SNA (Tokyo) — Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s announcement that the Japanese nation will go net zero in terms of carbon emissions by 2050 has been widely welcomed as a step in the right direction by environmentalists and others focused on the growing threat of climate change, but at the same time there remains great skepticism about the government’s intention to make the practical policy changes, especially on coal power, that would actually put Japan on track to meeting that goal.

At minimum, setting the 2050 goal returns Japan to the mainstream among advanced industrial economies, and it forms a sharp contrast with his predecessor Shinzo Abe who declined to highlight the issue of climate change throughout his nearly eight years in power.

Strong praise was offered by China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian, who told reporters, “China appreciates and welcomes Japan’s announcement that it will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. We believe that it will help strengthen the collective efforts of the international community to address the challenges of climate change. As people often say, unity makes us strong while isolation makes us vulnerable. Climate change is a major challenge facing all mankind, and all countries should uphold multilateralism, join forces and pool resources to deal with it. China and Japan have maintained good communication in this regard, and we stand ready to enhance discussions with Japan on realizing post-Covid-19 green recovery.”

Sam Annesley, executive director of Greenpeace Japan, welcomed the prime minister’s declaration in a press release, but added, “this statement comes with an obligation for action, and if this rhetoric is to be made reality, this commitment must have policy to match. As Japan looks to revise its Basic Energy Plan and energy pathway to 2030, this revision must reflect net zero by 2050.”

His colleague, Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International, added that “committing to net zero by 2050 means not building new domestic coal power plants and exporting coal technology–planned plants must be cancelled. The automotive, steel, and heavy industries will face serious challenges in a carbon neutral future and must not be propped up with fossil-based hydrogen.”

Teruyuki Ohno, executive director of the Tokyo-based Renewable Energy Institute, commented, “In order for today’s 2050 Carbon Neutral Declaration to really strengthen Japan’s climate actions, it is necessary to significantly strengthen the greenhouse gas reduction target for 2030, and to completely phase out coal-fired power generation including those which have been called ‘high efficiency,’ As research by the Renewable Energy Institute has revealed, the key to policy shifts is to supply 45% of electricity from renewable energy by 2030.”

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