The Japan Climate Initiative (JCI) invites all non-state actors, including corporations, local governments, organizations, NGOs/NPOs, etc., to endorse the following message. <Join by Sunday, June 30, 2024>
This year is an extremely important year for Japan as it will determine the direction of the country’s climate change measures, with the revision of the Strategic Energy Plan, the guideline for Japan’s mid- to long-term energy policy, and the establishment of the 2035 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets (NDC).
At COP28 last year, transitioning away from fossil fuels was clearly stated in the decision paper, and at the G7 Climate, Energy, and Environment Ministerial Meeting in April of this year, it was agreed that coal-fired power generation should be phased out in the first half of the 2030s. As the international community accelerates its movement toward decarbonization, the upcoming 7th Strategic Energy Plan and the next NDC will have a major impact on Japan’s international competitiveness as well as on people’s health and safety.
Seizing this critical moment, the Japan Climate Initiative (JCI) will send a message to the Japanese government urging it to ensure that the next NDC is at an ambitious level consistent with the 1.5 ℃ target and that the 7th Strategic Energy Plan will be the one to realize it.
Names of endorsing organizations will be published and press released on this website in early July, as well as submitted to the government.
We look forward to receiving as many endorsements as possible!
Please click here to see how to endorse the message. (Japanese only)
Supporting messages NEW
RE100 Japan Policy Recommendations NEW
Message from JCI
JCI calls on the Japanese government to set an ambitious 2035 target that is consistent with the 1.5 ℃ goal.
Make this year the year of Japan’s energy policy transformation.
This year is an extremely important year that will determine Japan’s near future. This is because the 7th Strategic Energy Plan and the next NDC, greenhouse gas reduction targets, are expected to be formulated. As the international community intensifies its competition towards decarbonization in order to achieve the world’s 1.5 ℃ goal, Japan’s climate policies and the state of energy supply and demand will not only have a strong impact on people’s health and safety, but also shape the future of Japan’s industry and economy as well as its competitiveness and position in the international community.
Under these circumstances, Japanese non-governmental actors participating in the Japan Climate Initiative, JCI, call on the Japanese government to aim for the following and make this year a turning point in Japan’s energy policy.
Japan needs the NDC to reduce GHGs by 66% or more in 2035 and the 7th Strategic Energy Plan should be designed to achieve that goal.
In the midst of this critical situation referred to as global boiling, the international community is accelerating efforts to achieve the 1.5 ℃ goal. At COP28, the world committed to tripling the world’s installed renewable energy capacity and doubling the energy efficiency improvement rate by 2030, and in February of this year, the European Commission recommended a 90% greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions reduction by 2040 compared to 1990 levels.
Under these circumstances, unless Japan’s next NDC and the 7th Strategic Energy Plan are consistent with the 1.5 ℃ target, it is deeply concerning that Japan will not be able to continue to grow sustainably and demonstrate its international competitiveness, and Japan’s industry will be removed from the global value chain. Furthermore, Japan will no longer be able to protect the health, safety, and employment of the people who form the basis of the industry.
In response to this sense of crisis, we call on the Japanese government to make the next NDC at least 66% or higher compared to 2013 levels, which is equivalent to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 2035 global GHGs reduction of 60% compared to 2019 levels. We also urge that the 7th Strategic Energy Plan should be formulated in an integrated manner with the NDC, through wide-ranging discussions backed by scientific knowledge, in an open forum that includes the energy demand side and the next generation.
Now is the time to improve energy efficiency and accelerate renewable energy deployment for quickly transitioning away from fossil fuels.
In order for Japan to reduce GHGs by 66% or more compared to 2013 levels by 2035, Japan must achieve its international commitment as a G7 member to fully or predominantly decarbonize the electricity sector by 2035. To this end, it is essential in the 7th Strategic Energy Plan to clarify the phase-out of coal-fired power generation by 2035, as well as to maximize the improvement of energy efficiency and the introduction of renewable energy.
