NEAR Secretary-General visited the Prefecture Office on Tuesday May 24, and met the Toyama Prefecture Deputy Director-General Akinori Kamei of Tourism & Region Promotion Bureau. The Toyama prefectural government expressed its gratitude to NEAR for visiting and attending the environment forum. Secretary-General Jun responded that 'Toyama Prefecture has been performing a leading role as a coordinator of the NEAR Sub-Committee on Environment. Through this event today, it will be helpful to find solutions for environmental problems in Northeast Asia.' He also requested for high-level officials of Toyama Prefecture to attend the General Assembly held in September in Irkutsk region, Russia.