Minister of Environment Tetsuo Saito of Japan

Saito is currently serving his fifth term in the Lower House by Chugoku proportional election and is the Minister of the Environment.

Saito was a visiting researcher at Princeton University for three years beginning in 1986.

Saito is known for his ties with NASA as well as expert knowledge of lunar bases and clean energy technology.

Saito was appointed as Minister of the Environment by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on August 1, 2008.

In the Cabinet of Prime Minister Taro Aso, appointed on September 24, 2008, Saito was retained in his post.

Tetsuo Saito has called for stringent mid-term greenhouse gas reductions, and wants Japan to set a medium-term target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 per cent by 2020 or 2025 from the 1990 level.

Environment Minister Tetsuo Saito has quitely introduced some very far-reaching plans for Japan's over-the-counter cap-and-trade CO2 market.

Saito said he and Kerry, the incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, agreed during talks in Poznan, Poland, that the two countries will cooperate closely in drafting a new climate treaty that must involve all major emitting countries, including the US.

Emissions fight: New Environment Minister Tetsuo Saito is interviewed Monday at the ministry.

I think it will still take a lot (of effort) to educate her," Saito said with a wry smile.

During an interview this week, Saito said he believes the midterm goal should be a cut of more than 25 percent in greenhouse gas emissions for developed states to hold expected temperature rises to 2 degrees.

Saito had been policy chief of New Komeito, the junior coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Tetsuo Saito said the parties exchanges mechanism is important and Japan hopes it would contribute to the development of strategic and reciprocal relations.

Environment Minister Tetsuo Saito said the plan is designed to encourage emissions cuts in the private sector through better technology, noting that it is based on a voluntary cap in order to encourage as many companies as possible to participate initially.

Environment Minister Tetsuo Saito said that the government was hoping to see applications from "thousands or even tens of thousands ofcompanies.

climate change talks from Monday in Poznan, Poland, Environment Minister Tetsuo Saito said Friday.

Framework Convention on Climate Change as a way of curbing global warming, Saito said at a news conference.

Saito was referring to the accord by G-8 leaders during their July summit in Toyako, Hokkaido, that called for sharing the mid-century target with all parties to the UNFCCC to address climate change.

Saito said he will attend the high-level segment of the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC on Dec 11 and 12 if the Diet approves his trip.

Saito said that during the Poznan talks, he expects parties such as the European Union and developing countries to request that developed countries accept a target of slashing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 25-40 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels, a range advocated by the UN.

But Saito said Japan will not agree to a 2020 target because the government is currently studying it.