Hatoyama vows 25% emission cuts by Japan by 2020 from 1990

TOKYO, Sept. 7 Kyodo -
Yukio Hatoyama, Democratic Party of Japan leader and Japan's prime minister in
waiting, said Monday the nation's medium-term greenhouse gas emission cut
targets will be replaced with more ambitious ones, as his party seeks to reduce
such emissions by 25 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels.
''It is one of our pledges stipulated in our (election) manifesto so we have to
have the political will to aim at its realization by utilizing all policy
tools,'' Hatoyama said in a speech in Tokyo. His remarks signaled that his
incoming government will put more emphasis on the environment than its
predecessor led by the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party.
The 25 percent emissions cuts compare with an 8 percent reduction during the
same time frame unveiled by outgoing Prime Minister Taro Aso in June, which has
drawn criticism from other countries for not being ambitious enough.
Hatoyama, who led the DPJ to a resounding victory in the Aug. 30 House of
Representatives election, is set to be voted in as prime minister at a special
parliamentary session on Sept. 16 and is expected to launch his Cabinet
immediately.
Speaking to the Asahi World Environment Forum in Tokyo hosted by the Asahi
Shimbun newspaper, Hatoyama urged other major countries to agree on
''ambitious'' reduction targets, saying such an accord will be a
''precondition'' for Tokyo's renewed emission cut goal.
''We will aim to establish a fair and effective international framework
involving all major countries in the world'' to fight global warming, he added.
He said developing nations need to make efforts to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions ''in the process of achieving sustainable development and eliminating
poverty under the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities.'''
Hatoyama pledged that the DPJ-led government will study ways to assist
developing countries financially and technically in grappling with climate
change.
''As soon as the new Cabinet is launched, I will begin studying concrete steps
to provide such support to bring it to the international community as the
'Hatoyama Initiative,''' he said.
He also stressed that tackling climate change would benefit the Japanese
economy, saying, ''Building a society not dependent on carbon will offer a big
chance for Japan. Proactive efforts to curb global warming through the
development of electric cars and solar power will create a new frontier and new
jobs.''
Hatoyama said he will speak about his climate policy in more detail at the
upcoming climate change summit to be held at the U.N. headquarters on Sept. 22.
A key U.N. climate change conference is scheduled to be held in Copenhagen in
December to create a global framework to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on
fighting global warming.
Hatoyama's pledge at the symposium immediately drew fire from the industry
ministry. Vice Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Harufumi Mochizuki said at
a news conference Monday that Hatoyama ''needs to be aware that he is choosing
a very tough road ahead for the Japanese people and economy.''
Business leaders were perplexed at the tougher emission cut target unveiled by
Hatoyama. Nippon Oil Co. Chairman Fumiaki Watari, who is visiting Beijing on an
economic mission, told reporters he is ''surprised at the sudden proposal'' by
the DPJ leader and said he will confirm the next premier's ''true intention''
after returning home.
Another major company executive, who declined to be named, expressed concerns
about the new goal's possible negative impact on the Japanese economy, which
seems to have stopped declining.
Meanwhile, Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said at the symposium Hatoyama's
message was the ''the most inspiring'' one among those of world leaders. ''Let
me convey my thanks and my deep gratitude to him for what he has said and what
I'm sure he is going to attempt to implement,'' Pachauri said.
Takamasa Higuchi, chief executive officer of WWF Japan, said the conservation
group ''welcomes the courage of Yukio Hatoyama and believes he has the strength
to set Japan on track for a low-carbon future which will benefit people and
nature, both in Japan and worldwide.''
''Japan used to be a country driven by industry groups, but now we see a new
prime minister with true leadership,'' he said.
Kim Carstensen, the leader of the WWF Global Climate Initiative, also welcomed
the announcement, saying, ''The decision by an important player such as Japan
to do more and get serious about a low-carbon future can help break the
deadlock between developed and developing countries.''
Kimiko Hirata of the environmental group Kiko Network said she regards
Hatoyama's announcement as ''an important step toward the Copenhagen meeting''
and expressed hope that the DPJ-led government will introduce policy measures
such as a cap-and-trade system and a carbon tax, as well as obliging power
companies to buy all electricity generated by renewable energy.
==Kyodo