Climate Politics in Japan

Senior Policy Advisor Ken Sofer discusses how the United States and Japan can collaborate to achieve the international goals laid out in the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

The 2015 Paris climate agreement was a significant achievement in international efforts against climate change, but the agreement’s success will depend heavily on the domestic politics of major emitters such as Japan and the United States. As the agreement enters the implementation phase, it is crucial for U.S. policymakers to understand the roles, interests, and relative power of the numerous political actors in Japan’s climate policy process. This report examines the role of public opinion, a bureaucratized decision-making process, and the balance of power between interest groups in the formulation of Japan’s climate and energy goals, and how these forces both complicate and provide opportunities for greater U.S.-Japanese collaboration to combat climate change.

The above excerpt was originally published in Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA. Click here to view the full article.

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