Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama attended a meeting to exchange views on forests and forestry held at the Prime Minister's Office.

The meeting was also attended by Dr. Shuji Okada, Professor in the Faculty of Agriculture of Iwate University, who chairs the Committee on Basic Policy on Forests and Forestry of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Mr. Bunta Sugawara, who heads Suigenchi-no-Mizu-no-Itteki Juku (a group established to educate the public on water and forest conservation); Mr. Hirotaka Akamatsu, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and others.

Prime Minister Hatoyama said in his address, "Although forests cover as much as 70% of Japan's land area, forests and forestry have not always been valued as important. But it is not too late if we start now. I would like to harness your expertise in reviving forests and forestry."