Press Release

Advisory panel recommendations lack concrete targets and policies for decarbonization
Government strategy must include coal phase out and 100% renewable energy
April 2, 2019
Mie Asaoka, President
Kiko Network

An advisory panel created by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to look at long-term growth strategies forJapan based on the Paris Agreement (PA) released its recommendations on April 2.
The recommendations state that the long-term strategy should contribute to global goals, promote a
virtuous cycle for the environment and growth, have an ambitious vision, aim for a paradigm shift insociety, have a sense of urgency, and contribute to the world. They also state that Japan's strategy
should aim for the ultimate goal of a decarbonized society as early as possible in the second half of
this century, and contribute to the PA's long-term objectives, including limiting global warming to
1.5ºC.
However, even though the 1.5ºC target is mentioned, the recommendations don’t suggest
strengthening Japan's current 80% reduction goal by 2050, and just reiterate current targets. This
lack of ambition is inconsistent with the 1.5ºC target. Furthermore, to achieve the 1.5ºC target, it is
crucial to accelerate and take bolder action using existing and feasible technologies. Despite this, therecommendations do not propose to raise the level of ambition for 2030 targets, do not delve into
more specific measures, and do not signal the shifts in policies and measures that are most needed
now.
Notably, construction plans are under way for many coal-fired power plants in Japan, and thiscurrent path will lock in enormous amounts of greenhouse gas emissions long into the future.
However, the recommendations only mention "reducing coal dependency to the extent possible inorder to be consistent with the PA," and make no suggestion of concrete measures. If the aim is reallyto be consistent with the PA, coal must be completely phased out by 2030, and this report shouldhave clearly recommended that. Similarly, the recommendations should have called for a halt inoverseas assistance for coal power, but failed to do so. If Japan's long-term strategy fails to include amajor policy shift away from Japan's promotion of coal power, it will be extremely inappropriate as along-term strategy, and amount to nothing but a show.

Regarding innovation, the recommendations list several problematic technologies that are still far
from being practical, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), carbon capture and utilization(CCU), space-based solar and next-generation nuclear power. It is a serious concern that thesetechnologies are being emphasized as if they could solve everything. An undue reliance on potential
future technologies is a dangerous path that only serves to justify the continued use of fossil fuels
and a society that consumes excessive amounts of energy, and it delays actions that need to be taken
today.
It is commendable that the panel's recommendations clearly show Japan’s direction of becoming adecarbonized society. However, we have many concerns about the recommendations in terms of thelevel of ambition and the path to get there as well as concrete measures and policies. Having theserecommendations, we believe that the Government of Japan should formulate a more ambitious andsuitable strategy to present to the world before the G20 summit to be hosted by Japan in June thisyear. It should include the following points.
Set a long term target to achieve the PA target of limiting warming to 1.5ºC, and net zero
emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.

Aim for 100% renewable energy (100% RE) by 2050.



Stop all plans to construct coal-fired power plants that are at the environmental assessment
stage, have completed that stage, or are under construction, and phase out coal power in Japanby 2030. Also, immediately stop providing assistance for coal power in developing countries.

Launch a process to update the 2030 target and increase ambition, and review the energy mix
for 2030 in order to make steady progress toward 100% RE and a complete coal phase-out.

Introduce carbon pricing and send out economic signals to reduce CO2 emissions in order topromote energy conservation and renewable energy.

As a final note, we believe the formulation of the panel's recommendations was not an open andtransparent process. We call upon the government to ensure that Japan's long-term strategies areformulated through highly transparent processes and with adequate discussion, involving publicparticipation.

Reference
Expert Panel on Paris Agreement and Long-term Growth Strategy (5th session report) (Link inJapanese) http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/singi/parikyoutei/dai5/gijisidai.html