Suga, Japanese Prime Minister, Announces 'Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050' in First Parliamentary Speech

▲Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister of Japan [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] According to a report by Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 22nd, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to announce a '2050 zero greenhouse gas emissions plan' during his first parliamentary speech scheduled for the 26th.

The report states that Prime Minister Suga is known to present 'realizing a green society' as one of the main policy tasks during his first 'statement of conviction' in parliament since taking office. Accordingly, Nihon Keizai Shimbun also reported that the speed of Japan's industrial structure transformation is expected to accelerate.

Until now, Japan has been criticized for being passive on environmental issues, explaining greenhouse gas problems with vague phrases such as 'reducing emissions by 80% by 2050' or 'early realization of a decarbonized society in the latter half of this century.'

Accordingly, the Suga administration plans to revise the Basic Energy Plan targeting next summer.

The current plan stipulates that by 2030, the power composition will be 20-22% nuclear power, 22-24% renewable energy such as solar and wind, and 56% coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Regarding this, Hiroshi Kaji-yama, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, indicated that the energy mix in the revised Basic Energy Plan next year will be drastically changed, stating, "We will shift renewable energy to be the main energy source."

However, Nihon Keizai Shimbun predicted that it will be a challenging task to rapidly reduce the current 70% share of thermal power in Japan, which remains at about 17% renewable energy, compared to around 30% in Europe.

Accordingly, Nihon Keizai Shimbun also reported that the full-scale introduction of carbon taxes and emissions trading systems, which levy charges based on emission amounts, may arise to realize zero greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the burden on companies emitting greenhouse gases.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.