Japan emissions target hinges on international deal

The greenhouse gas emissions target for 2020 set by Japan’s incoming Democratic Party government is based on the premise that there will be an international agreement that includes China and India, a party executive said. “This is not something Japan will do on its own,” Party Secretary General Katsuya Okada said in an interview with Reuters. Okada said the 25% target for Japan was only natural, given an agreement at the G8 summit to cut developed countries’ emissions by 80% by 2050. Japan, the world’s fifth largest greenhouse gas emitter, is under pressure for tougher climate policies after its emissions rose 2.3% to a record in the year to March 2008, putting the country 16% above its Kyoto Protocol target. (September 4, 2009)