Delegates from the House of Councillors attend the 152nd IPU Assembly in Istanbul
April 15-19, 2026
The General Debate during the Plenary Session
The Standing Committee on Sustainable Development
Bursa Disaster Training Center
the Kısırkaya Stray Animal Temporary Nursing Home
The 152nd IPU Assembly was held in Istanbul, Turkey for five days from Wednesday, April 15th, to Sunday, April 19th, 2026. A delegation from the National Diet of Japan comprised two members from the House of Councillors—Mr. KADA Hiroyuki, as deputy leader of the delegation, and Mr. KUSHIDA Seiichi—as well as four members from the House of Representatives, including Mr. ITO Tatsuya as leader of the delegation.
The plenary session lasted three days, from Thursday, April 16th to Saturday,18th, and included a general debate in which the subject of "Nurturing hope, securing peace and ensuring justice for future generations" was discussed. During this session Mr. Kada delivered a speech.
In the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, Mr. Kushida participated in discussions and submitted several amendments to a resolution drafted by the joint rapporteurs on "Building a fair and sustainable global economy: The role of parliaments in combating protectionism, reducing tariffs and preventing corporate tax avoidance."
The delegation also held meetings with delegations from Switzerland, Ukraine, Italy and Turkey as well as with Ms. Anda Filip from Romania and Ms. Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou from Greece, who were candidates for the post of IPU Secretary General. In addition, Mr. Kada visited the Turkish government’s Bursa Disaster Training Center, which was based on Hyogo Prefecture's Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI), and Mr. Kushida, who has long focused on animal protection, visited the Kısırkaya Stray Animal Temporary Nursing Home and the Kemerburgaz Stray Animal Temporary Nursing Home. The delegation also visited the Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital, which is one of the world's largest earthquake-resistant structures and was built through a public-private partnership between Japan and Turkey, and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, which was built through Japanese ODA.