Official: Japan hopes to lead Asian zero-emissions push

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s environment minister says the country will gradually phase out coal plants over the next two decades while developing new technologies to reduce, capture and recycle carbon. Environment Minister Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi said in an interview with The Associated Press that Japan hopes to lead a zero-emissions push in Asia and is preparing to introduce a carbon tax to meet its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Yamaguchi said it was unclear when Japan will manage to eliminate all of its coal-fired plants. Current efforts focus on developing methods to burn ammonia in conventional coal-fired plants and gradually phasing out use of coal entirely sometime in the 2040s.