TOKYO —

Ministers showed a mixed reaction Tuesday after the Democratic Party of Japan reiterated it will seek to cut the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions much further than the outgoing cabinet promised earlier. The DPJ should talk sufficiently with business leaders about its proposal and ensure it will cause no unnecessary confusion, said Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai.
   
Hatoyama reiterated Monday he will seek to cut the emissions 25% from 1990 levels by 2020 as stipulated in the DPJ’s election platform, startling business leaders who fear such a move will lead to growing costs.
   
In June, Prime Minister Taro Aso said Japan would reduce such emissions 15% from 2005 levels by 2020, which corresponds to minus 8% from 1990 levels.
   
Nikai said it seems Hatoyama has raised the target ‘‘based on his belief,’’ but he added, ‘‘It is extremely difficult to attain’’ the target, and that the DPJ must win ‘‘people’s understanding on how it will go ahead’’ with the proposal.
   
A government estimate shows that emissions goals such as the one put forth by the DPJ would cost each Japanese household about 360,000 yen a year, including surcharges on electricity prices, the minister said earlier.
 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura also cast doubt on Hatoyama’s proposal, saying it contains many problems—both social and economic—that must be addressed.
   
‘‘I recognize some merit in exerting Japanese leadership, but there are various realistic problems, including whether all major emitting countries will join in efforts to prevent global warming,’’ the Japanese government’s top spokesman told a news conference.
   
‘‘I wonder if people can tackle the proposal with the resolve that they would hardly be able to use gasoline-powered vehicles,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, countries calling for further commitment by leading economies in the battle against climate change welcome Hatoyama’s pledge.
   
‘‘Now, Japan has taken a bold step forward and set an ambitious target,’’ said Connie Hedegaard, energy and climate change minister of Denmark, which will host an international meeting in December in Copenhagen for a new deal to cut greenhouse-gas emissions.
   
‘‘At this crucial point, the strong message from Japan is exactly what is needed,’’ Hedegaard said in a written statement. ‘‘I congratulate the new Japanese government with their strong leadership.’‘
   
But companies raised their guard against the proposal fearing it could add to their worries amid the already difficult business environment resulting from the global economic downturn since last year.
   
Honda Motor Co President Takanobu Ito said the DPJ’s emissions target is ‘‘extremely tough’’ for Japan’s auto industry.
   
‘‘This is a numerical target that far exceeds the common sense of our business plan,’’ Ito told reporters, suggesting Honda’s technological innovation alone may be insufficient to meet the goal.

© 2009 Kyodo News. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission.

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6 Comments

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  ilcub76 at 02:41 PM JST - 8th September

  This is a numerical target that far exceeds the common sense of our business plan

  When American companies are told by Congress and the EPA that they must raise the mileage on their cars, business plans go out the window. Honda should just suck it up and comply -- or risk going out of business altogether.

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  TheTim at 03:05 PM JST - 8th September

  Hatoyama has his priorities way out of whack. Japan is already the sponsor of the Kyoto treaty and already strives to be one of the greenest places in the world. Why the heck would Hatoyama waste precious time that could be spent on the economy with this initiative? Well, I guess he wants to vote himself out of office rather than making the Japanese people do it for him.

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  herefornow at 05:49 PM JST - 8th September

  TheTim -- because, as you said Japan "strives" to be one of the greenest. But, it has a long way to go. In case you missed it, it missed its Kyoto goals by miles. If Japan wants to sell all this eco-friendly technology to the developing world, they need to lead by example. Words won't due.

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  ebisen at 08:46 AM JST - 9th September

  TheTim - Japan doesn't do much to become greener - just look at Western Europe countries (and EU in general). Now THEY do A LOT... Did you know that Germany has about 15% of it's energy needs produced by ecological means (mostly wind turbines)? Compare than with the measly 1-5% of Japan :))

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  sf2k at 10:17 AM JST - 9th September

  25% is easy,

  1) take away the kerosene and improve the actual building code and include insulation. The fear of insulation no longer holds to modern science and has to leave the bastion of opinion. Prove it.

  2) trains trains everywhere, Japan is already ahead here, it's not transportation as the problem like other countries, it's the heavy industries. Go for grid connected vehicles and forgo the lithum batteries that have to be imported anyway.

  3) heavy industries rely 100% on imported oil products to function. It is in the national security interest to not be such a loser maybe

  4) geothermal, passive solar, hydrothermal all do not require new robots or flashy metal and are ideal for Japanese cities all along the coastline or anywhere for that matter. Hatoyama was an engineer and its here he could lead Japan out of its crushing energy dependencies..

  Japan has 53 nuclear reactors. Japan is an earthquake country. How this isn't a problem is by mostly a fluke, but the odds are not in Japan's favour for that to continue. Going real renewable answers a lot of problems, including something called "jobs"

  To not even try is to not even look

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  sf2k at 10:28 AM JST - 9th September

  btw, Japan is absolutely FULL of engineers, more than doctors. Get the younger generation involved because the older one is too busy wrecking the planet.

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