Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� July, 2003

Awards Ceremony to Present the Prime Minister's Commendations for Contributors to the National Greening Campaign Tuesday, July 15, 2003 An awards ceremony to present the Prime Minister's commendations for contributors to the National Greening Campaign was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. Greening is extremely important from the perspective of the preservation of the nation's land and environment, the cultivation of water resources and the improvement of the living environment. The Prime Minister holds an awards ceremony every year to honor individuals and groups who have made outstanding contributions in the implementation of the National Greening Campaign. Those who received commendations from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi this year are three individuals, including Mr. Hiroshi Ogura of Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture; ten groups, including the Akita Factory of SOC Corporation; seven schools, including Shibukawa Elementary School in Inasa Town, Shizuoka Prefecture; and four local governments, including Esashi Town, Hokkaido. In his address at the ceremony, Prime Minister Koizumi said, "It is an important responsibility for those who live in the present days to take over the society to the future which is surrounded by a beautiful environment that can lead to a comfortable lifestyle. Such a society cannot be realized without the accumulation of good conducts and steady efforts on a day-to-day basis of all the people."