minerva fellowship

The EU-Japan Centre’s MINERVA programme is a 6-month in-house research scheme in Japan designed to support the research and policy analysis of EU-Japan economic and industrial issues. For FY2022, MINERVA experts have conducted research on the topics of hydrogen supply chains, circular economy, and the defense industry. 

MINERVA is a 6-month in-house research scheme in Japan, designed to support its research and policy analysis of EU-Japan economic and industrial issues.

This report takes a look at Japan’s decarbonisation strategies, with a focus on the local and regional levels. At the core of the report are a few main research questions. First, what role do Japanese municipalities and regions play in the transition to a decarbonised society? How do cities understand this role, and what programs have been implemented in service of a commitment to a greener future? What opportunities exist for a diversity of actors—residents, governments, businesses—to collaborate on decarbonisation?

This report, on the basis of over 40 interviews with stakeholders from the Japanese and EU private and public sectors, alongside desk-based research, presents a snapshot of Japan’s circularity. It gives an overview of Japan’s current awareness of circularity and its circular economy policy framework, which centres around the concept of a Sound Material-Cycle Society, its Circular Economy Vision 2020, alongside a table of key circularity indicators comparing the EU and Japan.