We all can agree that the world economy has entered unchartered territories. We also know that one of the largest problems facing the world, including Japan, is the carbon dioxide dilemma. Now is the time for the government to promote energy independence and a platform for Japan to increase its global influence through the aggressive pursuit of research into next-generation technologies such as fuel cells, hydrogen power stations, solar power, tidal power and nano-capacitor power storage.
Energy technology development is expensive, requires lots of education and has a long time frame for returns on investment. Japan may soon have to purchase massive amounts of carbon offsets with money that could be better spent on future investments rather than on mitigation of problems.
Cars like the Toyota Prius have already established Japan as a global leader in energy technologies. Japanese government and industry should invest in the future. The world will naturally buy into high-technology products that solve problems related to energy. And I believe the Japanese consumer will support an intelligent well thought out plan and buy into next-generation energy products enthusiastically.