In addition, Japan has already agreed to accelerate efforts to transition away from fossil fuels at COP28, and to phase out coal-fired power generation in the first half of 2030s at the G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers’ Meeting in April this year. Therefore, the phase-out of coal-fired power generation by 2035 and the transition away from other fossil fuels as quickly as possible towards 2050 are international commitments that Japan must fulfill, and serve as the basis for the arguments of this proposal.
Various estimates based on scientific grounds show that Japan has sufficient potential to triple its installed renewable energy capacity, and that it is possible to increase the proportion of renewable energy in electricity to 65-80% by 2035.
In order to steadily fulfill these international commitments, we call on the Japanese government to urgently create a foundation for the ultimate improvement in energy efficiency in buildings and product development by making full use of already available technologies as well as the acceleration of the renewable energy deployment centered on solar and wind.
Participation from Japan at the forefront of the world’s efforts to decarbonize.
We believe that in order for Japan to achieve sustainable growth and decarbonization, it is necessary for diverse stakeholders to work together and share their knowledge and experience. JCI will deepen its collaboration with domestic and international non-state actors and governments to contribute to the realization of the 1.5 ℃ goal.
Note about the phase-out of coal-fired power generation in the first half of 2030s agreed to at the G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministerial Meeting in April this year:
While the agreement covers “unabated” coal-fired power generation, the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report states that 90% or more of emission reduction is necessary to be referred as abated.
Currently, the Japanese government includes ammonia co-firing and high-efficiency coal (ultra-supercritical pressure (USC)) as abated coal-fired power generation, but the reduction through these methods is limited to around 20%, and there are no plans to reach the IPCC definition of abated, around 90%, by 2035.
The JCI message calls for the phase out of coal-fired power generation by 2035, which has not abated to reduce emissions by around 90% as defined by the IPCC.
We are currently living on the hottest Earth in the last 100,000 years.
The global average temperature over the 12 months since last June has already risen over 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. This is a temporary upswing, but if things continue as they are, we will reach an average rise of 1.5℃ in the next 10 years or so. First of all, I would like to share this sense of urgency.
The IPCC reduction rate that is consistent with the 1.5℃ target to which JCI message refers is for the entire world, but from the perspective of fairness, Japan, as a developed country, should reduce at a faster pace than this. Considering this, we must recognize that Japan’s “66% reduction by 2035 compared to 2013 ” is actually a “lenient” target in terms of consistency with the 1.5℃ target.
In order for major changes in society to occur quickly and equitably, we need not only to reconcile the interests of stakeholders at various levels of society, but also new ideas and initiatives that can turn situations that appear to be conflicts of interest into win-win situations.
I hope that setting high goals will accelerate such changes immediately.
Seita Emori
Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives
The University of Tokyo
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To keep 1.5c within reach, developed countries must phase-out unabated coal power by 2030. The G7 commitment to phase-out coal-fired power generation in the first half of the 2030s is a positive first step.
For Japan, an accelerated coal to clean transition is a chance to drive long-term prosperity and security, in a way which harnesses the power of local economies and boosts Japan’s position as a global energy transition leader. Recognising that Japan faces unique challenges and opportunities in the coal to clean transition, the Powering Past Coal Alliance is ready to work with Japan and its non-state actors, building on our experience working with over 180 governments, local government and business members, including the rest of the G7.
Julia Skorupska
Head of Secretariat, PPCA
■The past messages of JCI can be seen HERE
■Reference Information: RE100 Recommendations for Japan’s Energy Policy NEW
On June 25, RE100, which the Japan Climate Leaders Partnership (JCLP) supports as a regional partner, released its “Japan Policy Recommendations”. The recommendations state that 87 Japanese companies, the second largest in the world after the U.S., have committed to the RE100, but due to a shortage of domestic renewable electricity, they are unable to procure enough to meet their goals, and the 7th Basic Energy Plan of Japan needs a target of tripling the generation capacity of renewable energy by 2035 at the latest. In order to achieve this goal, the recommendations also call for six measures, including transparency and fairness in electricity prices.
Please click the links below to see the details of the recommendations.
・RE100 calls on the Japanese government to urgently grow renewables capacity
・Japan policy recommendations
