The United Nations Information Centre, Tokyo (UNIC Tokyo), together with Japanese media organizations that have joined the “SDG Media Compact,” has been running the climate campaign “Promise of 1.5ºC. Act now to stop global warming.” since 2022.

Marking its fifth year in 2026, the campaign will officially launch a new project, “I am one of the 89% who want to stop global warming,” starting on 25 June, with the cooperation of prominent figures from various fields and people from all walks of life.

Although a survey conducted in 125 countries shows that 89% of people worldwide want their governments to take more ambitious climate actions (*1), many are unaware that their view represents the majority. This perception gap could lead to the misunderstanding that others do not support climate action, which may discourage people from taking action and make it harder to speak out in favor of strengthening climate measures.

In response to this issue, this message project aims to make visible the voices of prominent figures and people from all walks of life who want to stop global warming, and to amplify them into a collective voice of society, thereby encouraging more people to raise their concerns as well as hopes and take action.

The project will run from 25 June to 31 December, 2026. UNIC Tokyo and 136 diverse media organizations participating in the “1.5°C Promise” campaign, will share messages through their official social media accounts, websites, events, and other platforms.

As of 25 June, the following individuals have contributed messages (listed in the order received, honorifics omitted):

Sara Takanashi (Ski Jumper)
Akito Watabe (Skier/Nordic Combined)
FISH BOY – Sakana-kun (ichthyologist and artist)
Naomi Kawase (Filmmaker / UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador)
Anne Watanabe (Actor / WFP Goodwill Ambassador)
Naoko Imoto (Olympian, Executive Director, SDGs in Sports)
Masakazu Iwasawa (Chef)
Hiroko Ida (Weather forecaster)
Tamaki Ozaki (Underwater photographer)
Yoshinobu Tsutsui (Chairman, KEIDANREN – Japan Business Federation)
Yoshinori Isozaki (Board Chair, UN Global Compact Network Japan)
Elisa Baker (MEDIA IS HOPE International Development Director / Writer)
Yukari Kinga (Specially Appointed Director, WE LEAGUE)
Shinji Ono (J.LEAGUE Climate Action Ambassador / J.LEAGUE’s Co-opted Member, Executive Committee)
Hiroki Yamada (J.LEAGUE Climate Action Ambassador / Júbilo Iwata)
Kiyoshi Nishikawa (Comedian)
Ai Sakai (Comedian, Yoshimotoshinkigeki)
Natsuko Yokosawa (Comedian)
and Daiki Kanechika of EXIT (Comedians)
Koji Morisaki (J.LEAGUE Climate Action Ambassador / Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Children of Tama City, Tokyo
Makoto Shinkai (Animation film director)
Naohiro Ishikawa (J.LEAGUE Climate Action Ambassador / FC TOKYO)
SHIRIAGARI Kotobuki (Manga artist)
Itsuki Natsui (Haiku poet)
Hamamatsu Kaiseikan High School Baseball Team
MIDORI (Violinist / UN Messenger of Peace)
Fumio Yonezawa (Chef)
Sayaka Horiuchi (Chef)
Yutaro Yotsuzuka (Chair, OMY SDGs ACT5 Executive Committee)
Ryang Yong Gi and Shingo Tomita (J.LEAGUE Climate Action Ambassadors / Vegalta Sendai)
WoWkitsunezaru (Environmental Entertainer)
Keiko Tashiro (Vice Chairperson, Japan Association of Corporate Executives)

More messages are expected to be contributed by a wider range of prominent figures and individuals.

This year, as early as mid-May, temperatures exceeding 30°C (summer days) were already recorded across various regions of Japan, along with extreme heat days exceeding 35°C in Oita and Hyogo prefectures, which indicates an early onset of hot weather. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency’s three-month forecast for June to August (*2), this summer in Japan is expected to be hotter than average nationwide. The term “extreme heat day” (kokushobi), newly adopted to refer to days exceeding 40°C, may soon begin appearing in weather forecasts and news reports. Furthermore, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has stated that an El Niño event is certain to develop in the coming months (*3), likely intensifying the already warming global climate and causing disruptions to temperature and rainfall patterns worldwide.

For this reason, this project seeks to make visible the voices of the overwhelming majority of people who want to stop global warming and to raise awareness among even more people about the urgency of this issue.

＊1　 Andre, P., Boneva, T., Chopra, F. et al. Globally representative evidence on the actual and perceived support for climate action. Nature Climate Change. 14, 253–259 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-01925-3

＊2　 Japan Meteorological Agency, issued on 19 May 2026. “Average temperature, June-August 2026”
https://www.jma.go.jp/bosai/map.html#5/35/135/&elem=temperature&pattern=P3M&term=0&contents=season&lang=en

＊3　 WMO. 2 June 2026. “Prepare for El Nino”
https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-prepare-el-nino

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