Thursday, March 28, 2024

EPA chief to visit Japan, promote both nations' environmental efforts

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy will be in Japan next week to work on bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Japan on the environment, a followup from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to the U.S. in April.

McCarthy’s itinerary will see her arrive in Tokyo on Monday, where she will have several meetings, including a discussion with the Japanese Ministry of the Environment.

McCarthy then will travel on Tuesday and Wednesday to Minamata to highlight U.S.-Japanese cooperation in preventing mercury pollution and bring attention to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global treaty.

McCarthy then travels to Kitakyushu, famous for the efforts of some women there to improve air quality 50 years ago.

In Tokyo on Wednesday, McCarthy will present her first international remarks on global action against climate change and speak about the Clean Power Plan. On Thursday, McCarthy is scheduled to visit Fukushima Prefecture, which the EPA has assisted in recovering from 2011’s earthquake and reactor breach. Friday will see McCarthy back in Tokyo for a roundtable meeting with Japanese business leaders, among other meetings.

This trip furthers the strong environmental bonds between the U.S. and Japan, which go back to the 1975 Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Environmental Protection that the two nations signed.