Cross-industry group Japan Climate Initiative (JCI) has called on the government to set a more ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goal for 2035, in line with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris climate agreement.
The request came on 8 July, at a time when the trade and industry ministry Meti is updating the country's Strategic Energy Plan (SEP), which is due for review by the end of March 2025. The existing SEP was formulated in 2021, before the Russia-Ukraine conflict reshaped global commodity trade flows and revived demand for fossil fuels such as coal and LNG to ensure energy security.
A total of 216 entities — comprising 153 companies, five municipalities, six academic institutions and 52 organisations including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) — in the JCI have urged Tokyo to commit to a GHG reduction of 66pc or higher in the country's emissions by 2035 against 2013 levels, when Japan has to update its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and submit it early next year. The next SEP should be designed to achieve the goal, JCI added.
JCI was launched in 2018 to promote decarbonisation in Japan, with 812 members currently participating in the initiative.
JCI has asked the government to confirm the phase-out of coal-fired power generation by 2035 in the next SEP. JCI's latest statement emphasised that Japan has already committed to phasing out coal power by 2035, as part of the G7 communique in April. The communique had also set a timeline consistent with keeping a limit of 1.5°C temperature rise within reach, in line with countries' net zero pathways.
The phase-out of coal-fired generation by 2035 and the transition away from other fossil fuels as quickly as possible towards 2050 are international commitments that Japan must fulfill, said JCI.
Japan has already pledged not to build any unabated coal-fired plants. It has also vowed to phase out existing inefficient coal-fired capacity with less than 42pc efficiency. But this suggests power producers would be allowed to burn coal with high-efficient technology such as ultra-super critical and integrated gasification combined-cycle infrastructure, along with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology and co-firing with clean ammonia.
Coal continues to play a key role in Japan's power sector, as coal-fired generation accounted for 32pc of total power output in 2023. Under the current SEP, the coal ratio is still expected to comprise 19pc in the April 2030-March 2031 fiscal year. The goal reflects Japan's current target to cut GHG emissions by 46pc against 2013-14 by 2030-31.
To spur the country's decarbonisation, JCI has also requested that the government accelerate the roll-out of solar and wind power sources to increase the share of renewable energy to 65-80pc in Japan's power mix in 2035.
