Top >Business Results Using Lake Biwa in harmony with colorful nature as the stage setting, many conventions have held. We offer excellent service, highly functional facilities and superior accommodations, regardless of the size of your activity. World Tourism Organization (WTO) Shiga Conference Date June 7-9, 2005 Held at Otsu Prince Hotel The World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the Asia-Pacific Tourism Exchange Center (APTEC) held an international conference in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, based on the theme of “Promoting tourism by creating scenic views and preserving the environment”. The diverse content of the conference included presentations on tourism theory, governmental activities, analyses of current situations, and proposals by lecturers active in the forefront of the tourism industry. The 8th International Symposium on Fireworks Date April 18-22, 2005 Held at Biwako Hotel The International Symposium on Fireworks is the largest international conference in the global pyrotechnics industry. This symposium was held in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, and was the first held in a location other than Europe or North America. People from different fields in the pyrotechnics industry gathered to discuss issues dealing with safety, science, academics, and the law. There were lectures on the latest technology, information exchanges, and the presentation of scholarly information. In addition, fireworks exhibitions staged by experts from different countries were held at six locations around Lake Biwa to commemorate the symposium. The 20th Women's Conference Japan 2003 OTSU Date October 17-18, 2003 Held at Biwako Hall, etc. Held by 200 volunteer committee members in partnership with Otsu City, this successful conference including a keynote speech, symposium, etc. was concluded with a commemorative lecture delivered by Jakucho Setouchi. The 3rd World Water Forum in SHIGA Date March 19-21, 2003 Held at Biwako Hall, etc. Around Lake Biwa and the River Yodo (Kyoto, Osaka, Shiga), people from 160 countries gathered and discussed actions needed to meet the global water challenges. The Forum's theme-centered sessions, presentations by NPOs and the Biwako Water Fair were held in Shiga Prefecture. High-Level Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002 Date October 25-28, 2002 Held at Otsu Prince Hotel, etc. Held in the last year of the decade specified by ESCAP in order to promote the full participation and equality of people with disabilities, representatives from various governments, United Nation and NGOs reported and reviewed their implementations. The 9th International Conference on the Conservation and Management of Lakes Date November 11-16, 2001 Held at Biwako Hall, etc. In November 2001, the conference returned to its birthplace, Shiga. Many issues about lakes left unsolved in the last century were addressed and partnerships among people working on environmental problems internationally and inter-regionally were strengthened. G8 Environment Ministers' Meeting Date April 7-9, 2000 Attendants Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, U.K., U.S.A., Russia, and EC. Held at Biwako Hotel, etc. Topics of discussion included some of the most difficult environmental problems the world faces such as changes in the climate, sustainable development in the 21st century and Rio+10, as well as environmental health issues. The question of support from the developed world to developing countries was also debated. The 1st International Conference on the Conservation and Management of Lakes Date August 27-31, 1984 Held at Otsu Citizen Hall In 1984, the Shiga Prefectural Government held the first of these conferences to address environmental problems of lakes worldwide owing to rapid pollution and industrial growth, realizing that unless scientists, governments and citizens work together the conservation of lakes would be extremely difficult. Copyright (C) Biwako Visitors Bureau All rights reserved.