A EU-Japan joint policy seminar on the theme of climate change took place at the office of the Delegation of EU in Tokyo on Jan 17. The event brought together European Commissioners, Japanese ministers
Global warming will seriously affect ecology and people's lives in Japan, reducing rice yields by 5 percent from current levels around 2050 in the western regions of Kinki and Shikoku, the Environment Ministry said Thursday. Damage from floods could swell by 1 trillion yen a year around 2030, the ministry said in a forecast conducted with 14 reseaGlobal warming will seriously affect ecology and people's lives in Japan, reducing rice yields by 5% from current levels around 2050 in the western regions of Kinki and Shikoku, the Environment Ministry said Thursday.
Toyota Motor Co this week planted approximately 50,000 trees at the Tsutsumi plant as one of the company's sustainable plant activities. Based on the local greenery, 55 types of native trees were planted to create a multi-layered natural environment. Toyota has also planted NOx-absorbing vegetation on the rooftop of the Tsutsumi plant.
African countries are doing their part in achieving development goals to reduce poverty on their continent and tackling other key issues such as climate change, but more funds and political push are needed to give it more substance, African representatives and their partners said Thursday.
Patients newly recognized as victims of a 1968 mass food poisoning across western Japan filed a damages suit Friday against the manufacturer of contaminated cooking oil, Kanemi Soko KK, demanding that the company and its two officials pay 286 million yen. The suit, filed by 26 plaintiffs with the Kokura Branch of the Fukuoka District Court, was the first collective lawsuit since a legal struggle to seek compensation concluded in 1987.
Group of Eight environment ministers urged their leaders Monday to agree at the July summit on a target of halving global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, while prodding developed countries to
All Nippon Airways Co said Thursday it will aim to slash annual carbon dioxide emissions stemming from its domestic flight operations by 200,000 tons as part of efforts to become a leading eco-friendly airline. ANA said it is the first time that an air carrier has set a numerical target for reduced CO2 emissions. The airline plans to curb average annual CO2 emissions from domestic flight operations to about 4.7 million tons from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2011, compared with about 4.9 million tons in fiscal 2006 through March 2007.
Japan and India agreed Thursday to continue cooperation on climate change and seek a free trade agreement, with Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura telling his counterpart over the phone that strengthening relations with India is among the most important tasks in Japanese foreign policy. Komura also conveyed to Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Japan's condolences over the series of deadly bomb blasts in northwestern India last week, and the two agreed to continue to cooperate in fighting terrorism, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
An international youth meeting on the environment began Thursday in Kobe for a three-day run, bringing together about 100 students from 20 countries and Taiwan. At the opening ceremony of the Youth Summit for Environment in Kobe, actress Norika Fujiwara talked about the importance of addressing climate change. She cited her trip in March to Tuvalu, a South Pacific island country said to be sinking from rising sea levels due to the effects of global warming.
Honda will sell a new, improved and affordable gas-electric hybrid in the U.S., Japan and Europe starting in early 2009, the company president said Wednesday. President Takeo Fukui told reporters that green cars, especially hybrids, will be a pillar of Honda Motor Co's strategy for the next three years, starting this fiscal year that began April 1.
Japan's market for carbon emission reduction systems and services to help prevent global warming may expand 5.6-fold from fiscal 2007 to 6.93 trillion yen by fiscal 2015, a market research firm said Tuesday. The fast expansion is coming as the government and private sectors accelerate efforts to achieve Japan's greenhouse gas emission reduction target in four years from April this year under the Kyoto Protocol, Fuji Keizai Co said.
