Carbon Pricing in Japan

This open access book evaluates, from an economic perspective, various measures introduced in Japan to prevent climate change. Although various countries have implemented such policies in response to the pressing issue of climate change, the effectiveness of those programs has not been sufficiently compared. In particular, policy evaluations in the Asian region are far behind those in North America and Europe due to data limitations and political reasons.

The first part of the book summarizes measures in different sectors in Japan to prevent climate change, such as emissions trading and carbon tax, and assesses their impact. The second part shows how those policies have changed the behavior of firms and households. In addition, it presents macro-economic simulations that consider the potential of renewable energy. Lastly, based on these comprehensive assessments, it compares the effectiveness of measures to prevent climate change in Japan and Western countries.

Providing valuable insights, this book will appeal to both academic researchers and policymakers seeking cost-effective measures against climate change. 

Dr. Toshi H. Arimura is a Professor of Political Science and Economics and Director of the Research Institute for Environment Economics and Management at Waseda University in Tokyo. Prior to joining Waseda, he was a Professor at Sophia University in Tokyo and a Visiting Scholar at George Mason University and Resources for the Future as a recipient of the Abe Fellowship. His research interests include climate change, energy policies, air pollution regulations and voluntary environmental actions. He has published his research in academic journals such as the Journal Environmental Economics and Management, Journal of Association of Environmental and Resources Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics and Ecological Economics and Energy Policy. He is a co-author of An Evaluation of Japanese Environmental Regulation: A Quantitative Approach from Environmental Economics (Springer 2015). Dr. Arimura holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Minnesota, an M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Tsukuba and a B.A. in History of Science from the University of Tokyo. He has served on a number of Japanese government committees on environmental issues, including the committees on carbon pricing (2018) and emission trading scheme (2010) of the environmental council under the Ministry of the Environment. He has served on local government advisory committees for emission trading schemes in Tokyo and Saitama. He has also been on the editorial boards of academic journals such as Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Economics of Energy and Environmental Policy and Environmental Economics and Policy Studies.In 2018, he was selected as one of 10 next-generation core researchers at Waseda University, and in the same year, he received the  SEEPS Outstanding Publication Award from the Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies (Japanese Association of Environmental Economics and Policy).

Dr. Shigeru Matsumoto joined the Aoyama Gakuin University faculty in 2008. He received a Heiwa Nakajima Foundation Scholarship to study at North Carolina State University, where he earned his Ph.D. in Economics. He also holds a Master’s in Environmental Science from Tsukuba University. Before joining Aoyama Gakuin University, he spent seven years as a member of the faculty at Kansai University. His research focuses on applied welfare economics, particularly consumer behavior analysis. In recent years, he has investigated households' pro-environmental behaviors, such as recycling and energy-saving practices, as well as consumers' valuation of food attributes like organic farming.