JapanAchieving Net Zero
Cities by 2050
Cities must achieve net zero emissions if we are tolimit global temperature rise. Around the world, city
leaders are exploring initiatives to raise awarenessand engagement in meeting this goal by 2050.
In October 2020, Prime Minister Suga announced
during his first policy address to the National Diet thatJapan would emit net zero emissions by 2050.
Currently, 749 Japanese Local Authorities havedeclared an ambition to reach net zero carbon
emissions by 2050 (As of June 2022).
It can be difficult to overcome organizationalsilos between areas of government and create
effective collaboration with businesses andcommunities. This brochure introduces successful
initiatives which have increased actor collaboration intwo ICLEI member cities in Japan; Musashino City in
the Tokyo Metropolitan area, and Toyota City.

Achieving Net ZeroCities by 2050

Nationwide Emissions (2017)

10%

4%
35%

16%

Industry

Buildings

Agriculture

Japan is the sixth largest GHG emitter in the world. Under
Japan’s Act on the Promotion of Global WarmingCountermeasures, all prefectures and municipalities formulateand implement measures, which account for local natural andsocial conditions, to reduce their emissions. After support
from the Ministry of Environment in 2018, an increasing
number of local governments have announced that they will
work towards real zero carbon emissions* by 2050.
Priority Areas in Japan
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
published the "Green Growth Strategy Through Achieving
Carbon Neutrality in 2050” on 18 June 2021.

35%

PowerNational Context

Transport

National Emissions Reduction Targets
Net zeroannouncement:
October 2020

Interim target:-46% from 2013 levels
by 2030

Net zero: 2050
*Real zero emissions:achieving equilibrium between emissions
from anthropogenic sources ofgreenhouse gases such as CO2 and its
removal through sinks such as forests.

The report identifies 14 key growth areas and industries thatwill grow during decarbonisation:Energy• Offshore wind power, solar power, geothermal power• Hydrogen and fuel ammonia• Next-generation thermal energy• Nuclear power
Transport/ Manufacturing• Automobiles and storage batteries• Semiconductors and information technology• Marine vessels• Physical distribution, flows of people, and civil engineering
infrastructure• Foods, agriculture, forestry and fisheries• Aircraft• Carbon recycling, materials
Home/Office• Housing, structures, and next-generation electric powermanagement• Resource recycling• Lifestyles

Achieving Net ZeroCities by 2050

Musashino City
Musashino City is located almost in the center of Tokyo and has
been rated highly in various surveys as a desirable place to live as
an attractive city with abundant greenery. Musashino City has
declared its goal of becoming a "Zero Carbon City by 2050,"
aiming to achieve virtually zero greenhouse gas emissions byFY2050.

Population: 147,975 (City Statistics
2021)
Population Density: 13,477 (CityStatistics 2021)
City Area: 10.98km2

Greenhouse gas emissions
Approximately 90% of Musashino's greenhouse gas emissions
are carbon dioxide, of which carbon dioxide from energy use in
the residential and business sectors accounts for 84% of thetotal. Emissions are on a downward trend, and in FY 2018, theCity's greenhouse gas emissions were approximately 588,000 tco2, a 10.4% decrease from FY 2013, the base year.
Musashino City Global Warming Prevention Action Plan (AreaPolicy Section)
Baseline year 2013
The pathway toward virtually zero greenhouse gas emissions:
53% reduction by FY2030, achieving virtually zero greenhousegas emissions by FY2050

Within Greater TokyoIn April 2021, Musashino City established the Musashino City
Global Warming Prevention Action Plan 2021 (Area PolicySection) based on the Act on Promotion of Global WarmingCountermeasures, which sets targets for reducing greenhousegas emissions in the city area and outlines measures to achievethese targets. In addition, Musashino City Climate Change
Adaptation Plan 2021 was formulated in accordance with theClimate Change Adaptation Act. In line with the October 2021
revision of the national plan for Global WarmingCountermeasures, the greenhouse gas reduction targets in theMusashino City Global Warming Prevention Action Plan 2021
(Area Policies) were revised upward in 2022. This plan isformulated as a comprehensive plan to promote the control ofgreenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the natural andsocial conditions of the region, based on Article 19, Paragraph 2of the ‘Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures’.
It is also a plan that the `Musashino City Long-Term Plan’ is theupper plan and one of the plans that the `Musashino CityEnvironmental Basic Plan’ deals with across the board.

