German-Japanese cooperation to be expanded
Parliamentary State Secretary Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter has travelled to Japan for political talks. She will attend the 6th German-Japanese Environmental Dialogue Forum which focusses on renewable energies. "The climate goals agreed and a high standard of living in an intact environment for future generations can only be achieved with continued accelerated expansion of renewable energies. This is the path on which we wish to intensify our cooperation with Japan", Schwarzelühr-Sutter outlined.
Over the coming days Parliamentary State Secretary will meet her colleague Hideki Makihara, Parliamentary Secretary of the Environment at the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, and Shunichi Tanaka, Chairman of Japan’s new Nuclear Regulation Authority. Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks has made international climate policy a top priority for her term in office and put the focus on a direct exchange with important international negotiation partners from the beginning. Ms Schwarzelühr-Sutter’s trip follows up on a visit of State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth to the US, India, China and Russia and is evidence of intensive international climate policy cooperation.
At the last session of the CoP in November in Warsaw Japan revised its climate goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 as compared to 1990 to a reduction of only 3.8 percent as compared to 2005. At the same time Japan clearly committed itself to long-term climate protection goals. Before starting her trip Schwarzelühr-Sutter showed understanding for Japan’s special situation and offered further cooperation with Germany: "We want to support Japan in overcoming the problems related to the Fukushima disaster. Together we can learn a lot and use opportunities effectively as we are convinced that only a sustainable energy supply can guarantee a high standard of living and an intact environment in the long term".