The governments of Japan and the United States have joined forces to enhance global ocean observations in an effort to improve weather and climate predictions in the future. Recently, extreme events like hurricanes, typhoons, record rainfall, floods and droughts, have shown the dramatic impact of short-term climate variability throughout the world. To forecast storms, warm periods, or other daily weather events, meteorologists use observations from an extensive atmospheric observing system. Data collected by land and ocean surface measurements, and balloon-borne sensors that collect daily profiles of temperature and humidity enables accurate three- to five-day weather forecasts. But predicting climate -- the pattern of weather over seasons or years -- requires additional observations, such as temperature, salinity and currents within the upper layer of the oceans.

The U.S. and Japan, along with other participating countries, plan to deploy an array of 3000 autonomous ocean instruments globally over the next five years to obtain repeated measurements of ocean temperature and salinity. The data will contribute to better predictions of weather and climate phenomena, both natural variability and human-induced changes, and will be made available in real-time at no charge to all countries. The new global ocean observing initiative known as ARGO (Array for Real-time Geostrophic Oceanography) was endorsed by President Clinton during the National Ocean Conference in June 1998 and by Prime Minister Obuchi in his Millennium Project in December 1999.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will partner with Japan's Science and Technology Agency (STA) and the Ministry of Transport to implement the Pacific portion of this global effort over the next five years. The two countries' governments plan to co-host an ARGO implementation meeting April 13-14 in Japan to discuss, along with other participating countries, an implementation strategy for the floats in the Pacific and adjacent regions.

For more information on the ARGO project, contact:

Rene EPPI, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (301) 713-2469, ReneE@hq.oar.noaa.gov
Satoshi TANAKA, Science and Technology Agency, (03) 3580-6561, stanaka@sta.go.jp
Hidenobu OCHI, Ministry of Transport, (03) 3580-5119, H-OCHI@so.motnet.go.jp

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program

The governments of Japan and the United States have formed a partnership to co-lead the new Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). The program is expected to yield new insights into the history of the earth and many important earth system processes. This will lead to improved understanding of extreme climate events from analysis of deep cores, and of earthquake genesis from verification of the location, extent and characteristics of major earth fault systems.

The Government of Japan announced their commitment to build a riser-capable drill ship which, along with a new U.S.-supplied non-riser drilling vessel, will constitute the core capability of this new Program. The new riser-capable vessel will make it possible for the first time to drill in areas where drilling is now difficult, thus improving our understanding of the genesis of earthquakes. Combined operation of the riser and non-riser drilling vessels is expected to remarkably improve understanding of earth processes.

The governments of Japan and the United States have invited a number of other countries to join in this exciting scientific effort. Scientific and organizational plans for this new program are expected to reach completion within one to two years.

For more information, contact:
Michael PURDY, National Science Foundation, (703) 306-0390, mpurdy@nsf.gov
Satoshi TANAKA, Science and Technology Agency, (03) 3580-6561, stanaka@sta.go.jp

Child and Maternal Health

In 1988, the World Health Assembly adopted a global resolution to eradicate polio by the year 2000. Key strides have been made in polio eradication under the U.S.-Japan Common Agenda. Polio has been eradicated from the Americas, and it is expected that the Western Pacific region will be declared officially polio-free at an international conference to be held in Kyoto this fall. The U.S.-Japan continue funding for polio under the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). Both the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and the U.S. Peace Corps are working toward the goal of polio eradication. While progress has been great, challenges remain to fully eradicate polio. The U.S. and Japan will continue to provide human and financial resources, including bilateral development assistance and support of UN programs, in order to leave the children of the 21st century a world free from polio.

Recent evidence confirms that malnutrition underlies more than half of early childhood deaths in developing countries. The governments of Japan and the United States will jointly address the global malnutrition crisis and attempt to fill the gap in supply of micronutrients, such as iodine and Vitamin A, in targetted countries. Through addressing this critical child health problem, the U.S. and Japan will contribute to saving millions of children each year. The U.S. Agency for International Development has pledged additional money in fiscal year 2000 to support technical assistance and targetted communications support for Vitamin A capsule programs. The Government of Japan is making efforts to support control programs on iodine deficiency disorders in Nepal, Bangladesh, Mongolia and Cambodia by means of grant aid and technical assistance.

