Prepared Remarks for the Mission Innovation Launch Event
by Prime Minister Abe
Japan
November 30, 2015
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the government of the United States, the government of France, other participating countries and like-minded private investors who have gathered here this afternoon, for their efforts in launching the Mission Innovation.
Back in 1973, Japan was in the midst of high economic growth. The so-called first oil shock was literally a national crisis for the country which was highly dependent upon imported oil.
Oil prices roughly quadrupled. The Japanese industry was forced to make strenuous efforts for energy efficiency.
The Japanese government promoted development of various technologies in order to improve energy efficiency. The “Sunshine Project” which sought for alternative energies to oil, and the “Moonlight Project” aiming at thorough energy efficiency, are two such illustrations.
It has been forty years ever since. Ahead of the rest of the world, Japan has realized widespread diffusion of solar energy generation as well as the commercialization of fuel-cell vehicles. We are now aiming for the realization of a hydrogen society.
The problem today is no longer oil prices, but GHG emissions. Even so, the fact that the development of innovative technologies is the solution to the problem remains unchanged.
For instance, let us take artificial photosynthesis, which produces plastic from water. Since the 1970s, Japan has been actively promoting research on water decomposition using photocatalysts. This March, a Japanese research institution achieved the world highest level of solar energy conversion efficiency in the field of water decomposition. This could very well pave the way for the development of clean chemical industrial zones with zero CO2 emissions in equatorial regions in the future.
Next-generation storage batteries that extend the cruising range of electric vehicles by five times at significantly lower cost are also technologies with dream-like potential.
By next spring, Japan will identify promising areas of technologies which requires concentration of resources, to strengthen research and development in those fields.
Japan has hosted the international conference called ICEF, or Innovation for Cool Earth Forum since last year. It is our intention to solve various global challenges in this field through sharing technology roadmaps among academia, businesses and governments worldwide, in order to accelerate innovation.
The Mission Innovation is very much in line with what Japan has consistently tackled through all these years. I hereby express Japan’s intention to participate in this initiative.
Together with global leaders here today, I will continue to work towards achieving a low-carbon society.
