Japan sets tougher 2030 emissions target

Japan has revised upwards its 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target and is now aiming for a 46pc reduction on 2013 levels, compared to 26pc previously.

Japanese premier Yoshihide Suga announced the new target at a government task force meeting today, just hours before the start of the US-hosted virtual climate summit scheduled for 22-23 April.

Tokyo has been considering a possible upgrade of its previous target, of a 26pc reduction by 2030 from levels in the 2013-14 financial year, to bring it in line with its ambition to achieve a decarbonised society by 2050.

Suga met US president Joe Biden in Washington last week, when he agreed to make more aggressive actions to tackle climate change.

But Japan's new pledge still falls short of the more ambitious emissions targets recently announced by some its allies. The EU has set a target to reduce the bloc's GHG emissions by 55pc by 2030 on 1990 levels, while the UK government accounted this week that it is aiming to cut its GHG emissions by 78pc by 2035 compared with 1990 levels.

Various industries have expressed support for Tokyo's 2050 decarbonisation goal and committed to make their operations carbon neutral. But the more ambitious 2030 GHG reduction target is expected to force heavy-emitting industries, such as the power and steel sectors, to speed up their decarbonisation process.

Japan's GHG emissions declined to their lowest level on record during the April 2019 to March 2020 fiscal year, dropping by 14pc from the 2013-14 base year under pressure from global trade wars and an economic slowdown.

By Rieko Suda