Japan to launch trial carbon trade in autumn

Japan will start a trial system for carbon trade in the autumn, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said yesterday, unveiling a new climate change policy that set a goal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions for 2050 - but not for 2020.

Japan, the world's fifth-largest emitter, estimates it can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 14 percent by 2020 from current levels, Fukuda said, acknowledging but not bowing to pressure to set a firm interim target as host of the G8 summit next month.

Japan will aim to cut its emissions by 60-80 percent by 2050 and announce an interim target sometime next year and contribute up to $1.2 billion to a new multilateral fund with the United States and Britain that will help developing countries fight global warming, Fukuda added in a speech.