Antarctic Treaty Meeting Starts in Hiroshima

Hiroshima, May 11 (Jiji Press)--A Japan-hosted international conference to discuss the peaceful use of Antarctica opened in Hiroshima on Monday, attracting attention particularly on whether an environment conservation agreement can be reached amid surging tourism.

Bringing together roughly 400 government officials and researchers from some 50 countries, including the United States, China, Russia and Ukraine, the 48th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Talks will run for 11 days in the western Japan city, with full-fledged discussions set to begin after an opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Japan hosts the Antarctic Treaty conference for the third time, after the 1970 Tokyo and 1994 Kyoto gatherings.

High on the agenda will be how to regulate and control diversifying tourist activities, people familiar with the matter said.

According to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, the frozen continent attracted around 117,000 tourists during the 2024-25 season, up 15-fold in 30 years.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]