Japan is hoping startups can help the fifth-biggest carbon dioxide polluter prepare for and adapt to a warmer world.
The Environment Ministry is offering ¥60 billion ($415 million) of support for the commercialization of homegrown climate and environmental technology through the Japan Green Investment Corp. for Carbon Neutrality, a government-backed fund that invests in ventures to reduce emissions. The effort is expected to promote innovations in areas from aquaculture to flood defenses.
"We realized that it’d be difficult to address climate issues without embracing the innovation, creativity and free thinking at startups,” State Minister of the Environment Fumiaki Kobayashi said in an interview Wednesday.
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