EPA head meets with Japanese counterpart

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Gina McCarthy met Monday with her Japanese counterpart in Tokyo to discuss various issues around pollution and climate change.

McCarthy and Japanese Environment Minister Yoshio Mochizuki came out of the meeting with an agreement to work toward international progress to reduce mercury pollution, greenhouse gases and air quality, among other goals, the countries’ agencies said.

{mosads}“This outcome builds on a 40-year history of cooperation on environmental issues between the U.S. and Japan, based on the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Environmental Protection between the two countries, signed in 1975,” the EPA and Japan’s Environment Ministry said in a joint statement.

Japan is particularly sensitive to mercury pollution as the epicenter of Minamata disease, first discovered in the 1950s, which is caused by mercury poisoning.

The agreement from the meeting also included goals in promoting environmental education, children’s environmental health and environmental impact assessments in Asia.

In a separate Facebook post, McCarthy said she has already met with business leaders and women environmental leaders, in addition to holding a press conference with Mochizuki.

“The U.S. and Japan are global partners in building strong economies, encouraging women’s empowerment and increasing innovation,” McCarthy wrote.