JCP calls for drastic amendment to government bill to tackle climate change

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

JCP calls for drastic amendment to government bill to tackle climate change

The Japanese Communist Party on May 19 announced a four-point proposal to amend the government bill to tackle climate change passed through the House of Representatives on May 18.

Criticizing the government bill, JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi at a news conference said, “The bill includes the precondition that Japan will not set a mid-term goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions if agreement is not reached by all major countries. In the bill, there is no effective measure included, such as a public treaty between the state and industries to cut greenhouse gasses. This shows that the government does not intend to shift its policy of relying on industries’ volunteer efforts.”

The JCP proposal includes the following four points:

The first point is that the bill should clearly state that the limit of rise in global temperature must be two degrees Celsius at maximum based on the “Copenhagen Accord.”

The second point is that the government should delete the prerequisite of all major countries’ agreement from the bill, and should have Japan’s mid-term target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% from the 1990 level.

The third point is that the government and the business sector should conclude the public treaty of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and that in order to make the government measures effective, a national emission trading scheme should require businesses to reduce the total amount of greenhouse gasses they emit.

The fourth point is that a provision of promoting the use of nuclear energy should be removed from the bill, that supply of renewable energy among other energy resources should be increased to 20% by 2020, and that the government energy policy should be changed from one that relies on nuclear energy to one that increases the use of renewable energy.

Asked by reporters about resistance from the business circles, Ichida stated, “Addressing the issue of global warming is significant for industries’ healthy development. In European nations, the business sector announced its proposal to this regard. Even in Japan, we have had an experience in the past that emission control requirements contributed to development of new technologies and the overall economy.”

- Akahata, May 20, 2010