Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake, formed about 4.4 million years ago and sits at the heart of Shiga Prefecture. For millennia it has supported waterborne transport, supplied municipal water and sustained a fishing industry. Today the lake’s clean environment and a culture of health and longevity reflect decades of technological development and active conservation.
Building on that record, Shiga is positioning itself to share environmental expertise and new energy solutions with India. Governor Taizo Mikazuki notes that Lake Biwa provides water and conveniences to roughly 15 million people across the Kansai region, including 1.4 million residents of Shiga, and that respect for water and its careful management are central to the prefecture’s policies. Shiga’s international work dates back to the 1980s, when it established a friendship agreement with Hunan Province in China to exchange knowledge on water management and agriculture, and later contributed to efforts to purify Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. Those experiences form a base for cooperation with Indian states.
A priority for Shiga is a regional hydrogen supply network linking the Chubu, Kansai and Hokuriku areas, with Shiga at the center. Local leaders see hydrogen as a pathway to cleaner societies in India and beyond. Shiga is also pushing a circular-economy agenda at home: initiatives include a Repair Challenge to refurbish and resell used furniture and programs that convert sewage sludge and treated wastewater from Lake Biwa’s surrounding facilities into agricultural fertilizer. Officials are mapping which technologies and practices can be adapted to different Indian contexts.
The prefecture’s outreach combines industry, culture and business. Planned exchanges range from Indian music festivals to business seminars highlighting Shiga companies such as Fujitec, Shiga Bank, Hiyoshi, Yanmar and Panasonic. Local environmental firms like Hiyoshi Ecological Services grew from the long Lake Biwa preservation effort; the prefectural government’s hands-on problem solving has produced treatment technologies, technical skills and detailed environmental data. Those capabilities, officials say, can help build sustainable, clean and comfortable communities in India.
