Dear President, Executive Director Ms. Andersen, distinguished participants, I am Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, Environment Minister of Japan. It is my great honor to deliver this message on behalf of the Government of Japan in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of UNEP. The history of UNEP mostly overlaps with the history of Japan's Ministry of the Environment, which started in 1971. When the Environment Agency was established, local pollution such as air and water pollution was the major concern in Japan, but over the 50 years, global environment issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss have become major issues. The Environment Ministry now covers both domestic and international issues. In tackling these ...