Japan is considering a ban on the sale of new fuel cars from 2030, Japanese broadcaster NHK reports Autonews. Such a ban should help Japan to be fully climate neutral by 2050.
A specific year is not yet clear from the intention of the Japanese government, but according to the highest spokesman, the Japanese Ministry of Industry will come up with a detailed plan before the end of the year. This is currently being discussed with experts. It remains to be seen whether the sales ban will actually apply from 2030, because there is talk of ‘mid-2030s’, which could just as well be 2035. If Japan does come up with a concrete deadline, it would be the second G7 member to implement such a measure. Hybrids, especially popular with Toyota, are also likely to be banned.
Japanese President Yoshihide Suga previously set a stricter climate target for his country: Japan must be completely climate neutral by 2050. The Asian country is the fifth largest in the world when it comes to CO2 emissions, so there is a big profit to be made. Japanese car manufacturers are already busy developing electric models. Toyota is betting on hydrogen and a wide range of EVs, Honda is working on an electric SUV and Nissan recently introduced the Ariya. Incidentally, the year 2030 seems to be a kind of turning point for car manufacturers. For example, Volvo probably only wants to have EVs on offer from that year. Obviously, more countries will follow with a ban on the sale of new fuel cars around that time.