EU–Japan Cooperation Enters Intensive Implementation Phase

The EU-funded International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) programme has entered an intensive implementation phase in 2026, further strengthening city-to-city and region-to-region cooperation between the European Union and partner countries.

Cooperation is structured through Communities of Practice (CoPs)—thematic platforms coordinated by leading EU regions or cities—which bring together public authorities, industry, research organisations, and universities under a quadruple-helix approach. Each CoP is currently preparing a concrete Cooperation Action Plan to be finalised by the end of March 2026. This will be followed by advanced cooperation missions, study visits, and stakeholder events.

Japanese prefectures and cities are actively engaged across multiple CoPs, particularly in industrial modernization, agrifood innovation, hydrogen, digital governance, mobility, and climate adaptation. The sections below highlight key developments and the central coordinating role played by EU partners.

Region-to-Region Cooperation: Consolidating the Alumni Network

Four Japanese prefectures—Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima—are participating in IURC2, building on their involvement in the earlier EU–Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation (2021–2025).

On the EU side, five experienced regions have assumed a leading role in structuring cooperation: Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes, Catalonia, Emilia-Romagna, the Ljubljana Urban Region, and Val d’Oise. Within IURC2, these EU regions are not only consolidating previous partnerships but also expanding the network to new international counterparts.

Following the thematic meetings and the Barcelona event:

• Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes is coordinating the CoP on Industrial Modernization: Human-Centric Digital and AI Transformation joined by Aichi and Hiroshima.
• Catalonia is leading the CoP on Agriculture and Innovation, with Kyoto participating.
• Île-de-France is coordinating the CoP on Hydrogen Market & Industry, joined by Osaka Prefecture.

This EU-led architecture ensures strategic coherence while enabling partner regions to contribute their specialised strengths.

Industrial Modernization: Human-Centric Digital and AI Transformation: Led by Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes

The CoP on Industrial Modernization: Human-Centric Digital and AI Transformation with AI, coordinated by Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes, brings together leading industrial regions from Europe and Japan.

Aichi Prefecture, a major hub for automotive, aerospace, and machinery industries, aims to advance its vision of a Global Innovation City by accelerating the deployment of generative AI and digital technologies in manufacturing, including autonomous driving, robotics, and drones.

Hiroshima Prefecture, home to major automotive manufacturers including Mazda, contributes its experience in open innovation ecosystems and digital-transformation training programmes developed jointly with universities and industry.

Under EU leadership, the CoP promotes a human-centred approach to AI-driven industrial modernisation, linking incubation facilities, vocational training systems, and universities into a coherent digital-transition network. Its members aim to improve digital transformation and AI deployment in existing companies, upskill the industrial workforce, and strengthen each region’s innovation and startup incubation ecosystem.

Planned activities include a September study visit to Europe (Emilia-Romagna and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) focused on AI policies and participation in an event on IoT and robotics. A December visit to Japan (Aichi and Hiroshima) will explore startup incubation, participation in Tech Gala Japan with a dedicated workshop and Toyota networking, and an examination of Hiroshima’s digital transformation (DX) models.

The participating regions will collaborate on joint policy recommendations to support responsible and competitive AI deployment. These recommendations could guide AI use in ways that balance innovation with ethical and societal considerations across all participating regions.Agriculture and Innovation: Catalonia Drives Agrifood Cooperation

The CoP on Agriculture and Innovation, coordinated by Catalonia, provides a structured platform for cooperation on advanced agrifood systems.

Kyoto Prefecture contributes its distinctive food culture and peri-urban agriculture model, while seeking solutions to declining farm labour, rising temperatures, and expanding export opportunities. Priority interests include heat-resilient crops, digital farming, and improved food distribution and preservation.

EU regions bring complementary expertise:

• Val d’Oise – wholesale market development
• Catalonia – climate-resilient food systems
• Ljubljana Urban Region – robotics and AI in agriculture
• Île-de-France – biotechnology

The Community of Practice (CoP) places particular emphasis on smart farming, researcher mobility, and diversified value chains. Following the initial meeting in January 2026, the partners are currently preparing the Regional Cooperation Action Plan. Four specific cooperation objectives have been defined: international cooperation on digital and climate-resilient transformation; joint pilot development and project applications; enhancement of regional capacities and innovation governance with a focus on market uptake; and the development of talent and skills.

