Japanese proposals to lead G8 in world fight against climate change

JAPAN took over the presidency of the Group of Eight club of the world’s leading economies yesterday, with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda vowing to put a focus on climate change and environmental issues.

The world’s second biggest economy after the United States, Japan is also the home of the Kyoto Protocol, the landmark 1997 treaty that really launched the fight against global warming.

So when leaders of the rich club convene for a summit in July in Toyako, a northern resort in the Japanese island of Hokkaido, it will be with climate change on their mind.

“Environmental issues will be a big agenda” item at the summit, Mr Fukuda said in a New Year statement.

“Japan hopes to lead the worldwide discussions in order to hand over clean skies to our children.”

It has announced four main issues for the summit: environment and climate change; the world economy; development and Africa; and broad issues such as nuclear non-proliferation and the fight against terrorism.

Apart from Japan and outgoing president Germany, the G8 club is made up of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States.

China is not a member but routinely gets invited.

Mr Fukuda plans a “global climate change” summit immediately before the Group of Eight leaders meet and has reportedly invited the leaders of China, India, South Korea and Indonesia.

Mr Fukuda vowed to use Japan’s presidency to promote eco-friendly technology, saying “we must promote our technologies. That should benefit Japan and the rest of the world”.

Japan has proposed a goal of cutting global emissions by half by 2050 from what they were in 1990.

But Tokyo is far behind on its own Kyoto obligations to slash emissions by 6% by 2012.

Mr Fukuda, who returned on Monday from his first four-day trip to China as prime minister, signed an agreement which would see Tokyo help Beijing work to combat global warming.

Japan will invite about 50 Chinese researchers each year over the next four years to be trained in the technology and science of fighting climate change.

Green groups criticised Japan for siding with the United States at last month’s UN climate change conference in Bali. That final document lacked a specific goal on how far to cut emissions after Kyoto’s obligations expire in 2012.

Japan also aims to use its lead role to spearhead a health drive aiming to get the world back on track to meeting UN targets on poverty and disease.

The goals, adopted at a UN summit in 2000, seek progress in eight areas by 2015 including cutting child mortality rates and halting the spread of AIDS, but studies have shown some targets will be badly missed.

Japan has invited African leaders there in May for its fourth summit on African development.

Japan “intends to take up the issue of health in Africa, and at the G8 summit, the wider issue of global health,” said its foreign minister Masahiko Komura.

It hopes notably to share its own experiences after World War II, when it launched nationwide health check-ups to build a country that now has the world’s longest life expectancy.