A senior trade and industry official from Japan stated that they believe 2005 would be a suitable base year for calculating cuts in greenhouse gas emissions under a future climate agreement following the Kyoto Protocol. Japan has rejected the idea of using 1990 as the base year, citing unfairness to Japanese industry. However, they have not specified an alternative base year. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) spokesperson mentioned that Vice Minister Takao Kitabata considers 2005 to be a fair base year. This proposal may face opposition from the European Union, which has committed to reducing emissions by 20 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. Approximately 190 countries came to an agreement during UN-led discussions in Bali the previous year to begin two-year talks on a new agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol currently only requires wealthy nations to reduce emissions by an average of five percent between 2008 and 2012 compared to 1990 levels. The successor to Kyoto would encompass all nations, as acknowledged by the "Bali roadmap," which also highlighted the necessity for significant reductions in global emissions. However, there are significant discrepancies regarding the specific targets that should be binding and the reference year for these targets.