Supporting 'Good Companies' that Create Future Society

Copyright 2017 Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society All Rights Reserved.

A variety of efforts have been made in Japan to generate money flows for building a better society.

Investment to Help Disaster-affected Areas -- Disaster Area Support Funds Initiative
Innovative 'Hometown Tax' Donation Program Supports Municipalities
Substantial Change toward Expansion: the Sustainable Investment Market in Japan
Growing ESG Investment Leading to Transformation of Japanese Companies

In this issue, we introduce ideas presented by an investment company striving to build a better society by investing in "good companies." We refer to an interview with Mr. Kazuhiro Arai, director and asset management manager of Kamakura Investment Management Co. That interview was published on the Institute of Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society website.
(Interviewer: Junko Edahiro, co-founder and chief executive, JFS)

Read more...

Japan Announces its Assistance Initiatives for Climate Action Plans in Developing Countries

Japan's Assistance Initiatives to Address Climate Change:
Responding to Needs of Developing Countries

The Japanese Ministry of the Environment announced "Japan's Assistance Initiatives to Address Climate Change: Responding to Needs of Developing Countries" on November 11, 2016. So far, Japan has undertaken various international support activities in the area of climate actions. The initiative shows Japan's support activities in developing countries in a comprehensible way, with 27 items in five areas, in order to more effectively develop and enhance Japan's contributions to implement international efforts to address climate change as articulated in the Paris Agreement.

Mitigation: Diffusion of superior low-carbon-emission technologies (10 items)

Japan has been working on the diffusion of advanced low-carbon-emission technologies and will continue to extend such technological assistance to respond the needs of developing countries, utilizing the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) system, and other means. Japan is implementing the JCM with 16 partner countries, where 101 projects are ongoing, such as a project of waste heat recovery for power generation in the cement industry in Indonesia and a project for highly efficient amorphous transformers in Vietnam.

Moreover, Japan will contribute to the development of rules concerning the use of the market mechanisms, utilizing the knowledge and experience accumulated from establishing JCM schemes as well as issuance of credits. In addition, Japan will continue to engage in the diffusion of energy-saving technologies, the promotion of appropriate development and usage of renewable energy sources, and the promotion of sustainable forest management in developing countries utilizing other schemes such as Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Adaptation: Sharing of Japan's experiences and cases (8 items)

Japan has so far helped share knowledge and good practices of adaptation beyond national borders, and contributed to the promotion of understanding of adaptation and assistance of progress in terms of policy measures on the global and regional levels, through such fora as the Global Adaptation Network (GAN), Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN), and Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) Asia Pacific Symposium. Japan will utilize its knowledge and technologies to continue and enhance its assistance to developing countries in the area of climate change impact assessment, which is a foundation for developing their adaptation plans, and thus contribute to the development and improvement of their adaptation planning.

Transparency: Human resource development for inventory enhancement, etc. (4 items)

Japan has so far contributed to the improvement of each nation's understanding of and capability to build GHG (greenhouse gas) inventories that will form a scientific foundation for emission reduction. In order to ensure effective functioning of a transparency framework under the Paris Agreement, Japan will actively contribute to enhancing developing countries' undertakings to improve their capabilities of measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV), through human resource development.

Measures against fluorocarbons: Comprehensive measures for controlling emission of fluorocarbons (1 item)

The building of emission inventories will be the basis for emission reduction of fluorocarbon. Japan will contribute to the developing countries' building of fluorocarbon inventories and improvement of their measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) capabilities. In addition, based on its experience, Japan will further enhance its support to reduce emissions throughout the lifecycle of fluorocarbons, including their recovery, destruction, and recycling processes, and will promote the understanding of the importance of such initiatives in the developing countries. In future, Japan will contribute to global emission control in a phased manner, by connecting its current undertakings to the support of the building of a comprehensive system for emission control of fluorocarbons.

SDG's: Support for sustainable society (4 items)

It is now necessary to take a more integrated approach with awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Japan will develop the Model City Program, a collaborative effort with ASEAN countries, into a program to achieve the SDGs in the areas of activities concerning the development of environmentally sustainable cities. Also, with environmental improvement projects undertaken by Japan's and developing countries' city-to-city collaboration, Japan will support the projects by evaluating them in terms of the SDGs.