WeGO Strengthens Strategic Engagement in Japan to Advance Smart Sustainable City Cooperation
[Tokyo&Yokohama, December 15th-19th, 2025] — The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO) significantly strengthened its strategic presence in Japan through a series of high-level diplomatic, institutional, and industry engagements, reinforcing cooperation in smart city development, advanced technologies, and sustainable urban innovation.
The visit started in Tokyo with a high-level bilateral meeting at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Japan between WeGO Secretary General Jeong-kee Kim and H.E. Lee Hyuk, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Japan. The meeting focused on expanding WeGO’s engagement with Japanese cities and stakeholders, with particular emphasis on building institutional bridges between WeGO and Japan’s smart city ecosystem. Secretary General Kim presented WeGO’s global mission and flagship initiatives, highlighting the Seoul Smart City Prize as a key platform for international collaboration and knowledge exchange. Ambassador Lee welcomed WeGO’s efforts and shared insights into Japan’s smart city priorities, underscoring the importance of close coordination with local governments. Both sides shared the view that cooperation with the Korean Embassy could contribute to facilitating WeGO’s engagement in Japan.
Further advancing its outreach, WeGO participated in SEMICON Japan 2025, where Secretary General Kim delivered a keynote address during the “Sustainability Keynote: Semiconductors Powering Planet and Prosperity” session. In his keynote, he also highlighted the Seoul Smart City Prize as a global benchmark for human-centered urban innovation, encouraging Japanese cities and technology leaders to engage and gain international recognition. In addition, Secretary General Kim introduced the Cities Future Readiness Index (CFRI) and underscored the importance of strong public–private partnerships in connecting city governments with advanced technologies.
Alongside with SEMICON Japan, the WeGO delegation conducted introductory networking with key stakeholders from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), as well as leading global technology companies including Microsoft, Micron Memory Japan, Intel Foundry, Tokyo Electron, and SoftBank. These engagements marked an important first step in expanding WeGO’s collaboration with Japan’s private sector.
As part of its institutional outreach, WeGO also held an introductory meeting with the Artificial Intelligence Research Center (AIRC). Secretary General Kim met with Mr. Yasuhiro Katagiri, Director of AIRC, and Mr. Roy Sugimura, Head of Japan’s National Body for ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42 on Artificial Intelligence. The discussions explored potential cooperation in AI-driven urban development, international standardization, and smart city evaluation frameworks. Secretary General Kim introduced WeGO’s core initiatives, including the Seoul Smart City Prize and CFRI, and invited AIRC to participate in the 2026 Prize. He further emphasized WeGO’s efforts toward the international standardization of the AI-Enabled Smart City Prize Index, welcoming Mr. Sugimura’s expertise and future collaboration in aligning smart city assessments with global AI standards.
The visit concluded in Yokohama, where WeGO held a bilateral meeting with the City of Yokohama. Secretary General Kim met with Ms. Tomomi Yamashita, Director General of the Foreign Affairs Bureau, to discuss cooperation in smart city development, sustainability, and youth engagement. He encouraged Yokohama’s participation in the 2026 Seoul Smart City Prize and formally invited Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka to attend the award ceremony. The discussions also addressed potential collaboration linked to the Green Expo 2027 and the WeGO Global Youth Award, including partnerships with local universities to nurture future urban leaders.
Overall, WeGO’s engagements in Japan marked a major step forward in strengthening diplomatic, institutional, and industry partnerships. By connecting with national institutions, local governments, and leading technology stakeholders, WeGO laid a strong foundation for expanding its footprint in Japan and advancing collaborative solutions for smart, sustainable, and future-ready cities.
About WeGO
The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), is a membership-based international association of local governments, smart tech solution providers, and institutions committed to the transformation of cities into smart sustainable cities through facilitating public-private partnerships (PPP). WeGO was founded by 50 member cities in 2010 as the World e-Governments Organization, hence our acronym. In response to the evolving concept of smart cities, WeGO expanded its vision and mandate at the 4th General Assembly (2017) and its name to the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization. WeGO’s Secretariat is based in Seoul, Korea, and has regional offices in East Asia (Chengdu, China), Africa (Abuja, Nigeria), Middle East & North Africa (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), Latin America (Cuenca, Ecuador), and Central Asia (Almaty, Kazakhstan). As the leading platform on smart city development, WeGO’s mission is to share knowledge and good practices in e-Governance; strengthen administrative efficiency and transparency; advance digital capacity; facilitate civic involvement; bridge the digital divide and inequality; and promote cooperation solidarity among cities and local governments around the world.
WeGO serves for its members as their international platform to improve the quality of life, innovate in the delivery of public services, and strengthen regional competitiveness.
Press Contact:
Name: Junho Jeong
E-mail: j.jeong@we-gov.org
Phone: +82-70-4202-9169