The 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics have long since passed, but some are trying to keep the legacy alive.

Soichiro Yoshida

One such individual is Soichiro Yoshida. As chairman of the committee in charge of bidding to host the 1998 games, Yoshida was involved from 1988 in trying to lure the Olympics to Nagano.

Now he is organizing the Second Nordic-Japan Environmental Conference 2001, to be held in Nagano on Nov. 5 and 6.

The theme will be "The Journey of Water: From the Sky to the Sea." This year, he expects more policymaking and society heavyweights to show up than last year, possibly including environment ministers from Japan and Denmark. Princess Takamado will speak, as will Nagano Gov. Yasuo Tanaka, an outspoken opponent of dams.

Topics on the agenda for the gathering include hydroelectric power in Japan, the merits and demerits of dams, rehabilitation of existing dams in Norway and the impact of the use of fossil fuel on water.

The conference will run for two days and is open to the public. Admission is 5,000 yen for adults and 3,000 yen for students. Last year, around 1,000 people attended.

Yoshida said he hit upon the idea for the conference after developing a rapport with visitors from Scandinavia during the Olympics. While mulling how to continue the games' legacy, he had the idea to have an annual conference where the two regions could exchange ideas on environmental issues.

"The goal is to increase environmental awareness among Japanese people," he said. Through the exchanges, he hopes to heighten awareness of environmental problems among ordinary citizens, businesspeople and government officials.

"The Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) have advanced environmental policies, generally more so than Japan has," he said.

Yoshida is a businessman who divides his time between Nagano and Tokyo. Asked why he holds the conference in Nagano instead of somewhere more urban, he said: "One reason is because I was the bidding committee chairman and the Olympics were in Nagano. Another is that the Olympics are also about coexisting with nature."

Yoshida said it is important to keep the discussion broad.

"This is not about coming up with a conclusion. It is about taking something, like the 'no-diesel' air pollution movement (in Tokyo) or (Nagano's) no-dam debate, and opening them up for people to think about for themselves."

Still, obstacles remain, he said.

"It is difficult to hold (a conference) in a rural area, but because the Olympics were here, there is a legacy. That is why we can do it.

"But if we make this just a local event, only the people in Nagano will know about it. So we are trying to get the word out."