TOKYO – Japan Today
Japan welcomes the expected return of the United States to the Paris agreement on climate change under President-elect Joe Biden, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said Monday.
Biden is reportedly planning to sign about a dozen executive orders on his inauguration day on Wednesday, including one to bring his country back to the 2015 Paris Agreement on curbing greenhouse gas emissions, reversing its exit under President Donald Trump.
“While we want to refrain from making any prejudgment on what specific policies Biden will present, we welcome the U.S. return to the Paris accord,” said the top government spokesman at a regular news conference.
Last year, Suga vowed to reduce Japan’s net emissions to zero by 2050, and Biden seeks to achieve the same in his country.
The two held phone talks in November after Biden declared his election win and reaffirmed strengthening the bilateral alliance in a range of areas including climate change.
Kato said Japan hopes to continue working closely with the United States to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region.