Japan Aims To Cut Greenhouse Gases By 60 Pct

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) TOKYO, Feb 18 (KUNA) -- The Japanese government on Tuesday decided a new basic energy plan to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent in fiscal 2035 from fiscal 2013 levels and 73 percent in fiscal 2040 in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The new plan, a guideline for mid- to long-term energy policy for the country, was approved at a Cabinet meeting on climate change presided by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
The plan also calls for renewable energy, such as solar and wind power to be the largest power source by fiscal 2040, with renewables expected to account for around 40 to 50 percent of the country's total energy output by then, almost double from the current level.
Under the guideline, nuclear power will make up about 20 percent of the energy mix, while thermal power, which accounted for 68.6 percent of the mix in fiscal 2023, will decline to about 30 to 40 percent.
"Based on the basic plan and other measures, we would like to aim to simultaneously achieve stable energy supply, economic growth, and decarbonization," Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto told a press conference after the Cabinet meeting.
"Around the world, including in the US, large-scale investments in carbon-free energy sources are underway. The need to address this issue remains unchanged," Muto stressed. (end)
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