1. The Japan Times
It sounds as if Japan is telling the world that it cannot do much to cut its greenhouse gas emissions unless it revives its nuclear power generation. The government says its new goal for reducing the nation's greenhouse gas emissions - which aims at a 3.8 per cent cut from 2005 levels by 2020 but allows for a 3.1 per cent increase from the 1990 levels - is the best it can pledge ... But what it needs to do is to explore ways for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that will not depend on the use of nuclear power. Today none of the nation's 50 nuclear reactors is online and the gap in power supply is being filled by thermal power generation using fossil fuels. Japan must develop [alternative] ways to reduce emissions. Tokyo
2. The New York Times
Japan's announcement that it would not meet its promise to sharply reduce its carbon emissions met a chorus of disapproval ... Delegates in Warsaw ... lamented Japan's move as a blow to worldwide efforts to slow global warming ... But Japan's about-face on its climate promises - which followed the government's decision to shut down its nuclear power generators after the meltdown at Fukushima - is also an opportunity for a reality check ... How will the world replace fossil fuels? Can it be done fast enough, cheaply enough and on a sufficient scale without nuclear energy? For all the optimism about the prospects of wind, sun and tides to power our future, the evidence suggests the answer is no. New York
