TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan will consider increasing financial incentives for environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment, top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said on Friday.
The support would come as Japan aims to cut greenhouse gases to zero by 2050 and become a carbon-neutral society, a policy goal announced by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga last month.
Expanding support for environment-friendly investments, including carbon-neutral ones, through subsidies or changes to the tax system was among issues discussed on Friday at a meeting of the Growth Strategy Council, a public-private sector panel headed by Kato, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary.
Other items discussed were energy innovation, such as in green and hydrogen energy, as well as introducing renewable energy as much as possible while also promoting nuclear energy, a meeting document showed.
The government wants to draw up plans for achieving its goal of becoming a carbon-neutral society by year-end, Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama said last month.
(Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
