No.154 Opinion Exchange Meeting with the National and Local Three Organizations

On November 15, the second opinion exchange meeting was held in the Ministry of the Environment's conference room as a forum for discussions between the national and local governments regarding regional decarbonization.

From the Ministry of the Environment, Minister Keiichiro Asao, Vice Minister Hiroshi Nakada, Vice Minister Fumiaki Kobayashi, and Parliamentary Secretary Kiyoshi Igarashi, along with staff related to regional decarbonization, were present.

From the local side, Nagasaki Koutarou, the Governor of Yamanashi Prefecture and Vice Chairman of the National Governors' Association's Decarbonization and Global Warming Countermeasures Headquarters, and Suzuki Shigeo, the Mayor of Kuzumaki Town in Iwate Prefecture and Vice Chairman of the National Association of Towns and Villages, attended.

I was also scheduled to attend, but since it coincided with the schedule of the Tamagawa Sanitation Association's Regular Session, I will be participating online only.

On the day, after receiving greetings from the Minister, Vice Minister, and Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Omori, the Regional Decarbonization Promotion Commissioner, provided an overview of the future direction compiled by the "Study Group on the Future of Regional Decarbonization Policy," and each of the three local organizations was asked to speak.

I serve as the Chairperson of the Special Committee on Environmental Measures of the National Mayors' Association, and from that position, I made comments on the following five points.

1. Regarding the Realization of Decarbonization in the Household Sector
   The national "Global Warming Countermeasures Plan" has set reduction targets for each sector by the fiscal year 2030 compared to the fiscal year 2013. The industrial sector is set at 38%, the business and other sectors at 51%, the transportation sector at 35%, and the energy conversion sector at 47%, with efforts being made in each sector by companies and other initiatives.
   On the other hand, the household sector is set at 66%, but it is unclear who will achieve this and how. In such cases, local issues tend to be shifted to the nearby City Hall, but municipalities do not have sufficient financial resources or authority.
   Therefore, we have requested the national government to clarify the responsible parties and methods, and we have also asked for enhanced financial resources to expand the unique subsidy projects implemented by each city for the purpose of decarbonization for citizens.
2. About the Expansion of Solar Power System Connections
   When installing solar panels, there are times when one has to wait a long time from the connection application for selling electricity until it can start operating, resulting in wasted power generation during that period. Therefore, we requested a reduction in the waiting time.
3. Support for Small Local Governments
   Efforts for decarbonization are creating disparities between regions. It was argued that for small municipalities, which lack human and financial resources, it is important for related entities such as prefectures and regional financial institutions to collaborate and complement each other.
4. Support for Small and Medium Enterprises
   As with point 3, it was argued that small and medium enterprises should demonstrate a proactive stance in providing support, as it is difficult for them to resolve issues independently.
5. Horizontal Deployment of Leading Examples and Financial Measures for Regional Decarbonization
   The Ministry of the Environment aims to designate at least 100 decarbonization leading regions by 2030 and to horizontally deploy their excellent examples. However, it is not easy to disseminate some pioneering cases to local governments across the country.
   It is also important to select menus tailored to the characteristics of each region, develop feasible standard packages, and provide technical and financial support for their implementation.

Measures against global warming have been positioned as an urgent and critical issue, but it is still difficult to say that they have permeated throughout the entire nation.

While the top runner approach to technological development is important, I believe it is especially crucial to raise awareness among individuals and to enhance the efforts of local governments across the country, regardless of their size, in order to advance the household sector.

We will continue to engage in discussions with the national government, prefectures, and municipalities, and strive to advance decarbonization.