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SPECIAL FEATURE

JULY 7-9, 2008 SPECIAL FEATURE: G8 TOYOKO SUMMIT

G8 Members United States of America United Kingdom French Republic Federal Republic of Germany Italian Republic Canada Russian Federation European Union Other Participants People’s Republic of China India Federative Republic of Brazil United Mexican States Republic of South Africa Commonwealth of Australia Republic of Korea Republic of Indonesia United Republic of Tanzania Socialist Ethiopia Republic of Ghana Republic of Senegal SPECIAL FEATURE People's Democratic Republic of Algeria Federal Republic of Nigeria G8 HOKKAIDO TOYAKO SUMMIT Arab Republic of Egypt From Okinawa to Toyako: Welcoming more countries

Ever since it was held in Okinawa, the G8 Summit has been open to more countries than ever before. A record twenty-three countries will be G8 Summit Logo at the Hokkaido Toyako Summit during July 7-9, 2008. A sprouting seed growing out of a blue Earth, a message of hope For the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit in 2000, Building on the success of the Kyushu- that the seeds planted at the Japan initiated and facilitated closer dia- Okinawa Summit, the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit will yield large fruits.

logue by arranging meetings in Summit takes the idea of an "expanded sum- “Participation by all” is the key between leaders of developing nations and mit" even further. Besides the G8 members, international organizations. With rapid glob- eight newly industrializing countries and eight environmental and global issues, the Summit To take on the new challenges of the 21st alization, Japan believes that strengthening African countries have been invited. South must become more open. Japan aims to help century, “Participation by all” is the key. We ‘‘ build cooperative international relationships need to bring about cooperation among nations partnerships with non-G8 countries, interna- Korea, Indonesia, and Australia will also be and people. Governments, companies, ordinary cit- tional organizations, and NGOs as the key to participating for the first time. A record num- among more countries, and this requires an ‘‘izens, and academia must all work together. the continued success of the G8 Summit ber of countries will therefore attend the open forum. This will be one key to the suc- (January 26, 2008, Special Address at Davos and its efforts to improve the world. Summit. To reach an effective agreement on cess of the Toyako Summit. by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan) SPECIAL FEATURE: G8 HOKKAIDO TOYOKO SUMMIT Beautiful Hokkaido

Hokkaido has eighteen active volcanoes and Red-crowned crane, an endangered species, many hot springs. is Hokkaido's official bird.

Held in early February, the Sapporo Snow Windsor Toya Resort & Spa, the venue for the Festival attracts millions of tourists. Hokkaido G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, sits atop on a has one of the heaviest snowfalls in the world. hill with a commanding view of Lake Toya.

Potato flowers will be in full bloom dur- ing the Toyako Summit. This potato farm is in Makkari town near Lake Toya.

Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost main island, and Toyako, or Lake Toya, is a beautiful caldera lake in Shikotsu-Toya National Park.

Hokkaido was selected as the Summit venue Hokkaido’s population is about 5.6 million, for its abundant nature, a most appropriate and population density 73 people per square place to discuss environmental issues. With kilometer, much less than Japan’s average of an area of 78,000 square kilometers, 343 people per square kilometer. Hokkaido is slightly smaller than Ireland. It Large-scale migrations to Hokkaido from boasts six National Parks including a World other parts of Japan started about 140 years Lake Toya is world-renowned for its beauty. The caldera lake is 70 square kilometers in area, accented by small islands in the center. It is the ninth largest lake in Japan. Located in one of Heritage Site at Shiretoko Peninsula. Wildlife ago when Japan started to modernize. It was the most volcanically active areas in Japan, Lake Toya is adjacent to a few smoking volcanoes. and nature lovers will marvel at brown bears, a huge, new frontier, unbound by Japan’s old One of them, Mt. Usu, erupted four times in the last 100 years. The latest eruption, in 2000, Ezo deer, cranes, transparent lakes, active traditions. As agriculture is its main industry, forced the evacuation of the entire hot spring town of Toyako Onsen at the foot of the mountain volcanoes, hot springs, and more. Hokkaido is Japan’s food producing base. for a few months. Toyako is a place where people have learned to coexist with nature. Ministers’ Meetings SPECIAL FEATURE: G8 HOKKAIDO TOYOKO SUMMIT Cabinet-level discussions build dialogue and collaboration YOKOHAMA―― 5 On January 1, 2008, Japan began its one- held prior to the Summit, from March to May 28-30 year term as summit chair. To ensure that June, including the first ever Science and TICAD IV the Toyako Summit in July is a big success, Technology Ministers’ Meeting. ten G8 Summit Liaison Meetings are being

