Japan’s prime minister sets 2050 date for zero carbon emissions

The Tokyo Tower with Mount Fuji in the distance (David Davies/PA)

Japan will achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050, prime minister Yoshihide Suga declared, outlining an ambitious agenda as the country struggles to balance economic and pandemic concerns.

The policy speech at the outset of the parliamentary session was Mr Suga’s first since he took office on September 16 after his boss Shinzo Abe resigned over health reasons.