Japan will target a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 from 1990 levels, Yukio Hatoyama reiterated Sept. 7.

Yukio Hatoyama announces his ambitious greenhouse gas emissions cut in Tokyo on Sept. 7. KYODO PHOTO

Hatoyama's target is more ambitious than that of the man he will be succeeding as prime minister, Taro Aso, and one that has drawn fire from industry.

"We will change the government's current policy, based on our platform," Hatoyama said in a speech in Tokyo. His Democratic Party of Japan has promised to cut Japan's emissions by a quarter over a 30-year period.

Hatoyama urged other major countries to agree on "ambitious" reduction targets, saying such an accord will be a "precondition" for Tokyo's renewed emissions cut goal.

"We will aim to establish a fair and effective international framework involving all major countries in the world" to fight global warming, he said.

The goal is contingent on other countries adopting similar targets, Hatoyama said. The European Union is urging wealthy economies to cut greenhouse gases by 2020 under a new United Nations treaty to fight climate change.

Almost 200 countries will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, later this year to forge an agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol after it expires in 2012.

Business leaders were perplexed by the tougher emissions cut target unveiled by Hatoyama. The Japan Business Federation, the nation's top business lobby, said it opposes any cut bigger than 6 percent. It said in May that a 4 percent increase from 1990 levels was the "most rational goal" in terms of viability and the financial burden on consumers.