Tokyo governor: Environmental policy is growth strategy

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:19 JST, April 28, 2022

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike spoke to the Yomiuri International Economic Society at a Tokyo hotel on Wednesday, saying “environmental policy is a growth strategy” and pledging to accelerate efforts to require solar panels on new houses.

The Tokyo metropolitan government has set a goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to the 2000 level.

“Given the current energy situation, we need to move forward as quickly as possible,” Koike said at the Palace Hotel Tokyo in Marunouchi, Tokyo. She said she would hasten the process of revising relevant metropolitan ordinances to make the installation of solar panels mandatory.

Koike also stressed that efforts would be made to promote the spread of charging facilities for electric vehicles.

“The global trend is to integrate the environment and finance,” Koike said, and expressed her intention to actively seek private sector investment to decarbonize Japan.

She also said she would promote digitalization through the development of a 5G network and other measures.

Koike talked about the establishment this fiscal year of an office within the Tokyo metropolitan government for coordinating policies related to children.

“The term ‘childcare leave’ has a strong nuance of ‘vacation,’ and it makes people feel somewhat guilty,” Koike said. “It would be better to change the term to ‘childcare activities,’ for example.”