Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara hailed Wednesday's enforcement of new regulations to curb emissions from diesel-powered trucks and buses.
In an address at the metropolitan government building in Shinjuku Ward, Ishihara told a 70-member special task force for reducing suspended particulate matter in Tokyo to strictly inspect diesel-powered vehicles to make sure they adhere to the regulations.
(central) government has been dragging its feet in taking measures (to reduce air pollution)," Ishihara said. "We (local governments) want to set a new pattern (for solving the air pollution problem) in cooperation with the people concerned."