A comment from Takejiro Sueyoshi, JCI representative, in response to the submission of the Japanese government’s NDC -A raise of Japan’s reduction target is urgently needed
Today, the Japanese government has decided to resubmit to the UNFCCC its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), which includes the greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by 2030, without any increases.
This February, 248 signatories (159 companies, 25 municipalities, 64 other organizations) participating in Japan Climate Initiative (JCI) have issued a statement together requesting the Japanese government to enhance its NDC, including the revision of greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, and submit it to the UNFCCC. This statement was signed by a number of Japanese non-state actors, including Japan’s leading large companies, SMEs supporting the local economy, local governments throughout Japan, environmental NGOs/NPOs, and consumer and religious groups. It shows that the voices calling for enhancement of Japan’s reduction target by 2030 have widely spread among non-state actors in Japan.
However, the government did not listen to these voices at all, and decided to resubmit it after a closed discussion only within the government ministries. Although the government said it will begin to consider the next reduction target without waiting for the next five-year deadline under the decision of the Paris Agreement, in order to keep the temperature rise below 1.5 ℃ and stop the growing climate crisis, it must urgently raise its reduction target by 2030 significantly and begin to enhance countermeasures to achieve the target.
