carbon Zero Local Award Executive Committee" (Secretariat: Greenpeace Japan, an international environmental NGO) (Note 1), formed by three organizations including environmental groups and think tanks, announced today, April 1st, the start of applications for the 2nd "Citizens' Choice! Carbon Zero Local Award." We are widely soliciting entries from local governments nationwide and recommendations from citizens and organizations.

The purpose of this award is not merely to achieve numerical targets such as CO2 emission reductions, but to recognize local governments that are implementing excellent decarbonization measures for regional decarbonization and the health, comfort, and safety of residents, and to encourage their spread to other municipalities. In the first award, there were diverse challenges leveraging regional characteristics, from recovery projects based on decarbonization after disasters to the mandatory installation of solar panels in new homes in large cities (Note 2). For the second award, we look forward to your applications and recommendations to further expand this wave.

Application Period: April 1, 2026 (Wednesday) - July 31, 2026 (Friday)

Eligible Applicants: Municipalities (cities, towns, villages) and prefectures within Japan

Application Method: Self-nomination (applications from local governments) and third-party nomination (recommendations from citizens/organizations)

Application Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdBQRv5ZtvRa2yCjtTCn7Xv-iXDx1VaRIt0Hpq404O3_ak9-A/viewform

Organizers: Citizens' Choice! Carbon Zero Local Award Executive Committee (Greenpeace Japan, Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, POW JAPAN)

・ Resolution of Local Issues:

Does it structurally resolve local issues (e.g., declining birthrate and aging population, population outflow, abandoned farmland, vacant homes, industrial/regional independence, transportation, finance, tourism, disaster prevention)?

・ Improvement of Residents' Quality of Life

Does it improve residents' quality of life, such as health and welfare, safety and security, comfort and convenience, and alleviation of anxiety during disasters?

・ Regional Revitalization:

Does it prevent the outflow of 20-30 trillion yen in energy costs from regions across Japan, recirculate it within the region, and foster diverse actors to support the regional economy?

・ Decarbonization

Are effective environmental load reduction measures being taken to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality?

・ Replicability of the Model

Are the system design, methods, and breakthrough processes for achievement easily adoptable by other local governments and financially sustainable?

・ Basic Local Government Category

・ Designated City Category

・ Prefectural Category

Chief Judge: Junichi Fujino (Senior Researcher, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES))

Judges:

Hisashi Asuka (Specially Appointed Professor / Emeritus Professor, Tohoku University)

Tetsunari Iida (Director, Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies)

Manabu Utagawa (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology *participating as an individual)

Kazue Suzuki (Climate Change and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Japan)

Nanami Takei (Director, POW JAPAN)

Masayuki Mae (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo)

Mari Yoshitaka (Representative Director, Virtu Design Inc.)

Date: Scheduled for October 28, 2026 (Wednesday)

Venue: Vision Center Shinbashi

(Heiwabuilding 17F, 1-5-2 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0011)

Format: Hybrid (On-site venue in Tokyo and online streaming)

Chief Judge: Junichi Fujino, Senior Researcher, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)

"With international circumstances changing significantly, what is needed now is 'whether or not to act' for our own regions. By improving energy efficiency through updating to energy-saving equipment, high-performance buildings, and energy-efficient vehicles in daily life, work, and transportation, we can plug the holes in the 'bucket' from which a lot of energy is leaking. And filling it with energy created by local people, goods, and money will form the foundation of a region that is resilient to disasters, healthy, leads to new jobs, and is easy for child-rearing. Local challenges move the world. We sincerely look forward to your challenges."

Tetsunari Iida, Director, Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies

"Globally, a civilizational energy transformation, which I call the 'Ei Revolution'—a decentralized energy revolution driven by renewables, storage batteries, EVs, and AI—is progressing irreversibly and rapidly. The protagonists of this revolution are not nations, but regions and citizens. This award is a platform to unearth, visualize, and spread such efforts nationwide, changing the structure where 20-30 trillion yen in energy costs flow out of regions and Japan annually, and instead creating local wealth and security. I am confident that the wisdom and practices from various regions will accelerate Japan's energy transition."

Kazue Suzuki, Climate Change and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Japan

"With soaring energy prices, the situation surrounding local governments is becoming increasingly severe. In this context, the importance of this initiative, which recognizes local governments that simultaneously solve regional issues and achieve decarbonization, is also increasing. We eagerly await many applications, both self-nominated and third-party nominated."

Nanami Takei, Director, POW JAPAN

"Snow shortages and extreme heavy snowfall. For us, who feel the changes in the field firsthand, the climate crisis is a matter of life and death directly linked to both business and daily life. Currently, the 'SRA (Sustainable Resort Alliance)' aiming for sustainable operations from snow resorts is expanding, but the efforts of the private sector alone have limits. Strong support from local governments, which are responsible for regional infrastructure and policies, is indispensable. Through this award, we hope to discover excellent measures that revitalize regions and see them spread nationwide."

(Note 1) Virtu Design Inc., Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, Greenpeace Japan, POW JAPAN (in alphabetical order)

(Note 2) Details of the 1st "Citizens' Choice! Carbon Zero Local Award" can be found here