The road to renewable energy in Japan, a top CO2 emitter

The Fukushima region affected by the 2011 nuclear disaster has invested heavily in renewable energy — a sector Japan was slow to embrace, but now considers key to reaching carbon neutrality.

Here are some things to know about renewables in Japan, which remains one of the top emitters of planet-warming CO2:

Japan aims to become carbon-neutral by 2050, the same goal as the European Union and ahead of China’s target to reach net-zero emissions by 2060.

The country has a long way to go, however. Japan is the world’s sixth-biggest carbon emitter if the EU is counted as one bloc, according to European Commission data.