Press Releases

1. Minister Kamikawa, warmly welcoming the visit of Mr. Podesta, stated that Japan will continue to lead the efforts of the international community for global decarbonization together with the United States.
2. Minister Kamikawa also stated that Japan, in order to achieve 1.5 degree goal of the Paris Agreement, is committed to achieving net-zero by 2050 and the aligned greenhouse gas reduction target by FY2030. Minister Kamikawa also underlined that Japan would accelerate Green Transformation (GX) and continue to contribute to global decarbonization.
3. Mr. Podesta responded by introducing the U.S. administration's efforts to date in addressing climate change as well as his plans for future activities. Toward global decarbonization, Minister Kamikawa and Mr. Podesta concurred on the importance that all countries, including major emitters, should make efforts in their emissions reduction in the spirit of solidarity, and reaffirmed to keep their close cooperation and engagement for that purpose.

[Reference] Mr. Podesta served as the counselor to President Barack Obama, where he was responsible for inter-agency coordination of the administration’s climate policy and initiatives. In 2022, he was appointed as the Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation. On top of this portfolio, he was recently appointed as the Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, following Mr. John Kerry’s departure of this month from his post as the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.