Five years after the creation of the U.S.-Japan Common Agenda for Cooperation in Global Perspective, President Clinton and Prime Minister Obuchi recognized the valuable work accomplished by dedicated Japanese and American scientists, researchers and aid workers to fight diseases, preserve natural resources and exchange scientific data on various natural disasters and global climate change.
The participation of U.S. and Japanese private citizens, foundations and other nongovernmental organizations in projects of the Common Agenda will enhance the impacts of these projects. Their participation is also expected to generate grassroots public support. On September 23, 1998, U.S. and Japanese representatives of private-sector organizations (in Japan, the Common Agenda Roundtable) that support the Common Agenda will meet in Honolulu to discuss how they can assist in promoting the objectives of the Common Agenda.
The President and the Prime Minister welcome the first meeting of private sector representatives and made special mention of three projects:
1) The United States and Japan will work with the Government of Panama and nongovernmental partners to preserve the Panama Canal watershed by developing a program to focus on environmental education and the training of local nongovernmental organizations.
2) In light of the recent forest fires which affected Southeast Asia, The United States and Japan will support efforts to address the underlying causes of the fires and assist local governments to promote sustainable agriculture, forestry and land use.
3) The United States and Japan have been playing key roles in the success of efforts to eradicate polio worldwide. However, significant challenges remain. The two countries will strengthen their commitment to end the scourge of this disease through, among other steps, expanding cooperative eradication efforts by U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers and the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers especially in African countries, keeping in mind the importance of U.S.-Japan collaboration through TICADII (The Second Tokyo International Conference of African Development) to be held in October in Tokyo.
NOTE: An original was not available for verification of the content of this joint statement.
William J. Clinton, Common Agenda: Illustration of the New United States-Japan Cooperation Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/224331