On October 6, 2025, coinciding with the IAPH World Ports Conference 2025 in Kobe, the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) Technical Committee of Planning, Operation, and Finance (TC-POF) was held. YPC Senior Executive Director, Dr. Ichio Motono, served as the moderator in his role as chairperson.

During this committee meeting, research focused on the following two themes was advanced, and reports on the research outcomes to date were presented by each responsible party.

【Theme I】Good practices in transforming obsolete container terminals
【Theme II】Smooth and Effective Port PPP Study Feedback

In Theme I, after a report on the background and summary of the research by Mr. Shibasaki, Deputy General Manager of the Engineering Department of YPC, several notable international cases were presented by Mr. Ninomiya, the Assistant Manager of the YPC SDGs and ESG Management  Division. Subsequently, Mr. Taishi Yamamoto from the Okinawa General Bureau, the Cabinet Office presented examples of successful cases from within the country, specifically highlighting the experiences of Ms. Theresa Rawle and Ms. Karen Rendek from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, as well as Mr. Phatthawut Kanokwannakhon from the Port Authority of Thailand, who each provided detailed insights into their respective ports.

On the other hand, in Theme II, the public-private partnership projects (PPP) both domestically and internationally were discussed. After an overview and research findings were presented by Chief Researcher Mr. Yoshimi from Overseas Coastal Area Development Institute of Japan (OCDI) and Senior Researcher Mr. Ozaki (on secondment from YPC). Next, Dr. Ennarasu Karunesan from IAPH India presented a case study on Indian ports, followed by Mr. Andre Ciseau from the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA), who shared a case study from East Africa.

The same committee will keep its activities going, with meetings planned to align with the IAPH World Ports Conference taking place in London in October 2026.