Achieving Net ZeroCities by 2050
Musashino City aims to realize and achieve the "Ideal City Image" and "Reduction
Targets" in the plan by promoting the following three basic policies.
Policy 1: Raise awareness and knowledge of citizens, businesses, and city
employees
The city will promote environmental awareness programs, etc., using theenvironmental awareness facility "Musashino Eco Re-sort" as a base.
Policy 2: Efficient Energy Use in the Community
In the business sector, the promotion of zero-energy buildings, building energy
management, and the Green Partner Program (green procurement). In theresidential sector, the promotion of zero-energy homes, home energy management
systems, and V2H, which encourage energy efficient behavior.
Policy 3: Global warming countermeasures outside the energy field
Recycling of waste and resources, conservation and creation of greenery, trafficand vehicle measures, etc.

Efforts in the Refuse Field

Carbon dioxide from waste incineration accounts for 1.7% of all greenhouse gas
emissions in the city. Musashino City has also set a goal of reducing carbon dioxideemissions from the incineration of waste plastics by 15%, in response to thegovernment's global warming prevention plan which calls for a 15% reduction ofcarbon dioxide emissions from non-energy sources by 2030. Musashino City's
population is growing, and behavioral changes are essential to reduce the amount ofwaste per capita.

Musashino Clean Center
The Musashino Clean Center is a waste treatment facility open to the community,
designed in consideration of townscape and landscape creation and located in theurban area of Musashino City. Visitors are free to tour the visitor corridor during thehours the facility is open. The visitor corridor is laid out so that it circles the second
floor, providing visitors with a realistic view of the waste treatment process throughbig glass panels. The `Garbage Pit Bar’, where visitors can enjoy eating and drinking
while watching the garbage disposal process, received the Encouragement Award of
the 13th Industrial Tourism Town Development Awards (sponsored by the National
Industrial Tourism Promotion Council and the Japan Travel and Tourism Association).
Energy Production
The Clean Center uses steam and heat from waste incineration to generate
electricity, which is then supplied to nearby public facilities. This project was fundedby the Ministry of the Environment’s `Subsidy for Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction
Project: Regional Low-Carbon Model Project Using Residual Heat from Waste
Incineration Facilities (Feasibility Study)’.
Thus, the Musashino Clean Center serves not only as a waste treatment facility, butalso as a place for learning about waste and as a center for energy production.

Shaping a Sustainable
Urban World

Forest Projects
Tama Region Forest Protection

Musashino City is enhancing its forest improvement projects with an eye toward
carbon offsets. The city of Musashino is home to the Tamagawa-Josui (water supply)and other waterways. This Tamagawa-Josui is fed by water taken from the Tama River.
The Bureau of Waterworks of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been
managing the forests in the upper reaches of the Tama River as water source forests
since 1901 in order to ensure a stable river flow of the Tama River and to preserve
Okutama Lake.
In this water source area of the Tama River, planted trees have been devoured bydeer, leaving the mountainous area bare and facing the danger of soil runoff. Fundedby the national forest environment concession tax ,* the city is promoting a forest
improvement project. Since 2001, Musashino City has concluded an agreement withOme City's Futamatao Forest in the upper reaches of the Tama River to preserve andutilize a portion of the forest in the Futamatao area as the `Futamatao Musashino
Shimin-no Mori (Musashino Citizen's Forest) ‘. Since 2004, the city has been workingwith the town of Okutama on the `Okutama-Musashino Forest Project’ to restore
forests that had become bare due to deer damage, and a certain degree of recovery
has been achieved. The forests of Okutama play a very important role as a place forrecreation for urban residents and as a valuable water source for the urban area.
Musashino City has formulated the `Musashino City Policy for Promotion ofUtilization of Tama Timber in Public Structures, etc.’ to actively promote the use of
Tama timber in public structures, etc. in order to promote forest circulation, propercare of forests, promotion of forestry, and revitalization of the timber industry, etc.
Tama timber is also used in the facilities of the Musashino Clean Center. Musashino
City is working on projects to preserve Tama’s forests based on the idea that `forest
degradation is not only a problem of the mountain side, but also the urban residents
who receive the blessings of the forests need to deepen their awareness and raise
their interest’ in the issue. At the Futamatao Musashino Shimin-no Mori (Musashino
Citizen's Forest), educational activities to learn about forest conservation areconducted, bringing urban residents and local residents together. In FY 2008, theproject was recognized by the Ministry of the Environment as an outstanding exampleof an environmental education project.

*This is a national tax instituted in 2019 (to take effect in 2024) to improve forests andpromote the use of domestic timber in urban areas, and is an annual tax of 1,000 yen perresident. The money is used to protect forested areas. Musashino City is taking a regional
approach to enhancing the metropolitan area's carbon sink..

