The country had previously aimed for reducing emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, but following recent statement from China, which wants to be carbon neutral by 2060, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshiihide Suga wants to match the European Union and the United Kingdom by cutting carbon sooner. “Response to global warming is no longer a constraint on economic growth,” Suga said. “We need to change our mindset that proactively taking measures against global warming will bring about changes to industrial structures, as well as the economy and society, and lead to major growth.” Japan has recently been dependent on fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas, chiefly because many of the country’s nuclear power stations have remained closed in the wake of the Fukushima meltdown following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. There is expected to be a shift back towards nuclear power, but Japan will also explore technologies such as hydrogen, ammonia and other sustainable fuels. Suga is also looking at developing the next generation of renewable energies including solar batteries and will also promote carbon recycling.