Resources for International Cooperation

  • Evaluation
    • While the Government's climate change strategy does not underestimate the difficulty involved in reaching greenhouse gas limitation targets, measures have already been taken that are clearly a step in the right direction, with the introduction of stricter energy efficiency standards, increases in financial incentives for energy conservation investments and a major effort in greenhouse gas-related technology R&D.
    • One of the most remarkable features of Japan's performance in the past 20 years has been the relatively slow increase in its energy demand during a period when its economy has grown significantly. In other words, a major decoupling of energy use, CO2 emissions and economic growth occurred, through changes in the structure of the economy, major achievements in improving energy efficiency, and diversification of the fuel mix.
    • The strength of the Japanese approach to energy conservation has been a clear national policy, translated into a coherent set of practical sectoral measures. There are signs that the approach taken to tackling the problem of greenhouse gas emissions is following this successful precedent.
  • Recommendations
    • The administration should further integrate its actions on climate change issues and continue to follow up on the Action Programme to Arrest Global Warming, notably in transport, buildings and agriculture.
    • Care should be taken that actions to address climate change are developed both within the time frame and targets of the Action Programme, and beyond, to cover longer term technological and lifestyle changes.
    • Incentives should be provided for the use of more fuel-efficient, lower CO2 emitting passenger cars, commercial vehicles, public transportation equipment and ships.
    • In the industrial sector, efforts should continue to sustain high levels of energy efficiency and to encourage further improvement, notably through technological progress.
    • Energy pricing and taxation systems should be examined to ensure that they are not undermining Japan's efforts to address the climate change issue.
    • The mix of policy instruments being used or considered should be reviewed, including economic instruments, regulation, voluntary agreements and education. Economic instruments such as taxes and charges are used less in Japan than in a number of OECD countries and, after appropriate analysis and consultation, may have a stronger role to play in helping Japan achieve its goals at least cost.