Four Actions: "Touch the Forest, Use Wood, Support the Forest, Live with the Forest"

Established in June 2007 as a nationwide private organization to promote the "National Movement to Promote the Creation of Beautiful Forests" for protecting Japan's invaluable land and passing on beautiful forests to future generations.
Last December, "Forest Supporters" was newly launched as an initiative to promote forest creation, with participation from individuals, NPOs, volunteer groups, and corporations.

At the "Forest Supporters" special talk session held at the Minato City Eco-Plaza, Minato Ward Mayor Masaaki Takei, who is actively engaged in environmental activities such as leasing 20 hectares of city forest (private land) in Akiruno City, Tokyo, to develop as the "Minato Citizens' Forest"; Nobuyuki Idei, representative of the "National Conference for the Promotion of Beautiful Forest Creation"; andmore treesRyuichi Sakamoto, representative of "more trees," discussed the importance of this movement.



Mayor Takei stated, "Being in the forest makes me feel energetic. It's because it's a place where living things thrive. Healthy forests foster biodiversity, so it's important to plant trees and cultivate them skillfully. Let's utilize the power of forests to coexist." Nobuyuki Idei added, "It is crucial to enhance the quality of forests by promoting diversity. Forests are also a gift to future children, so please cooperate and participate in Forest Supporters with your families."

Ryuichi Sakamoto, while viewing slides of the forest in Yusuhara, Kochi Prefecture, which became the first "more trees" forest, commented, "Japan was originally a country with abundant forests, but forests planted now will take 50 years to mature. In the future, we want to support forest conservation in Hokkaido, as well as overseas in places like the Philippines and Vietnam, and also the conservation of mangrove forests, known as 'forests of the sea.'" He then posed a question to the audience: "Do you know the average annual CO2 emissions per person in Japan while living in the city?"

He further elaborated, "Each Japanese person emits about 10 tons of CO2 annually, compared to about 1 ton in India. While lifestyles differ, Japanese people place 10 times the burden on the Earth. I hope that individuals, corporations, and governments will make it common practice to offset emissions as much as possible using mechanisms like carbon offsetting."

After the talk, they jointly advocated for the prevention of global warming, symbolized by protecting the forest where Woodstock, Snoopy's best friend, lives.