Japan has minimal natural gas production capabilities and imports approximately 95% of its natural gas. With the massive size of its economy and population of 125 million, Japan has been the largest importer of natural gas in the world until 2021 when China surpassed it after it increased its imports by 18% year on year....
Category: Japan News Brief and Action Alert
Japan’s Investment in Russian Energy is Part of its Energy Import Dependence
Japan is largely dependent on imports from abroad for oil and gas. According to the Japan External Trade Organization in 2021, Russian crude oil and LNG accounted for 3.6% and 8.8% of its imports, respectively. While not nearly in the same range as the dependency of European nations on Russian fossil fuels, the amounts are...
Japan: Climate Progress Report
Indicator 1: Number of Operational Coal-fired Power Plants (Monthly) This performance indicator is a baseline indicator simply tracking the number of coal-fired power plants currently in operation in Japan. To reveal progress, the net increase and decrease of the total number of coal-fired power plants will also be given.Name: Number of operational coal-fired power plants...
Climate Justice in Japan
HIGHLIGHTS Climate Justice Is Not a Major Issue in Japan The Sea of Japan side and Okinawa are Two Regions in Japan That Are Most Vulnerable to Climate Change NARRATIVE While the concept of Climate Justice is recent globally, in Japan it would appear almost non-existent and is nascent at best, and perhaps it...
Japan: The 2021 Climate Year in Review
HIGHLIGHTS Japan announced new energy plans including an increasing renewables to account for 36-38% of the power supply Government commits to being carbon neutral by 2050 Ministry of Economy to launch an experimental carbon market in 2022-2023 Government and private sector launch new instruments to stimulate green investments and practices in financial markets Business community...
Climate Mitigation Strategic Priorities for Japan
PRIORITIES The rapid phasing out of coal-powered energy plants The phasing out of coal needs to be executed with clear and feasible non-nuclear, renewable energy expansion and emissions reductions Integrate renewables into the power grid more aggressively beyond the government’s current targets for 2030 of 36-38% to +40% Enable the existing grid to incorporate instantaneous...
Heavy Rain Along Japan’s Coast and Extreme Heat Disrupts the Tokyo Olympics
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Japan Country Manager Yun Tzu-Lin In July, Japan suffered from heavy rain that caused devastating flooding and landslides, especially in the coastal city of Atami. As the Japan Meteorological Agency finds, this is part of a trend of increasingly frequent extreme weather events where the occurrence of rainfall...
The Issue of Safety Remains of Paramount Importance in Japan’s Discussion Over the Role of Nuclear Energy
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Japan Country Manager Yun-Tzu LinCurrently, Japan relies on nuclear power as an energy source to a minimal extent. In 2020, the share of electricity generated by nuclear power in Japan amounted to around 5.1%. There are five plants with a total of nine reactors currently in operation; however,...
Japan’s Continued Reliance on Fossil Fuels Poses Largest Climate Obstacle
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Japan Country Manager Yun Tzu-LinLast October, Prime Minister Suga pledged Japan’s intentions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and achieve a decarbonized society. Reaching this 2050 goal will require steep emission reductions by 2030. However, a major obstacle to this goal is Japan’s continued...
Japan Aims to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 46% Over 2013 Levels by 2030
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Japan Country Manager Yun-Tzu Lin Japan Aims to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 46% Over 2013 Levels by 2030 Japan’s most current level of GHG emissions is approximately 1.213 billion tons in 2019, a 2.9% decrease compared to 1.247 billion tons in 2018. Its 2019 GHG emissions...