Japan proposes change to zero-emission vehicle target in G7 statement

Japan is pushing for the withdrawal of a target related to zero-emission vehicles from a G7 statement due this week, according to a draft text seen by Reuters.

The pressure from Japan, an influential member of the group of seven richest countries, comes as the Japanese auto industry faces scrutiny from “green” investors. According to them, the country has been slow to adopt zero-emission vehicles and has lobbied against regulations that would encourage a faster transition to fleet electrification.

Japan has proposed removing a reference to a “collective target of at least 50% zero-emission vehicles by 2030,” according to a draft of the statement seen by Reuters.

Instead, the country proposed a less concrete goal of “significantly increasing the sale, participation and implementation of zero-emission light vehicles, recognizing the variety of paths members are taking to achieve these goals,” according to the draft. .

A person familiar with the matter confirmed that Japan had proposed the changes, asking not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. It was not clear whether the requested changes would be in the final version of the communiqué, which should be released at the end of the leaders’ summit, held in Germany, on Tuesday.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment.

Japan had pressed to withdraw the target of all new car and van sales in G7 countries being “zero-emission vehicles” by 2035 from the G7 ministers’ late-May statement, according to sources familiar with the news. discussions and a draft of the communiqué seen by Reuters.

In the end, the 2035 target was not included in the final declaration, which pledged to achieve a “highly decarbonised road sector by 2030”, “significantly increasing” sales of zero-emission vehicles.

Both Japan’s auto industry lobby and leading automaker Toyota say automakers shouldn’t limit themselves to specific technologies and need to maintain a range of options to reach the carbon neutral goal by 2050.

Toyota, the world’s biggest automaker by sales, said fossil fuels, not internal combustion engines, were the problem. In addition to hybrids, which it popularized more than two decades ago with the Prius, the manufacturer also defends hydrogen technology, although so far it has not spread like battery electric cars.