RENEWABLE FUTURE Suga administration outlines plans for a greener Japan
The Japanese government has pledged to reduce green house-gas emissions to net zero by 2050, and the new target, unveiled by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in his first policy speech to the Diet on October 26, means Japan will finally catch up to the European Union (EU), which set the same goal last year.
Companies in industries such as electric power, automobiles, and steel will be expected to take strict measures to meet the international promise. The government plans to put together concrete measures such as promoting renewable energy after Suga announced the net zero emission target in his first general policy address to the Diet since taking office last month. In 2050, the total amount of emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, and the amount absorbed in forests and by other natural processes, will be reduced to zero.
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In the past, the government has explained that it will reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050, and that it will be virtually zero as early as possible in the second half of this century. The lack of a clear timeline has been criticized for being vague, and the government reluctant to deal with environmental problems. The new target is the same as that already set by the EU. The Paris Agreement, an international framework for the prevention of global warming, has set a goal of “controlling the temperature rise from before the Industrial Revolution to within 1.5 degrees Celsius.” To achieve the goal, the UK, France, and Germany have decided to abolish coal-fired power plants, which emit a large amount of greenhouse gases. Japan will revise its basic energy plan in the summer of 2021, but it is likely that a major revision will be required to meet the new target. The current plan stipulates that, by fiscal year 2030, nuclear power generation will account for 20–22 percent of Japan’s electricity needs, renewable energy such as solar power and wind power will make up 22–24 percent, while 56 percent will come from thermal power generation, such as coal and liquefied natural gas.
