Sponsored by 横浜市 The global transition to a circular economy is accelerating. In Europe, top-down regulatory frameworks have led the way, and Amsterdam’s circular strategy drew international attention, rapidly spreading the concept of the “circular city” around the world. Across Europe, where entire regions are embracing the circular economy, cities are strengthening their solidarity through frameworks such as the European Circular Cities Declaration. But what about Asia? In November 2025, the “Asian Circular Cities Declaration (ACCD)”—an Asian counterpart to such city-level declaration frameworks—was born from an initiative by the City of Yokohama. With ICLEI Japan, the Japanese office of the international organization representing more than 2,500 local governments worldwide, serving as its secretariat, the framework launched with Yokohama’s signature and has since grown to include 26 cities across 7 countries, representing a combined population of over 57 million people. On September 3–4, 2026, the signatory cities will gather in Yokohama for the first time at the “Asia-Pacific Circular Cities Forum 2026 (APCC Forum),” to be held at PACIFICO Yokohama North. We sat down with Toshikazu Yazawa (谷澤寿和), Director of Global City Strategy at the City of Yokohama’s Policy Management and International Strategy Bureau and the official leading the forum’s planning, to hear about the aspirations behind this inaugural event. Speaker Profile: Toshikazu Yazawa (谷澤 寿和) Director, Global City Strategy Division, Policy Management and International Strategy Bureau, City of Yokohama. Joined the City of Yokohama in 2008. In fiscal year 2018, he was involved in establishing the City of Yokohama’s Americas Office and served as its inaugural Deputy Director, based in the United States until fiscal year 2022. From fiscal years 2023 to 2024, he oversaw inter-city partnerships through international technical cooperation with Asian cities including Bangkok, Thailand, as well as support for Yokohama-based companies expanding their businesses overseas. In fiscal