Japan, US aspire to ‘lead global efforts’ against climate change

Tokyo, Aug 31 (EFE).- The United States special envoy against the climate crisis John Kerry and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi held a meeting Tuesday in Tokyo aimed at “leading global efforts” against climate change.

The US envoy was scheduled to hold several meetings Tuesday in Tokyo with Japanese government representatives to prepare the COP26 summit to be held in Glasgow, Scotland from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12, in a tour that will also take him to China.

“Climate change is a major global challenge and Japan will lead the international community’s efforts for global decarbonization, together with the United States, with an eye toward the G20, COP26 and beyond,” Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Both parties spoke of the importance of “cooperating with developing countries, including some of the largest global emitters, in their decarbonization efforts,” and said they would try to foster this collaboration within multilateral frameworks such as the Quad (comprising Japan, the US, Australia and India).

Kerry talked about the measures the US administration planned to mitigate climate crisis effects, while Motegi said Japan aspires “to contribute with its technologies at the global forefront” to achieve 2050 climate neutrality goals, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.

Motegi, who did not mention new concrete initiatives on Japan’s side to contribute to these goals, said Japan has committed to reducing its greenhouse emissions to 46 percent by 2030, taking 2013 levels as a reference.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga presented this new goal in April during a virtual climate summit, after the country was singled out in recent years for setting goals less ambitious than those of other world powers such as the European Union or the United States.

Japan, the world’s fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases, also aims to reduce its greenhouse gases by 50 percent by 2050.

Kerry will also pay a courtesy visit Tuesday to the Japanese prime minister, before heading to China until Sep. 3.

In a press conference after the meeting, Motegi talked about the importance of cooperation with China “for being the largest emitter of polluting gases and the world’s second largest economic power,” adding that Beijing “must assume its responsibility.” EFE

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