Move now to ratify Kyoto Protocol

The Seventh Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakech in Morocco (COP7) reached an agreement on the rules of the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol adopted by the 1997 Kyoto Conference (COP3) to prevent global warming.

International efforts to complete the treaty, however, have not been successful because the United States withdrew from the treaty and the Japanese government moved against the agreement to side with the United States.

With concessions by EU countries, the Japanese government lost justification for continued reluctance, and helped reach the final agreement. The agreement has great international significance in that it reflects the efforts by peoples of the majority of countries wishing to effectuate the protocol, as well as tenacious negotiations by all concerned.

Both the U.S. government with its unjustifiable attitude and the Japanese government, which as a U.S. subordinate failed to live up to its responsibility as the Kyoto COP3 host country, must learn that they were not allowed by the international community to delay the endeavor to stop global warming.

Following its completion, the Kyoto Protocol will be implemented in the Global Summit in September 2002.

Since the U.S., the largest CO2 emission country, refuse to take part in the framework, almost all developed countries must ratify the protocol, including Japan which is one of the major CO2 emitting countries.

The Japanese government is requested to express that it will immediately ratify the protocol and will take subsequent steps to enact it in 2002.

Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro has yet declared that Japan will ratify the protocol. Why not? Japan's business circles are explicitly opposed to the protocol's ratification and effectuation because the U.S. is excluded. If Koizumi gives top priority to such an argument, he must be blamed for betraying the public interest.

Now that there is no room left to delay it anymore, P.M. Koizumi must immediately declare government intention to ratify the protocol. (end)