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On May 18, Chair of the DPJ Global Warming Countermeasures Headquarters, Secretary General Katsuya Okada, met Danish Minister of Climate and Energy Connie Hedegaard and discussed the issue of global warming. Denmark is scheduled to host the COP 15 UN Climate Change Conference in December of this year. The meeting was also attended by Next Minister of the Environment Tomiko Okazaki and Global Warming Countermeasures Secretary General Tetsuro Fukuyama (Policy Research Committee Deputy Chair).
Okada warmly welcomed Hedegaard to Japan and expressed his pleasure on being able to meet her again, and the two engaged in a vigorous discussion of how to find a speedy way to deal with various issues related to global warming. Hedegaard expressed the concern that Japan would not be able to reach its target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by 2020; an impression she had gained from talks held with Nippon Keidanren and Japanese media, and asked how much of a part the issue of global warming would play in the policy debate leading up to the general election. She also commented, “I would like [an economic power such as] Japan to come up with ambitious mid-term target figures. This would put pressure on the EU and the rest of the international community. If Japan’s figures are low, that has the opposite effect on other nations.”
In response, Okada said, “I believe that showcasing the issue of global warming as an important theme during the forthcoming general election is an important task for me as DPJ Secretary General.” He stressed, “I made the very same point as you raised here, regarding the need for Japan to establish ambitious mid-term targets, to Prime Minister Aso in a recent session of the Committee on Budget. We are working together with environmental NGOs and other organisations to encourage Japan to shift to this kind of active stance.”
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