Policy Engagement Overview
The aggregated evidence of industry association engagement with the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Target of the Japanese government shows that major cross-sector industry associations and heavy industry associations were not supportive of the ambition of the target, while most other industry associations have taken broadly supportive positions of it.
While some individual corporations that broadly support emissions reductions and climate action have not expressed a clear position on the target since it was announced, companies including Softbank Group, Nissan, and Panasonic have expressed public support for the target.
Policy Engagement Trends
Many Japanese industry associations, such as Japanese Bankers Association (JBA) and Real Estate Companies Association of Japan (RECAJ), have publicly supported the government’s 2050 Carbon Neutrality target since it was finalized in 2020. A few industry associations, such as the Renewable Energy Council (REC) and Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai), have advocated for a 2050 net-zero goal since before its adoption by the Japanese government.
Meanwhile, major cross-sector industry associations as well as heavy industries, such as steel and petroleum, have made a mix of statements in both support and opposition of the 2050 goal. While recent public messaging from the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) often highlights the urgency of meeting the 2050 emission targets, in January 2021 a representative of Keidanren and Nippon Steel speaking in a dual role at a ministerial committee, argued that 2050 carbon neutrality should be “a principle rather than a legal objective”. The Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) has emphasized the cost to achieve the goal, while heavy industry, such as the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF), Petroleum Association of Japan (PAJ) and Japan LP Gas Association (JLPGA), have emphasized concerns about the target’s feasibility and its effect on industries. At the same time, the industry groups mentioned above have also spoken in support of the 2050 goal.
Most companies have vocally supported the Japanese government’s 2050 carbon neutrality target, which include Softbank Group, Sony Group, Honda, Nissan, Panasonic and Toyota. Despite initial reservations about the 2050 target expressed in December 2020, Nippon Steel’s recent messaging on the target has become supportive.
