[Japan] Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Issued its Green Growth Strategy towards 2050 Carbon Neutrality Action Plan

On December 25, 2020, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI) unveiled the Green Growth Strategy towards 2050 Carbon Neutrality Action Plan, which describes actions to achieve a carbon neutral society by 2050, a goal that was declared by Prime Minister Suga in October 2020.

The Action Plan describes comprehensive policies to achieve a carbon neutral society by 2050, including timelines, budgets, taxes, regulation reforms and standardization, and international collaboration. It identifies the current challenges and future actions for the following fourteen policy priority areas:

1.   Offshore Wind Generation: Promoting the development of offshore wind generation;

2.   Ammonia: Increasing the use of ammonia to meet Japan’s power needs and reduce CO2 emissions;

3.   Hydrogen: Increasing the use of hydrogen to make it one of the major power sources;

4.   Nuclear: Advancing nuclear technology studies on Small Modular Reactor (SMR), High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor, and Nuclear Fusion Energy;

5.   Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Battery Energy Storage: Ending the sales of all new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030 and expanding the adoption of EVs and battery energy storage;

6.   Digital Transformation: Accelerating the digital transformation of the energy industry in order to improve operational efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions;

7.   Ship Energy: Improving ship energy efficiency by utilizing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and exploring alternative fuels, such as hydrogen and ammonia;

8.   Smart Transportation and Green Logistics: Promoting the adoption of smart transportation technologies and green logistics;

9.   Smart Farming Technologies: Reducing agriculture emissions through the development of smart farming technologies;

10. Aircraft Efficiency: Reducing aviation's climate impact by adopting sustainable lower-carbon alternative fuels and efficient flight operations;

11. Carbon Recycling: Advancing carbon recycling technologies and facilitating international collaborations and partnerships;

12. Smart Home and the Internet of Things (IoT): Making use of IoT and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and accelerating the introduction of solar power to optimize the energy usage;

13. Recycling and Waste Management: Improving recycling technologies and utilizing biogas; and

14. Zero Energy Building/Housing and Shared Services: Promoting the adoption of net Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB) and net Zero Energy Houses (ZEH) as well as shared services in the public transportation sector.

In order to fulfill the goal of a carbon neutral society by 2050, METI aims to minimize the use of thermal power and to maximize the introduction of renewable energies, particularly offshore wind generation, battery energy storage and hydrogen energy. The Action Plan also prioritizes next-generation nuclear power technologies that are currently in the developmental stage while ensuring their safe usage. METI will collaborate with the related ministries and agencies to further discuss the action plan and its implementation.[1] [2]

[1] https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2020/12/20201225012/20201225012.html

[2] https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2020/12/20201225012/20201225012-1.pdf