On January 28, 2026, Dr. ABE Hisashi, Director of the Forestry Division at JIRCAS, attended the 30th Executive Committee Meeting of the Asia Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions (APAFRI) held in Coimbatore, India. The meeting took place as part of a session within the International Conference on Population and Conservation Genetics 2026.

APAFRI is an organization that aims to promote the development of forestry research in the Asia-Pacific region by fostering collaboration and coordination among forestry-related research institutions and organizations. Its secretariat is based at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). Currently, APAFRI has more than 30 member institutions, including public research institutes, universities, government agencies, international organizations, and industry groups. JIRCAS has been a member since 2003 and was elected as an executive member at the 10th General Assembly in 2024.

At this meeting, participants discussed and approved the activity and financial reports for 2025, as well as the activity plan for 2026. Institutions represented included FRIM (Malaysia), the National Institute of Forest Science (NIFoS, Korea), the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Bioversity International (now the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Malaysia), the College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), the Department of Forestry, Fiji, and the Faculty of Forestry, University Putra Malaysia.