Newly appointed Environment Agency chief Yoriko Kawaguchi will use her private-sector experience to strengthen the agency as it prepares to become a ministry, but says her background has taught her to be wary of government regulation.
Kawaguchi also vowed to try to put the Kyoto Protocol -- an international agreement adopted in Kyoto in December 1997 to cut greenhouse gas emissions -- into force by 2002.
"This agency will become the Environment Ministry in six months. I think this reflects the interest of citizens in environmental issues. Citizens have high expectations (for the new ministry), and to meet these, it is important for the agency to prepare well over the next six months to create a more powerful Environment Ministry."