Environment Minister Shunichi Suzuki on Tuesday officially told the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) of the ministry's plans to introduce a tax on fossil fuels that generate greenhouse gases.
Suzuki met with top Nippon Keidanren officials, including chairman Hiroshi Okuda, in Tokyo.
"Based on the schedule for taking countermeasures to combat global warming step by step, we asked them to understand the need to start working on an environment tax so as to promote a thorough debate on the issue," Suzuki told a news conference after the meeting.