Special Report

Japan and Sustainability

Prime minister Yoshihide Suga has vowed to build a ‘green society’, but the country’s dependence on fossil fuels will be hard to break. Plus: climate-proofing the Olympics; ESG incentives; whalers face extinction; nuclear dilemma; Sony’s man on a mission

© Issei Kato/Reuters/Alamy
Suga’s net-zero pledge sparks fierce debate

The prime minister’s surprise declaration is forcing Japan to rethink its energy strategy

Tokyo’s troubled Olympics offers taste of problems to come

Organisers of future events must learn to factor in extreme weather and Covid-19

Ex-chair of world’s biggest pension fund sounds caution on ESG

Eiji Hirano says Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund must stay focused on returns

Safety blunders fuel Japan’s mistrust of nuclear power

But keeping most reactors shut down in the wake of Fukushima is hampering efforts to cut carbon emissions

Why Japan’s whalers are an endangered species

Changing consumer tastes could spell the end of a controversial industry

Corporate Japan gets serious about ESG

Managers are waking up to the need for concrete action on sustainability and human rights

More from this Special Report

Sun fails to shine on Japan’s solar sector

A flagship energy scheme has been undermined by policy shifts and adverse demographics

Japan faces heat over Bangladesh’s coal power

Funding commitment for Matarbari scheme sits awkwardly with carbon pledges

High costs dog Tokyo’s hydrogen buses

Economic realities threaten a bold experiment in green public transport

Sony boss shows a passion for social purpose

Kenichiro Yoshida sees an ESG focus as crucial to the entertainment group’s future success

Will Tokyo’s Olympics win gold for sustainability?

The event’s organisers have touted its eco-friendliness, but critics fear the rhetoric may outstrip the reality

Coal retains its grip on Japan’s energy mix

The fuel is among the dirtiest but, after Fukushima, alternatives are hard to come by

Japan faces up to its plastic problem

The government wants to raise public awareness of the true costs of throwaway packaging

Shinjiro Koizumi: rising star with a toxic dilemma

Fukushima offers a stern test for Japan’s mould-breaking environment minister

UN sustainability goals set standard for Japan

Executives make much of their commitment — but actions speak louder than lapel pins

Coronavirus catalyses change in Japan’s offices

Big-name corporations are finally confronting the inefficiencies of workplace culture

Small islands create big environmental headache for Japan

The country’s sprawling archipelago makes waste disposal a costly challenge

ESG rises up the agenda for Japanese business

Companies are engaging more with sustainability, though not always for the greenest of motives

Investors push for sound data on sustainability

A fuller picture is emerging of Japanese companies’ ESG performance, though gaps remain

Japan bets on ammonia as the fuel of the future

The pungent gas could offer the best way for the country to import renewable energy