Japan is looking to raise its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target to at least 40% compared with fiscal 2013 levels, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.
The move, a drastic increase from the government's original target of slashing emissions by 26%, comes ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden on April 16, and a virtual summit on climate change to be hosted by Biden on April 22 and 23.
The 2030 target, which the government aims to finalize by the Group of Seven summit in June, is a cornerstone of Suga's goal of making Japan a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050.