The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly has enacted a by-law that will start imposing limits in fiscal 2010 on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by large business establishments. This is the first move in Japan to impose compulsory limits on COﾃｨ emissions.
The central government plans to introduce carbon trading this fall on a trial basis. It is hoped the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's move will help accelerate efforts by the central and other local governments to curb greenhouse-gas emissions.
COﾃｨ emissions in Tokyo accounted for about 4.5 percent of the nation's total emissions in fiscal 2005. About 40 percent the emissions came from business establishments. COﾃｨ emission limits will be imposed on about 1,300 business establishments, such as department stores, hotels, universities and factories, each of which consumes an equivalent of 1,500 kiloliters or more of crude oil annually.