Japan’s New Leader Pledges Sharp Emissions Cut

TOKYO — Japan’s prime minister-elect breathed new life into efforts to curb global warming Monday, standing by a campaign pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent in the next 10 years from 1990 levels — a target that environmentalists said puts Japan at the forefront of the fight against climate chang

“Climate change is already upon us, and its effects are amplifying,” Mr. Hatoyama told an environment conference in Tokyo. “Of course, Japan’s reduction targets alone cannot stop climate change. We will seek to build an international framework that involves all major countries and is fair and realistic.”

He also said “the condition for Japan’s promise to international society is that all major countries agree to ambitious targets.”