Corporate offices and convenience stores will be urged by the government to do more to cut the emission of greenhouse gases in order for Japan to meet the reduction target set in the Kyoto Protocol, it has been learned.

The new plans will be incorporated into the revised Law Concerning the Promotion of Measures to Cope with Global Warming, which is under examination by the government and whose content was revealed on Monday.

The revision is aimed at strengthening measures in the business sector where the emission of greenhouse gases have been rapidly increasing. Large factories are already covered by the existing law.

The amendment will be submitted to the current Diet session and is expected to come into effect in April next year.

Under the current law, business offices that discharge more than a certain amount of greenhouse gases are obliged to calculate the amount of emissions and report the figures to the government. By publicizing the amount of emissions, business establishments are prompted to voluntarily reduce the emissions.

Under the amended bill, convenience stores, department stores, schools and small offices will be obliged to calculate, report and publicize the amount of their greenhouse gas emissions if they exceed a certain figure.

The revision will extend the law's coverage in the business sector from the current 13 percent to about 50 percent.

Entities that will be newly subject to the emission reductions will be provided with numerical targets according to their floor space and other factors. The firms will be obliged to make such efforts as reducing the amount of power usage, making air conditioners more efficient and improving the insulation efficiency of their buildings.

Furthermore, businesses will be urged to display to consumers how much greenhouse gases were generated during the production process of their commercial products or the energy saving effect of their products so that consumers can choose which products to buy to better contribute to emission reductions.

From April, Japan will enter the five-year period set in the Kyoto Protocol during which the country will be required to reduce emissions by an average of 6 percent a year compared to 1990 -- which is the benchmark year.

However, Japan saw a 6.4 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions in fiscal 2006 compared to 1990. Specifically, emissions in the business sector rose by 41.7 percent and household outputs grew by 30.4 percent compared to 1990 figures -- prompting the government to focus on both fields in their new efforts to cut emissions.

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