News

11 September 2026

Japan Climbs Global Meetings Rankings as Association Events Spread Across 70 Cities

TOKYO, Japan — Japan hosted 491 international and regional association meetings in 2025, a 15 percent increase from 428 the previous year, as meetings activity continued to spread beyond the country’s major convention destinations. The performance moved Japan to sixth place in the global country rankings while retaining its position as Asia Pacific’s leading destination for the fourth consecutive year, according to ICCA’s GlobeWatch 2025 Country and City Rankings Report, released in May 2026 and reported by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). The geographical spread of meetings was particularly notable. More than 70 Japanese cities hosted at least one […]

11 September 2026

IHPBA Wins Incredible Impacts Grant for Legacy Project at Singapore World Congress

SINGAPORE — The International Hepato-Pancreato Biliary Association (IHPBA) has been awarded the 2026 Incredible Impacts Programme Seed Fund Grant for a legacy initiative aimed at reducing disparities in liver cancer outcomes across Asia Pacific. The US$5,000 grant will support a new Legacy Project linked to the 17th IHPBA World Congress, taking place in Singapore from 28 to 31 October 2026 in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board. The project will focus on improving outcomes for hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of primary liver cancer, particularly in low- and middle-income countries across the region. IHPBA plans to promote more equitable […]

11 September 2026

Pacific Islands Forum Moves to Reshape Regional Architecture and Partner Engagement

KOROR, Palau — Leaders at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, agreed on 31 August to recast the Forum’s partnership mechanism and advance reforms to strengthen the region’s institutional architecture, while endorsing a Regional Peace and Security Action Plan. The recast partnership mechanism is intended to provide a more targeted approach to engagement and advocacy around Pacific priorities. The move builds on earlier Forum efforts to review how the region engages with external partners as it advances the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. Secretary General Baron Divavesi Waqa acknowledged the European Union’s support for […]