On Tuesday, Japan’s government set new decarbonisation targets aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions by over 70% from 2013 levels by 2040.
This is part of a broader climate plan designed to help the country reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
The government also approved an updated energy strategy to meet these ambitious goals.
The new climate plan sets out a roadmap to reduce emissions by 60% by 2035, and 73% by 2040. Japan had previously set a target of reducing emissions by 46% by 2030.
These goals, known as Japan’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, will be submitted to the United Nations.
While the 2035 target is a step forward, environmental groups have raised concerns, pointing out that it falls short of what is required to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, as called for under the Paris Agreement.
The updated energy plan marks a shift in Japan’s energy strategy. It aims to increase renewable energy to supply half of the country’s electricity by 2040, while also making greater use of nuclear power to meet rising energy demands, particularly in the growing AI sector.
This new approach ends Japan’s policy of phasing out nuclear power, which was put in place after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Under the plan, nuclear energy should account for 20% of Japan’s energy by 2040, up from just 8.5% in 2023.
However, this ambitious target faces challenges, as most of Japan’s 33 nuclear reactors must be restarted to meet this goal, and safety concerns from local communities remain a significant barrier.
In a related move, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General, Rafael Grossi, visited Japan’s largest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, on Tuesday to oversee the restart of two reactors that had passed safety tests.
However, the restart remains uncertain due to ongoing safety concerns in the surrounding areas.