Together, the two governments have collaborated on reproductive health programs designed to meet the challenge of improving the status and rights of the mother. We have provided assistance and support to reproductive health programs in countries such as Madagascar, Indonesia, Peru and Mexico, and both countries continue to look for expanded areas of synergy, such as recently developed in Bangladesh and Zambia.

For more information.....
Tim MEINKE, Center for Population, Health & Nutrition, USAID (202) 712-1214, tmeinke@usaid.gov
Hiroyuki NAGASAWA, Policy and Planning Division, Economic Cooperation Bureau, MOFA (03) 3580-3311, hiroyuki.nagasawa@mofa.go.jp

Infectious Diseases, including HIV/AIDS

Infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, pose an enormous challenge to human socio-economic development. More than 33 million men, women and children are living with HIV, and 95% of these people live in developing countries. Tuberculosis is a worldwide problem, and Asia is particularly affected. One- third of the world's population is infected with TB bacillus, and two million people die each year from TB. The African continent accounts for 85% of the world's malaria cases and 90% of malaria deaths, with infants, young children and pregnant women especially vulnerable.

The governments of the U.S. and Japan have forged a strong partnership in development cooperation to fight infectious diseases under the U.S. and Japan Common Agenda. The U.S. Agency for International Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have collaborated on joint training for HIV/AIDS management in Thailand, joint HIV/AIDS projects in Zambia and the Philippines, joint funding for regional AIDS conferences, and numerous grass-roots grants to NGOs for HIV/AIDS activities. U.S.-Japanese collaboration has helped Zambia control malaria morbidity and mortality.

But the seriousness of this situation calls for all donors as well as all host country/governments to renew efforts in the international struggle with these diseases. In light of these facts, the governments of the United States and Japan are committed to a greater emphasis on infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS. In addition to ongoing HIV/AIDS cooperation, such as in Zambia and the Philippines, both governments will look for ways to expand our collaborative response to these serious global threats. As a first step, and building on our various programs and collaboration in Indochina, both governments propose to send a joint team to Cambodia to formulate possible responses to these growing challenges.

For more information.....
Clif CORTEZ, Center for Population, Health & Nutrition, USAID, (202) 712-0676, ccortez@usaid.gov
Hiroyuki NAGASAWA, Policy and Planning Division, Economic Cooperation Bureau, MOFA (03) 3580-3311, hiroyuki.nagasawa@mofa.go.jp

Population and Health in Bangladesh

On February 8 - 13, 2000, officials and technical experts from Japan and the United States visited Bangladesh to formulate together with the government of Bangladesh projects designed to address that country's formidable health challenges.

This Joint Project Formulation Mission was patterned after a similar, highly successful mission to Zambia in 1998, which resulted in activities coordinated with the government of Zambia to address the HIV/AIDS situation, improve child health and nutrition and to control malaria in that country.

While the challenges faced by Bangladesh are great, the following were some of the areas identified: Support for polio eradication, for the Expanded Program on Immunization, for Reproductive Health, for HIV/AIDS, and for micronutrients. Under the leadership of the government of Bangladesh, both the U.S. and Japan will strive to develop cooperative activities designed to achieve our common goals in these priority areas.

For more information.....
Tim MEINKE, Center for Population, Health & Nutrition, USAID, (202) 712-1214, tmeinke@usaid.gov
Hiroyuki NAGASAWA, Policy and Planning Division, Economic Cooperation Bureau, MOFA (03) 3580-3311, hiroyuki.nagasawa@mofa.go.jp

Counter-narcotics Projects in Southeast Asia

The governments of the United States and Japan have long supported counter-narcotics programming under the Common Agenda.

In particular, the two countries have contributed to a UNDCP project "Crop Control and Development in the Wa Region of the Shan State." This project has been a highly beneficial program of crop substitution that will substantially reduce the poppy cultivation in that country, while improving the standard of living among villagers.

While continuing their support for the Wa project, the two countries have decided to formulate and implement a new joint project in Laos. The governments of the United States and Japan will instruct their embassies in Vientiane to work together to identify a concrete project for this purpose.

For more information, contact.....
H. OTSUKI, Second North American Division, MOFA, (03) 3581-3814, hiromi.otsuki@mofa.go.jp