Japan Could Ban Sales Of New Gasoline, Diesel Cars In Mid-2030s: Report

The mechanism to curb the effects of climate change is not showing signs of a halt. And of course, the automotive industry, which admittedly contributes to the current mess, is finding ways to reverse the adversities, mostly by switching to selling electric and hybrid vehicles – or at least they won't have a choice.

Japan is the latest country to announce a deadline to ban the selling of new gasoline- and diesel-powered cars. This is according to NHK, the country's public broadcaster, and relayed in a report by Reuters.

According to the report, Japan is eyeing the mid-2030s for the deadline and is expecting automakers to comply by not selling new fossil fuel-powered vehicles by the said period. It's important to note that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has pledged in October that Japan will have zero emissions by 2050 on a net basis.

With this, the Land of the Rising Sun is joining the other countries that have set a deadline. Britain, Norway, and Germany have announced so recently, as well as some parts of the United States and Canada.

Automakers have already responded to this cause a long time ago, that's why there are more hybrid and electric vehicles now more than ever. These companies know that this is the future, and switching over to electrified vehicles will make them future-proof, as they say.

Japan's new deadline, however, will put pressure on its homegrown automakers like Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi to hasten the R&D timeline for electrification. We've seen new Japanese models, such as the Nissan Ariya EV crossover, this year, so expect more in the near future.

NHK reports that Japan's industry ministry is expected to give a formal target for the sales ban by the end of this year.