Japan’s Renewable Energy Institute (REI) has released on the 16th of October 2025, a new report titled “The Decarbonization Pathway for Japan’s Cement Industry: Take Urgent Actions to Align with the 1.5°C Target.” The study calls for immediate and coordinated action to bring Japan’s cement sector in line with global climate goals.
Cement is currently Japan’s third-largest industrial source of CO₂ emissions, following the steel and chemical industries. The country’s 28 cement plants have a combined capacity of around 50Mtpa, with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) making up roughly 70% of production and blast furnace slag cement another 20%.
While the report acknowledges Japan’s growing use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), it emphasises that achieving deep decarbonisation will require tackling both energy-related and process-related emissions, including those linked to electricity consumption.
The REI analysis compares its findings with the Japan Cement Association’s (JCA) 2022 publication, “Long-term Vision for Carbon Neutrality in the Cement Industry,” which set interim goals for 2030 and a carbon-neutral outlook for 2050. However, REI points out significant gaps between the JCA roadmap and the Global Cement and Concrete Association’s (GCCA) global targets.
While the GCCA sets intensity-based CO₂ reduction targets encouraging wider use of blended cements, the JCA focuses solely on aggregate CO₂ reductions. The clinker factor assumptions also differ notably: the GCCA projects 0.58 by 2030 and 0.52 by 2050, compared to the JCA’s 0.825 and 0.80, which REI describes as “overly conservative.”
The report highlights Japan’s slower progress compared to global peers — particularly in adopting blended cements, shifting away from coal, and scaling up renewable electricity.
“To achieve the 1.5°C target and avoid overreliance on CCUS, Japan’s cement industry must accelerate its efforts toward 2030 and 2035,” the report states. “The strategic adoption and expansion of low-carbon blended cements is now imperative — ensuring their business viability and long-term market presence will be crucial.”
More details can be found on the website of Japan’s Renewable Energy Institute (REI)
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