14 January 2000, Tokyo. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation announces that the company's Kawasaki Factory at the Tokyo Plant and the Truck & Bus Research & Development Center located within the Kawasaki Factory gained ISO 14001 certification of its environment management system from the Japan Automobile Research Institute (JARI) in December 1999. Since certification had already been granted to the company's Nagoya, Kyoto and Mizushima passenger car production plants, this completes ISO 14001 certification acquisition for all the company's domestic production plants.

The ISO 14001 Environment Management System is an international standard and having a production works or other management system certified as conforming to the ISO 14001 standard means that the system has been recognized internationally as attaining a high level of environmental acceptability. For this reason, a large number of organizations and bodies in all sectors of the manufacturing industry are currently seeking certification.

The ISO 14001 series of international standards has been developed for incorporating environmental aspects into an organization's operations and product standards. The standard specifies requirements for establishing an environmental policy and implementing procedures that promote an ongoing lessening of environmental loads stemming from production activities, products and services.

In order to gain certification, the above-mentioned units established environmental management systems by first conducting an environment impact assessment for the whole Works and identifying those facilities capable of imposing a high load or impact on the environment. On the basis of the assessment, the units installed management systems that promote energy conservation, waste reduction, recycling, reduction of air pollution, energy conservation and the safe handling and disposal of dangerous and harmful substances.

To further promote its environment preservation efforts, in May last year the company set up a new Environmental Affairs Department and at the same time reviewed and strengthened the organization of the Environmental Council - the body responsible for directing the company's approach to tackling environmental issues. Also last year, the company replaced its original "Environmental Principles" with "Mitsubishi Motors Environmental Guidelines" in order to more clearly define the environmental policy of the Mitsubishi Motors group of companies as a whole. The company also actively discloses information relating to its environmental activities in the form of the Mitsubishi Motors Environmental Report(*1) and by publishing details of environment management costs.

The company will continue to promote and upgrade its environmental activities as it seeks to improve the environment on an on-going basis.

(*1)See Mitsubishi Motors' website--http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/ECO-E/