By 2012, all of Japan should be using energy-saving fluorescent bulbs rather than incandescent bulbs as part of the effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Amari said Saturday. "I think this is a prime example of a campaign that is accessible and can be participated in by everyone," Amari told a news conference after attending a public meeting on environmental issues in Toyako, Hokkaido, where the annual Group of Eight summit will be held in July. Amari said the move will "not be obligatory" but added he will urge industry to improve the performance of fluorescent bulbs. Japan is currently facing difficulty in meeting its goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, which calls on this nation to slash emissions by 6 percent by fiscal 2008-2012 from their fiscal 1990 levels. Amari has apparently taken into consideration the end of the Kyoto commitment period in deciding the target year for making the transition to fluorescent. Environment Minister Ichiro Kamoshita, who also attended the public dialogue event, said his ministry will call on people nationwide to turn down their lights between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. July 7, the first day of the three-day G8 summit, to raise public awareness of climate change. The government has estimated that replacing all lighting in Japanese homes with fluorescent bulbs could cut carbon dioxide emissions by 2 million tons, or 1.3 percent of all emissions from homes. But analysts say such a policy may draw resentment from consumers as prices of fluorescent bulbs are 10 times higher than incandescent bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs consume one-fifth the electricity and last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. The government has already been promoting fluorescent bulbs, but only 24 million were sold in 2006, compared with 135 million incandescent bulbs, according to the Japan Electric Lamp Manufacturers Association.