"Open the Future at the Ise-Shima Summit! Rally in Tokyo" Opens

This was followed by a panel discussion titled "Reflecting on the Summit's Progress: What Should We Focus On Now for the Ise-Shima Summit?" Coordinated by Anna Ogino, a French literature scholar, novelist, and Professor at Keio University's Faculty of Letters, the panel featured journalist and former NHK commentator Yatsuo Shimazu; Masataka Emori from the Climate Change Risk Assessment Research Laboratory at the National Institute for Environmental Studies; Hirokazu Kiuchi, Representative Director of the agricultural cooperative Wagōen; and Satoru Tezuka, Professor at Tokyo University of Technology's Faculty of Computer Science. They passionately discussed Japan's past efforts and ongoing challenges related to themes within their respective fields of expertise.

During the panel discussion, each speaker addressed Japan's energy policy. Shimazu provided a clear historical overview.

Following the first and second oil crises, the 1979 Tokyo Summit established upper limits for crude oil imports by developed nations, making "oil independence" a key challenge. At that time, Japan, an oil-dependent society, was forced to undergo a major energy transition, with energy conservation efforts extending from industry to households. This ultimately contributed to strengthening the competitiveness of Japanese industry.

From the 1990s, global warming became a serious concern, making CO2 emission reduction an international challenge. The Kyoto Protocol, agreed upon at COP3 in 1997, required Japan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 6% from the 1990 baseline level between 2008 and 2012.

Regarding CO2 emissions, Mr. Emori highlighted the "Beautiful Planet 50" (Cool Earth 50) declaration, a long-term goal proposed by Prime Minister Abe in 2007 to halve global CO2 emissions by 2050. Furthermore, at COP16 in 2010, the goal of limiting the global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels was established. At COP21, which opened in Paris, France, on November 30, the aim is to incorporate this into the agreement document.

Mr. Tezuka introduced how IT technology can contribute to solving energy and environmental problems. In the new urban models of "Smart Cities" and "Smart Communities," which aim to sustain economic growth while reducing environmental impact, networked systems will enable monitoring and controlling household electricity usage, leading to CO2 reduction. "When IT became a theme at the 2000 Kyushu-Okinawa Summit, the keyword was a 'global information society.' This means IT isn't just technology; it shapes society. Whether we use it well or not is up to us. The fundamental starting point is simply 'knowing' IT technology, but the 'digital divide' – the information gap between countries and generations – was already an agenda item back in 2000," he stated, outlining both prospects and challenges.

Mr. Kiuchi discussed Japanese agriculture from the perspective of "market opening." He explained that Japan's strengths lie in its "four seasons" – where plants sprout in spring, flourish in summer, bear fruit in autumn, and wither in winter, with the withered parts becoming nutrients for new growth in spring – and its clean water. "Japanese food is praised worldwide as wonderful. I hope this summit becomes the first year of an aggressive agriculture and food industry that captures this demand, collaborates with other industries, and provides everything from production to services globally," he stated, expressing his expectations for the Ise-Shima Summit.