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Council on the Global Warming Issue Wednesday, March 5, 2008 JAPANESE

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, together with Mr. Ichiro Kamoshita, the Minister of the Environment, and Mr. Nobutaka Machimura, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, held the first meeting of the Council on the Global Warming Issue at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The Council, comprised of expert members, is established with the purpose of discussing various issues that must be addressed in order for Japan to make contribution to the global efforts to realize a low carbon society. Prime Minister Fukuda said in his address at the start of the meeting, "A sense of crisis regarding the impact of global warming is increasingly and rapidly growing stronger among the people, and likewise, more and more people have started to realize the importance of addressing the issue. The global warming issue is making an ever greater impact on the international community, and also on the people's lifestyle. As such, I expect the Council to hold the discussions in a manner that is as clear to the people as possible." At the meeting, Mr. Hiroshi Okuda, the Special Advisor to the Cabinet, was appointed as the Chair of the Council, and discussions took place on the procedures of the meeting.