The government appointed Ambassador Kunio Katakura as Japan's representative for the Second Tokyo International Conference on African Development, Foreign Ministry officials announced Thursday.

The government also appointed Hiroshi Oki, former director general of the Environment Agency, as representative for the fourth conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the officials said. Both appointments take effect today.

Katakura, a former ambassador to Egypt, is well-acquainted with African affairs, the officials said. Some 50 African countries will join the U.S. and nations from Asia and Europe at the meeting slated for Oct. 19 to 21 in Tokyo.

Oki was chairman of the third conference on climate changes that was held in Kyoto last December. The next conference will take place in Buenos Aires in early November.