01-33 Japan - John Bulloch

Japan has announced a goal to be carbon neutral by 2050. A similar goal has been set by Britain, Canada and the EU. Achievable in Japan because it is a society that respects direction from its government.

The newly appointed Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihidi Suga, announced a new government policy associated with climate change. He said it would be the goal of Japan to be carbon free by 2050.
This is significant in a number of ways. Firstly, when governments state policy in Japan, it is seen as a directive by the general public and the business community.
The culture is so different from the west, where announcements are seen as useful but not a command. The EU, Britain and Canada have made similar commitments, but it is not likely these nations will achieve their climate goals.
But, secondly, this announcement means the regeneration of Japan’s nuclear program which has been in decline since the March 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima reactor. Something like 40 reactors had been shut down, that are targeted for start-up.
It also means a commitment to solar energy, carbon recycling and the decommissioning of coal power plants.
During a tour of Japan in 1987, the tour guide said something really interesting. He had to promise his father that when he grew up he would never live in a two storey house. Fear of earthquakes and hurricanes is so much a part of Japanese culture.
The photo just shows how dangerous earthquakes can be in Japan. The reason the government of Japan calls its climate goals the result of a climate crisis is because the islands are experiencing so many extreme weather events: hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding and forest fires.
I have visited Japan three times. And what was so noticeable on every trip was that once you got away from Tokyo you were visiting the most pristine rural communities to be seen anywhere.
Mount Fuji is everyone’s tourist destination. It is the symbol of Japan. And such a beautiful but expensive honeymoon destination. It is no wonder you see so many newly married Japanese in Hawaii. It’s cheaper there. I will never forget the road up Mount Fuji. It is something you do once, never twice.
What a shock for a nation of environmentalists. A warming climate that is impacting their flowers, their public parks, the quality and quantity of their rice production and their fish catches. Daily temperatures have been as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit.