November 29, 2019Japan Climate Leaders' Partnership (JCLP)

Position Statement on Japan's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)
to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Japan Climate Leaders' Partnership (JCLP) is a coalition of 126 corporations across various
industries that recognize the grave threat that climate change poses to business as well as to social
stability, and are committed to the zero-carbon transition.
Under the Paris Agreement, the international community is committed to keeping the global
temperature rise well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursuing efforts to limit thetemperature increase to 1.5°C as targets, to avert widespread damage due to climate change.
Furthermore, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has shown that thedamage at 2°C is greater than expected, and that limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require
reaching net-zero emissions globally by 2050. In this context, the signatory states are drawing up
long-term strategies, as well as reviewing their medium-term emissions targets to reducegreenhouse gas emissions by 2030 with a view to ratchet up their ambition, which is now theparamount issue in implementing the Paris Agreement.
Japan has also set its long-term growth strategy in June 2019, stating its aim to “reach net-zerogreenhouse gas emissions as early as possible in the second half of this century” 1. With its
advanced technological capabilities and other strengths, Japan is indeed capable of leading theworld in creating a decarbonized society, and doing so ahead of other countries will enhance its
international competitiveness and provide business opportunities to Japanese companies.
For Japan’s early achievement of the net-zero emissions goal and to encourage its demonstrationof leadership in ratcheting up NDCs, JCLP expresses its position on Japan's NDC as follows.
Based on the latest scientific findings by the IPCC, Japan’s NDC should be ambitiously raised
to correspond to the 1.5°C target 2 in order to avoid dangerous climate change.

In light of the fact that climate change impacts are becoming more severe and the international

1Long-Term Strategy under the Paris Agreement was approved by Japan’s Cabinet on June 11, 2019. JCLP had issued
two statements regarding this strategy.
• Recommendations for Japan’s Long-Term Growth Strategy under the Paris Agreement, released on November 30,
2018 (https://japan-clp.jp/archives/3462)• Position Statement on Japan’s Long-Term Growth Strategy Based on Recommendations of the High-Level Meetings
for Developing the Long-Term Strategy under the Paris Agreement, released on April 23, 2019(https://japan-clp.jp/archives/896 in Japanese)
2 In May 2015, JCLP proposed a 36% cut from 2005 levels (37.3% cut from 2013 levels) as the recommended target forJapan, considering strategy continuity with the 2°C target, Japan's responsibility and economic capabilities, andfeasibility. Japan’s current NDC is a 26% cut from 2013 levels in 2030.

community’s growing recognition of a net-zero target in 2050 as the minimum requirement,
Japan should also clearly declare its commitment to reach net-zero by 2050 and set NDC that
corresponds to this target.
Japan needs to demonstrate that it is making proactive efforts, including raising its NDCs, inorder to maintain its respected status in the international community.

The global community warns of a ‘climate crisis’ to describe the urgency and magnitude of theclimate change threat. The youth all over the world are conducting climate strikes, while manynational and local governments have issued climate emergency declarations.
JCLP is acutely aware of the gravity of climate crisis and the importance of Japan's role inaddressing it, and its corporate members are moving forward with more decarbonization efforts. We
will strengthen our initiatives such as RE100, EV100, EP100 and RE Action in partnership withvarious stakeholders in the society and progress together with the Japanese government toward
the achievement of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Japan Climate Leaders' Partnership (JCLP) is a coalition of companies in Japan (126 as of Nov. 2019) that aims
to create a zero-carbon society, seizing on the idea that decarbonized development is a prerequisite for economicactivity. It was set up in 2009 to urge the business sector to develop a sense of urgency on climate actions.
Recognizing the key challenge climate change poses to the society, its members are committed to integrate
decarbonization measures into their core business models. The members share the common goal andcommunicate proactively with policy makers, peer businesses and the civil society. The coalition remains unique inthat a key focus is policy engagement on decarbonizaion in the country. Since April 2017, JCLP has been theregional delivery partner on RE100, EP100 and EV100 initiatives in Japan.
Contact: JCLP Secretariat +81-468-55-3814 info-jclp@iges.or.jp