The Automotive Researchers' and Journalists' Conference of Japan said Monday it has chosen Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara as its Person of the Year.
Ishihara was selected because of his initiative to regulate diesel engine emissions, which spurred automakers and truck and bus users to improve the situation, the group said.
Since 1991, the group annually selects a person it considers has had a great impact on the car industry as well as society during the year. Ishihara is the first selected from outside the automotive industry, the group said.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on Friday approved a revised ordinance that bans diesel-powered commercial vehicles from the streets of Tokyo unless they meet a limit on emissions of carcinogenic particles.
The new measure, the first in Japan to regulate emissions from diesel-powered vehicles, will be implemented gradually from April and take full effect in October 2003.