February 21, 2020

A cross-party Dietmembers' group aiming to adopt a Diet resolution calling for a "climate emergency declaration" was inaugurated on February 20 and Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira was named a co-representative of this new group.

The group says it hopes to have the resolution adopted within the current session of the Diet.

"Climate emergency declarations" have been introduced in many countries' national assemblies and local municipalities in an effort to tackle global climate change.

Inside the Diet building, an inaugural meeting of the parliamentary group took place, and lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People, and the "Nippon Ishin-no kai" party gave speeches along with JCP Koike. The Social Democratic Party sent a message in solidarity to the meeting.

At the meeting, Koike emphasized that UN Secretary-General Guterres, by pointing his finger at the five largest emitter countries which include Japan, said that committing to working for net-zero emissions is at the heart of the matter. Koike stressed, "The Japanese government should take the initiative in declaring a net-zero carbon target for 2050."

Koike expressed his determination to push for this goal by saying, "Seven million young people in the world, including activist Greta Thunberg, began to stand up and shout, 'Don't burn our future!'. In order to meet their call, I will do my best so that the resolution can be unanimously adopted regardless of political ideology."