AOMORI―― 6 June 7-8 1 CHIBA ―― Energy Ministers’ Meeting March 14 -16 0 Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development 6 OSAKA―― 7 TOKYO―― 2 June 13-14 Finance Ministers’ Meeting April 5-6 Development Ministers’ Meeting 3 June 11-13 Soaring food prices Justice and Home Affairs now on Summit agenda Ministers’ Meetings 8 2 OKINAWA―― At the G8 Development Ministers’ 1 9 5 June 15 Meeting on April 6, 2008, soar- 47 Science and Technology ing worldwide food prices Ministers’ Meeting became an urgent topic. Danny Leipziger, the Vice President and Head of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network, said that prices of 9 basic foodstuffs rose by 80% 3 KYOTO―― NIIGATA ―― June 26-27 since 2005. And that this was a problem directly impacting May 11-13 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting human security. The South Labour Ministers’ Meeting African representative reported the current state of sub-Sahara African countries where recent droughts have reduced the food 4 0 supply to dangerous levels. As 8 KOBE ―― HOKKAIDO ―― an urgent issue needing immedi- May 24-26 July 7- 9 ate attention, the food problem Environment Ministers’ Meeting G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit was put on the official agenda of the G8 Summit. SPECIAL FEATURE: G8 HOKKAIDO TOYOKO SUMMIT

SUMMIT THEMES Promoting“Cool Earth” Japanese environmental technologies ready to help

At the top of the agenda at the Hokkaido Toyako Summit will be climate change and the environment. Japan wants to establish an effective inter- national framework for after 2013 when the Kyoto Protocol expires. To accomplish this, Japan hopes that all major CO2 -emitting countries at the Summit will participate in the discussion of technologies that can help improve the environment. In response to Japan’s proposal at the Heiligendamm Summit in 2007, agreement was reached to seriously consider at least halving global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with the participation of all major emitters including the United States, China, and India. The Hokkaido Toyako Summit will discuss how to achieve this goal. To this end, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda proposed the “Cool Earth Promotion Program” at Davos in January 2008. Japan firmly believes that its advanced environmental technologies can be used to improve the environment and climate change. And this can be done without affecting the economy adversely. Over the past 30 years, Japan has pursued energy conservation and succeeded in doubling its real GDP without the industrial sector increasing its energy consumption. This experience demonstrates that it is possible to strike a balance between economic development and environmental measures. If the level of efficiency and cleanliness of Japan’s coal-fired power generation is achieved in just three countries the United States, China, and India the resulting CO2 emission reduction could amount to some 1.3 billion tons, the equivalent of Japan’s total annual emissions. If Japan’s highly ener- gy-efficient, iron-making technology was used throughout the world, it would reduce carbon dioxide by about 300 million tons a year.

Pillars of the “Cool Earth Promotion Program” 1. Establishing fair national targets for overall emission reduction 2. Improving energy efficiency by 30% and introducing a new financial mechanism 3. Developing innovative technology and shifting to a low-carbon society Smokeless smokestack (Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda’s proposal) Pictured here is the Isogo Power Plant in Yokohama, Kanagawa, an ultra-clean, coal-fired power plant. Burning coal pro- duces harmful pollutants such as SOx (sulfur oxide), NOx (nitrogen oxide), and soot. With Regenerative Activated Coke Technology, 99% of SOx and 91% of NOx are removed from the smoke exhaust. The plant’s emissions are there- by reduced to just mostly air and steam. SPECIAL FEATURE: G8 HOKKAIDO TOYOKO SUMMIT

A Tanzania-Japan joint mosquito net factory began operating in February 2008 in Tanzania.

At the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit, Japan worked SUMMIT THEMES hard to establish the Global Fund to tackle Africa’s three major infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other infec- tious diseases. To date, 2.5 million lives have What is TICAD? African Development been saved through the efforts of this Fund. TICAD, or Tokyo International Conference on African Development, is an international confer- Attaining self-reliance ence held every five years in Tokyo to discuss African development. African leaders meet with Japan has been inviting African leaders to in July. The concepts of African Ownership, Opportunity.” The world cannot have stabil- development partners to discuss high-level poli- Japan every five years since 1993 to discuss and International Partnership were first ity and prosperity in the 21st century with- cies and to garner support for African-owned development at the Tokyo International raised by TICAD. TICAD was first to recog- out resolving the problems of Africa. development projects. The first TICAD was held Conference on African Development, or nize the importance of this and has always Japanese-style support, which made the in 1993. The conference is co-organized by the TICAD. In May 2008, the fourth TICAD, or placed an emphasis on the importance of East Asian miracle possible, and the con- Japanese government and the Global Coalition for Africa (GCA), the United Nations Office of TICAD IV, will be held. The outcome of the ownership in the development of Africa. cepts of Ownership and Partnership are the Special Advisor on Africa (UN-OSAA), the conference will serve as a base for further Japan’s theme for TICAD IV is “Towards a drawing the attention and expectation of United Nations Development Programme discussions at the Hokkaido Toyako Summit Vibrant Africa: Continent of Hope and Africa and the world. (UNDP), and the World Bank. SPECIAL FEATURE: G8 HOKKAIDO TOYOKO SUMMIT

The Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) will be held in Yokohama this year from May 28 to 30.The TICAD process was launched by Japan in 1993

Dr. Mahmoud AHMADINEJAD, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran Stopping nuclear proliferation

The G8 Summit will also discuss nuclear non-prolifer- ation of Iran and North Korea. Iran asserts that the enrichment of uranium is for peaceful purposes and refuses to suspend the process while disallowing any inspections by the IAEA. North Korea also has not promised to abandon its nuclear programs. The United Nations has imposed sanctions on both coun- tries.

SUMMIT THEMES Other Urgent Topics

New York Merchantile Exchange: The price of crude oil jumped to a Finding solutions for global economy woes and nuclear proliferation. record above $100 a barrel in January.

The sub-prime mortgage crisis in the be important at the G8 Summit. United States has sent stock prices tum- In Japan, the bubble economy burst in the bling worldwide. At the same time, market 1990s. Stock prices declined and the Kim Jong-Il, prices of oil and grain are continuing to economy remained stagnant for a long president of North Korea rise to record levels. In newly industrial- time. But companies continued their Sanctions against North Korea ized economies experiencing remarkable efforts to develop new technologies, and growth and changing lifestyles such as the government implemented drastic North Korea has openly declared itself as a nuclear Brazil, Russia, India, and China, demand reforms. As a result, Japan is now enjoying power. Nuclear weapons development by North Korea is growing for oil and food. The influx of a period of slow but steady growth over the is a direct threat to Asia’s peace and stability. Japan’s sanctions include a total ban on North Korean ships venture capital for futures trading is also long term. Japan hopes to mention this entering Japanese ports. To lift these sanctions, pushing up prices of oil and food. experience at the G8 Summit as a model to Japan requires that North Korea allow the return of These economic and financial topics will help stabilize the world economy. Japanese abductees. Working Together, Doing What We Can SPECIAL FEATURE: G8 HOKKAIDO TOYOKO SUMMIT

Innovative idea: The Toya Agricultural Cooperative Reuse/Recycle: Local supermarkets in the city uses winter snow instead of electricity to refrig- of Date have started to collect used vegetable erate its stock of vegetables in a huge ware- oil from shoppers. A local NPO converts the oil house. The snow is stored in an adjacent room into automobile fuel which emits almost no (seen on the back wall) and fans are used to cir- CO2. You can actually safely breathe the culate the cold air and moisture from the snow. exhaust coming out of the car's exhaust pipe.

Environmental awareness: Toya High School’s Environment Club takes water samples from Lake Toya regularly to monitor the water quality. They find the lake's water to be very clean.

The Hokkaido Toyako Summit can be successful only through the cooper- ation, coordination, and agreement of the participating country leaders, ministers, and numerous people. Most of the problems on the Summit agenda also require the attention and cooperation from the rest of us. Environment friendly: This couple work on their The basics: Local high school students pick up potato farm near Lake Toya while using a trash around Toya Station, Lake Toya's nearest Although government leaders can make small or big way. Whether it’s picking up reduced amount of agrichemicals. To promote a train station. It is important to get into the habit agreements to help resolve global prob- trash in your neighborhood, saving electric- low-carbon society, local food will be used as of cleaning the environment even at this most lems, many problems, especially related to ity, or recycling, every bit helps. And if we much as possible at the Hokkaido Toyako Summit. basic level and at a young age. the environment, also require action from all did it, it would make a major impact. all of us. From governments and major cor- Being surrounded by grand nature, porations to ordinary citizens, we must all Hokkaido’s people are naturally concerned work together to help make this a better about the environment. Numerous local world to live in, both economically and groups and organizations conduct environ- environmentally. We must become more ment-related activities. In April 2008, conscious and caring of our common envi- Hokkaido Harumi Takahashi even ronment, our precious Earth, as well as the proposed that its citizens adopt an environ- well-being of our fellow man all over the ment-friendly lifestyle and that each per- world. Just do what you can to help in any son plant thirty trees in his or her lifetime.