Japan’s New Climate Commitment Falls Woefully Short. Here’s How to Improve It.

The World Resources Institute criticizes Japan's updated nationally determined contribution (NDC), stating it fails to increase ambition from the 2015 target and ignores significant economic opportunities and climate risks.

• Japan's updated national climate plan (NDC) maintains the same top-line target as the plan submitted five years prior, aiming for a 26% reduction in emissions by 2030 compared to 2013 levels. This target is described as "highly insufficient" by Climate Action Tracker, with research suggesting Japan could have reached a 42% reduction target by investing in low-carbon technologies.
• Japan faces significant economic and physical risks due to its current climate policy. The country experiences approximately $2.7 billion in annual losses from extreme weather events. Conversely, adopting a deep decarbonization pathway by 2050 could reduce fossil fuel import costs by 70% relative to 2016 and create more than 60,000 new jobs in the domestic renewable energy sector by 2030.
• There is strong domestic pressure from the private and public sectors for more ambitious climate action. The Japan Climate Leaders' Partnership (126 corporations) and the Japanese Climate Initiative (142 companies, 21 municipalities, and 58 organizations) have called for a stronger NDC. Additionally, local governments in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Yokohama have committed to net-zero emissions by 2050, representing nearly 40% of the population and $2.3 trillion in GDP.
• The World Resources Institute recommends four specific improvements for Japan's climate strategy: adopting a stronger emissions reduction target (citing the EU's 50-55% goal), increasing the renewable energy target to 50% of the electricity mix by 2030, phasing out domestic coal and the $5.2 billion provided annually for overseas coal finance, and ending fossil fuel subsidies, which totaled an estimated $1.8 billion in 2017.

APA

Leprince-Ringuet, N. (2020). Japan’s New Climate Commitment Falls Woefully Short. Here’s How to Improve It. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/japans-new-climate-commitment-falls-woefully-short-heres-how-improve-it

Chicago

Leprince-Ringuet, Noëmie. Japan’s New Climate Commitment Falls Woefully Short. Here’s How to Improve It. World Resources Institute, 2020. https://www.wri.org/insights/japans-new-climate-commitment-falls-woefully-short-heres-how-improve-it.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Leprince-Ringuet |first1=Noëmie |title=Japan’s New Climate Commitment Falls Woefully Short. Here’s How to Improve It. |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=30 March 2020 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/japans-new-climate-commitment-falls-woefully-short-heres-how-improve-it |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{leprinceringuet2020japans, author = {Leprince-Ringuet, Noëmie}, title = {{Japan’s New Climate Commitment Falls Woefully Short. Here’s How to Improve It.}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2020}, month = mar, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/japans-new-climate-commitment-falls-woefully-short-heres-how-improve-it}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }