Japan’s Climate Change Policy

Abstract

This chapter examines changes in Japan’s policies related to climate change, starting from the late 1980s when climate change became an international political issue. It particularly focuses on how the Japanese government set emission reduction targets for the following years; 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, 2030 and 2050. Until the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, Japan’s emission reduction target-setting process was mostly affected by energy-intensive industries. There was little debate about emission reduction required to mitigate climate change to a level that would not adversely affect the ecosystem. However, from the late 2010s, local governments and business sectors began taking initiative in announcing ambitious emission reduction targets that are needed to achieve the long-term temperature goal of 1.5°C above the preindustrial period. These non-state actors are increasingly becoming influential in Japan’s emission reduction target process. The chapter investigates reasons behind the transformation of decision-making in Japan’s climate change policy.