TOKYO: Japan will soon announce an ambitious 2030 target to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Monday.

“By setting an ambitious target, we hope to take the initiative on the worldwide move toward decarbonization,” Suga said at a meeting of a panel of experts discussing measures to fight global warming.

He expressed a wish to reach a decision before an online summit on climate change to be hosted by the United States from Thursday.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has invited leaders around the world to the two-day summit, asking them to present aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets.

Japan is discussing a new target of reducing such emissions by at least 40 pct from the fiscal 2013 levels by 2030, up sharply from the current target of 26 pct.

Many participants in Monday’s panel meeting pointed to a need for an ambitious 2030 target that would be consistent with the government’s goal of reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions to effectively zero by 2050.

Some called for a 2030 target of cutting emissions by at least 50 pct.

A participant from industry said that once the government sets a target, companies will work toward achieving it.

The government will draw up a specific target based on the suggestions of the participants.

JIJI Press