At the Japan-U.S. summit held June 30, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reportedly told President George W. Bush that to curb global warming it was important to respect the spirit of the Kyoto Protocol. Koizumi also said Japan and the United States should continue discussions on the issue.
Bush reportedly replied that while he respected the pact's purpose of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, he believed the choice of measures to achieve the goal was important.
On March 28 Bush announced a U.S. decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol because it imposes no obligations on developing countries and is incomplete, and because it would hurt the U.S. economy. On June 11, Bush restated firm U.S. opposition to the Kyoto Protocol, saying it is "fatally flawed."