Norio Yamamoto, chair of the Node said that the "Global Partnership for Sustainable Development" idea was similar to the Global Infrastructure Fund Research Foundation of Japan established in 1991 to study how to improve the infrastructure necessary for the global society and improved transboarder development such as environmental rehabilitation of the Aral Sea Region, Peace Water Pipeline in the Middle East, the "Electronic Silk Road," conservation of Tropical Forests and Regional Development, and others.

The first meeting of the Tokyo Node was held at Technova with Kikujiro Namba, President of Technova, Dr. Norio Yamamoto, Executive Director of the Global Infrastructure Fund Foundation and Research Director for Mitsubishi Research Institute, Dr. Kazuo Mizuta, Kyoto Sangyo University, Dr. Kazuyuki Hamada, President, Futurists Forum, Nori Funada, Senior Manager, Dentsu Institute of Human Studies, and Jerry Glenn (while in Japan to key note the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy's 10^th Anniversary Conference). The 1999 activities of the Tokyo Node will be set after reporting back on the results of this planning committee meeting.

Dr. Yamamoto welcomed UNU Rector van Ginkel's interest in collaborating with the Tokyo Node. He thought the Node might play a role in inviting science & technology agencies, and environmental organizations to cooperate internationally. For example, US EPA would collaborate with the Japanese Environmental Agency. As Dr. Yamamoto is also on the Millennium Society's Board of Directors which is collaborating with the Millennium Project on the event and symposium at the dawn of the year 2000 in Egypt, he reported that he received good feed-back from Ed McNally, Chairman of the Millennium Society, concerning MP's participation, and the results of the December-January trip in Egypt. Furthering Japanese participation in this collaboration may also be part of the Node's work in Tokyo this year.

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February 1999 Planning Committee Meeting minutes