Japan Smart Money Should Move to Smart Cities to Promote Carbon Neutrality Initiatives

Prime Minister Kishida has pronounced Digital and Green transformations as the two X factors of his government policy. The locus where DX and GX meet is the “smart city” concept. And the number of Ja...

The EU’s Cross-border Carbon Tax: Boon or Bust for Japan?

Japan has long feared the introduction of a new carbon tax at the EU border, claiming that it could put its exports at a disadvantage. After all, Japan's primary energy balance is dominated by fossil...

A New Beginning: Long-term Decarbonized Capacity Auction Overview

Later this year the government plans to introduce a new auction system that will provide price guarantees for non-fossil power generation. In effect, it should reduce the risk of investing in buildin...

MOE Sets up Green Fund Eying Regional Decarbonization Projects

Two years ago, METI set up a ¥2-trillion Green Innovation Fund (GIF) to support early-stage R&D to help Japan meet its 2050 net-zero ambitions. Now, that effort is getting a further boost with a ...

Japan Unveils Energy Transition Roadmap: Nuclear Shift Grabs Headlines

At the end of 2022, Japan published the draft of a new national decarbonization strategy. The Basic Policy to Implement a Green Transformation (GX) will, in effect, become Japan’s top energy and clim...