Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) was honored with the Sustainable Japan Special Award in the ESG category of the “Sustainable Japan Award 2025,” hosted by The Japan Times. On September 18, the Chair of HGPI, Mr. Ryoji Noritake attended the award ceremony and participated in a panel discussion featuring award winners. The event took place at the International House of Japan as part of “Sustainable Japan Day.”

Since 2017, the award has spotlighted companies, organizations, and individuals making significant contributions toward a sustainable society, both in Japan and abroad. In its seventh iteration this year, the award was open to a diverse range of candidates, whether self-nominated or nominated by others. HGPI applied through this system, and our Planetary Health Project – focusing on the interrelationship between environmental sustainability and human health – was recognized with this prestigious honor.

The ceremony celebrated outstanding efforts in two categories: the Satoyama category, which highlights initiatives in regional revitalization and local development, and the ESG category, which focuses on sustainability-driven activities within corporate frameworks. During the panel discussion, award winners introduced their exemplary practices and exchanged ideas on advancing sustainability through diverse approaches.

Award remarks by Mr. Ryoji Noritake, the Chair of HGPI

We are deeply grateful to have received the Sustainable Japan Special Award in the ESG category of the Sustainable Japan Award 2025.
Founded in 2004, HGPI is a nonprofit, independent, and nonpartisan thinktank dedicated to advancing “citizen-centered health care policy.” By bringing together insights from diverse stakeholders, we have worked to develop evidence-based policy proposals. We believed this award recognizes our innovative ESG and SDG initiatives, particularly those deemed worthy of sharing globally as a model from Japan.

Since fiscal year 2022, our Planetary Health Project has sought to integrate environmental and human health perspectives. Our efforts include contributing to reform of nursing education, making policy recommendations reflected in government reports and participating in the WHO Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH) to both support and accelerate governmental action. Additionally, we facilitated Japan’s first membership in the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) network, an international initiative that considers health care facilities’ environmental impact – offering Japan a new lens to view health in the context of the entire planet.

At HGPI, each member works not as specialist in a single field, but as a facilitator to convene multistakeholder discussions among representatives from government, academia, industry, and civil society. Through open, position-free dialogue, we weave together collective wisdom and channel it into actionable policy.
Encouraged by this award, we will continue to advance health and health care policies that are both public in nature and personal in impact, striving toward a healthier, more sustainable global society.

For more details regarding the Sustainable Japan Award 2025, please click here.