Achieving Net Zero
Cities by 2050
Toyota City

Toyota City is a manufacturing hub and a green city. It is divided
into urban and mountainous countryside.70% of the area of
Toyota City is forested. The city has been tackling environmental
issues from early on.
In 2009, the city was designated as an Environmental Model
City and in 2018 it was selected by the national government as
one of the SDG’s Future Cities.
Greenhouse gas emissions
By 2019, the city had been reducing emissions byapproximately 20% compared to 2013. While national CO2
emissions from the industrial sector account for about 30%of the total, it accounts for about 60% in the city.
Population: 418,284 (2022)
Population Density: 456per km²
City Area: 918.32㎢
City type: A city with two sides:
urban and mountain village

Urban Decarbonisation Plans
The city has published its decarbonisation plan in its 8thComprehensive Plan and the Global Warming Prevention
Action Plan.
Announced Net zeroambition: November
2019

Toyota CityNet zero: 2050

The following three initiatives have been set by the city as
the direction of the efforts to achieve 'CO2 virtually zero
emissions by 2050’.
The first is to further accelerate the initiatives of theEnvironmental Model Cities that have been undertaken sofar, such as the net Zero Energy House, the spread of Smart
Towns, and the improvement of the health of plantedforests.
The second is to involve businesses and citizens as much as
possible, mainly through the three platforms of the 'Toyota
City Connected Society Demonstration Promotion Council','Oiden-Sanson Center', and 'Toyota SDGs Partners', and tostrengthen cooperation ever further than before.
Third, we believe that future 'dramatic technologicalinnovation' will hold the key to achieving zero CO2emissions, and we must take the lead in introducing newtechnologies.

Achieving Net Zero
Cities by 2050

Toyota Zero Carbon Bank
In June 2021, the Toyota Zero Carbon Bank was registeredunder Japan's J Credit system. J credits are a system that allow
companies and local governments to buy and sell carbon
credits for the installation of energy-saving and renewableenergy equipment and forest management initiatives.
The Toyota Zero Carbon Bank is the global warming
countermeasure project for citizens who have installed
household fuel cell systems (ENE-FARM) whereby CO2 emission
reductions are calculated from the amount of electricity
generated by the fuel cells in each household and compiled by
Toyota City and converted into environmental value (credits)using the national credit system. The ENE Farm is a system thatuses city gas to generate electricity and simultaneously supply
hot water to each household.
The way the project works is that, firstly, citizens transfer therights of J-credits to the city in exchange for the city's subsidy
scheme for ENE-FARM. Next, the ENE-FARM manufacturer
reports the aggregated ENE-FARM power generation results tothe city using IoT technology. The city then applies for J credits
from the government. These are sold to companies in the cityand the proceeds are used for projects that contribute to thereduction of CO2 emissions in the city.
The scheme has connected different stakeholders in the cityand enabling residents and the private sector to benefit.
Through the Toyota Zero Carbon Bank, Toyota City has createda model whereby the environmental value of CO2 reduction iscirculated in the region.

Toyota City is incentivizing both residents and businesses
through the Toyota Zero Carbon Bank

Achieving Net Zero
Cities by 2050

Technological Innovation
Collaboration with businessToyota City has developed a good working relationship withbusiness actors in the city. The city wants to be a test bed for
new technologies which help society move towards adecarbonized society.
Demonstrations of new technologies are being conducted
mainly through the activities of the Toyota City Connected
Society Demonstration Promotion Council, which is actively
using AI and IoT to solve local issues. The council has 89
registered members (as of March 2022). In addition toachieving net zero carbon through the local production for
local consumption of resources and energy, the Council isalso looking at addressing the challenges of an ageing society
and road safety issues. The technologies are introduced atthe 'Toyota Ecoful Town' an SDGs dissemination center.
The 'Monozukuri (Manufacturing) Creative Base SENTAN' in
Toyota City, provides comprehensive support for 'newbusiness development, 'innovation creation' and 'humanresource development in manufacturing sector'. The
Monozukuri Creative Base SENTAN brings together three
support organizations: 'Toyota Innovation Center', 'Toyota
City Next Generation Industry Division', and 'Toyota City
Monozukuri Support Center'. It provides business andproduct development support, engineering education
programs, and subsidies to business.
In 2019, technology to extract hydrogen from magnesium
was developed as part of a human resources development
project and patented by Toyota City as a method of hydrogenproduction that does not emit carbon dioxide.

Transition to a net zero society

Achieving Net Zero Cities
by 2050

Each city will reach net zero carbon differently. Though cities can learn from eachother, they must find solutions that fit with the local context. Both Musashino andToyota City are building on their strengths and successes as they develop theirdecarbonisation pathways.
Importantly, the councils are maintaining and strengthening the working
relationships they developed through previous environmental initiatives. For
Musashino City, this is the history of citizen participation in the area. For Toyota,
the council is supporting the business sector to find new opportunities fortechnological innovation.

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