Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes a strong case to act on climate change in an article published by your paper ( “Join Japan and act now to save our planet”, Opinion, September 24).
However, while the prime minister’s words are welcome, his actions tell a different story. Japan is the only G7 country still planning new coal-fired power stations, with more than 17 in the planning stage and 15 under construction. Internationally, Japan, together with China, is the largest public funder of coal-fired power plants, investing $14.5bn over the past five years alone. Shamefully, the Japanese government has become a funder of last resort as most other OECD countries have moved away from financing coal.
All credible studies show if the world is to achieve the Paris Agreement targets, there is simply no room in the carbon budget to build any new coal plants, and wealthy countries such as Japan must phase out all coal-fired capacity by 2030.
If Mr Abe is to live up to his promises, acting on climate change means starting with the dirtiest fossil fuel of all: coal. Japan should follow countries such as the UK by ruling out all support for coal plants both domestically and internationally, and by developing a plan for rapid phase-out of domestic coal capacity.
Kimiko Hirata
International Director, Kiko Network, Tokyo, Japan
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