UNB :
Japan will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent from fiscal 2013 levels by fiscal 2030, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Thursday, a significant increase from its previous commitment for a 26 percent cut.
The announcement came ahead of a virtual summit on climate to be hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden later in the day in an effort to rally countries to do more to combat climate change.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga listens to a question from a reporter during a joint press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington on April 16, 2021.
By setting the “ambitious” target, Japan hopes to lead international discussions on curbing emissions, Suga said at a government task force meeting, adding that in the longer term the country would make an effort to cut emissions by 50 percent.
Suga and Biden, who share the goal of achieving a carbon-free society by 2050, agreed at a meeting last Friday in Washington to lead global decarbonization efforts by implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change and promoting clean energy.
A numerical target, however, was not part of their discussions.
In October, Suga vowed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 in Japan and has said he will review the country’s 2030 target in line with the goal.
How much higher Japan would set its target for slashing emissions compared with fiscal 2013 levels has been under focus.
“Japan hopes to make active contributions to resolving (climate change), and we hope to firmly lead global decarbonization efforts in the summit as we look toward COP 26 and beyond,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said at a press conference in the morning.
Japan has been under pressure not to fall behind other advanced countries in addressing the issue, particularly ahead of key international gatherings-a Group of Seven summit to be held in June in Cornwall and a U.N. climate change conference slated for November in Glasgow, both in Britain.
Britain on Tuesday unveiled a new goal of slashing emissions by 78 percent by 2035 from the 1990 levels, up from a 68 percent cut by 2030 below the 1990 levels, a target it announced in December.
The European Union decided last year to aim for a 55 percent cut in 2030 from the 1990 levels, up from the previous 40 percent reduction.