Planned activities include a visit to Kyoto in October, centred on participation in the Foodtech Expo, and a visit in December to the Île-de-France region and Val d’Oise to attend the Technology Forum on Future Food and to facilitate networking between startups and researchers.

Hydrogen Market & Industry: Île-de-France Leads Market Creation

The CoP on Hydrogen Market & Industry, coordinated by Île-de-France, focuses on accelerating hydrogen ecosystem development across Europe and partner regions.

Osaka Prefecture, building on the H2 Osaka Vision 2022 and the momentum of Expo 2025 Osaka–Kansai, aims to strengthen its position as a manufacturing hub for carbon-neutral industries. Demonstration projects along the Osaka waterfront are already advancing hydrogen supply chains.

Under EU coordination, the CoP is working on:

• hydrogen market creation strategies
• demand aggregation across sectors
• industrial transition pathways
• joint Horizon Europe proposals

This cooperation links policy dialogue with concrete project development to support scalable hydrogen markets.

City-Level Cooperation: EU Cities as Key Conveners

Five Japanese cities—Kawasaki, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kitakyushu—have joined EU-led Communities of Practice, further deepening the city-to-city dimension of IURC.

Nagoya: Innovation Ecosystems with Grenoble-Alpes Métropole

The CoP on Economy in Cities – Start-ups, Innovation Ecosystems and Branding, coordinated by Grenoble-Alpes Métropole, brings together major innovation hubs.

Nagoya City contributes its strong manufacturing base and the TechGALA deep-tech event platform. European partners—including Espoo and Warsaw—add complementary strengths in venture ecosystems and internationalisation.

The CoP focuses on urban industrial modernisation, investor attraction, global tech-event connectivity, and place branding. A distinctive feature is the planned linkage of flagship events such as Tech & Fest, NORDEEP, SLUSH, and Venture Café to enhance global visibility and cross-border collaboration. Furthermore, a series of webinars/technical-sessions shall be held which should lead to synthetic fact-sheets on the learnings of the sessions, collaboratively written by the participants.

Osaka City: Digital Governance with Barcelona Metropolitan Area

The CoP on Data-driven City & Digital Governance, coordinated by the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), supports peer learning on data governance and digital urban management.

Through its Super City initiative, Osaka is advancing integrated data use to improve urban services. The Umekita district serves as a flagship testbed for green infrastructure and innovation.

Cooperation priorities include:

• interoperable data-sharing frameworks
• City OS comparison
• AI applications in mobility and water management
• public–private data governance models

The kick-off meeting was held on 28 January 2026, with work progressing toward the Urban Cooperation Action Plan.

Kitakyushu: Mobility and Future Modalities with Turin

The CoP on Mobility and Future Modalities, led by the City of Turin, addresses next-generation transport systems.

Building on its environmental leadership, Kitakyushu City is advancing autonomous driving, AI-based traffic management, and low-carbon public transport. A shared priority across partners is scaling pilot projects into operational urban services.

The EU-led platform explores Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM), urban logistics robotics, urban air mobility, and integrated low-emission transport ecosystems.

Kyoto and Kawasaki: Climate Adaptation under Valencia’s Leadership

The CoP on Climate Adaptation, coordinated by the Valencia Region, brings together cities addressing climate risks through data-driven approaches.

Kyoto City contributes long-standing experience in climate policy and behavioural change, while Kawasaki City focuses on heat-risk prevention and flood resilience in an industrial urban context.

The CoP promotes knowledge sharing on climate change to identify key data for decision-making on common challenges (water-related and heat risks, and nature-based solutions in urban areas) and to better integrate and analyze this data to enable data-driven adaptation that combines nature-based solutions with forecasting, AI analytics, and strong citizen engagement.

The kick-off meeting on 29 January 2026 marked the start of intensified cooperation on urban resilience.

Looking Ahead

With Cooperation Action Plans to be finalised by March 2026, IURC is entering a more operational phase. Upcoming activities will include:

• advanced cooperation missions
• stakeholder engagement events
• preparation of competitive funding proposals

The strong leadership of EU regions and cities—combined with the active engagement of Japanese partners—demonstrates the growing depth and strategic importance of EU–AA cooperation including Japan in innovation-driven urban and regional transformation.