International Year of the Potato relationship that exists between poverty, food security, malnutrition and the potential contribution of the potato to defeating hunger." This was one of many international observances declared for specific days, months and years. The year 2008 was shared with the International Year of Sanitation. It was hoped that International Year designation will do for the potato what the International Year of Rice (2004) did for that food staple, namely, inspire exhibits, educational programs, films, publications and greater public awareness of multi-national efforts on behalf of our food resources. The year 2008 was also designated the National Year of the Potato in
Japan and the United Nations what was essentially a club of leading industrialized countries. Japan has participated actively since 1975 in the annual summit meetings of the seven largest capitalist countries, the Group of Seven, or G8, since Russia joined after the end of the Cold War. - Japan. Japan and the United Nations Japan became the 69th member of the United Nations on December 18, 1956. Since then, Japan holds many international cooperations within the United Nations as a basic principle of its foreign policy. When Japan joined the UN in 1956, it did so with great enthusiasm and broad public support, for the