Japan boosts renewable energy targets as it tries to catch up with its neighbors

Japan unveiled plans to make renewable energy the country’s top power source by 2040.

Tokyo has been a laggard by rich-country standards when it comes to decarbonizing its energy system: Wind and solar account for just 12% of the country’s electricity generation, compared to 27% in the European Union, according to the think tank Ember, and Japan still depends on coal for 32% of its power, almost double the OECD average.

The new targets are part of efforts to meet Tokyo’s net-zero goals, as well as a bid to reduce its vulnerability to geopolitical uncertainty. Last year, 70% of Japan’s power was reliant on fossil fuels, nearly all of which were imported.