Japan plans to seek to expand the environment business market to ¥100 trillion by 2015, about 1.4 times the 2006 level, to increase jobs in the area by 800,000 to 2.2 million, government sources said Jan. 5.

The envisioned program would aim to represent a Japanese version of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's Green New Deal, according to the sources.

Prime Minister Taro Aso is expected to order Environment Minister Tetsuo Saito to compile the project, under which Japan seeks to prop up the economy by promoting measures to curb global warming, they said.

The project is aimed at curbing carbon dioxide emissions by the use of energy-saving products and investment in environment-related industries, they said.