With Copenhagen less than 100 days away, nations around the world are scrambling to define their positions, make the outlines of what their demands will be and dig their heels in around important issues- and no one wants to be left behind. The new government in Japan is no exception.

Last weekend Japan voted the untested Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) who took over for the sitting party that had been in power for more than 50 years. While they of course cannot change any of the commitments in place, but they are showing that they can play politics with the best of them out there.

Recently they say that Japan’s commitment target of 25% cuts in their 1990 emissions levels by 2020 is contingent on China and India doing the same. This is the first direct call for a tie between nations that I have seen in any of the stories recently. Everyone is making their positions known, yes, but Japan is the first country I have seen tie their commitment to other specific countries.  
Savvy move.  

"This is not something Japan will do on its own. The premise is an agreement that includes other countries such as China and India,” said Katsuva Okada, DPJ Party Secretary.

Japan’s government, now out of office, had set a goal of a 15% reduction by 2020, down from 2005 levels. That is equivalent to an 8% drop from 1990 levels. Either is a step toward the 80% cuts that countries are talking about by 2050.

But so far its just talk. Copenhagen will be the defining moment when everyone has to make their stands and finalize their commitments- until then, more talk.

Reuters has put together a great chart comparing global greenhouse emissions targets.

Japan is the 5th largest greenhouse emitter in the world, and their emissions are rising. Businesses in Japan are against the Democrat emissions cuts- and they are preparing to lobby against the cuts. Sound familiar?

Copenhagen will only exacerbate the rift between government-called for cuts and the necessities of business- the same issue facing every industrialized country around the world. The push for commitments by the U.S. is wrapped up in the climate change legislation that will again take center-stage this fall.

The U.S. will need a climate change position and legislation in place in order to take a leadership role at Copenhagen and realistically demand things from other countries- but what will Japan do if there is no international agreement?

"We are trying to reach an agreement so we are not discussing what to do in the absence of an agreement," said Okada.

Man, these guys are good at politics. For their part, analysts believe that the DPJ will not change its emissions targets from what they talked about during their campaign, though skepticism remains around whether they can actually implement the changes they were talking about.

Bottom line: a new government in Japan means a new set of people to negotiate with, a new set of diplomats to talk to at Copenhagen and a new set of rules in Japan. What it also means is a new opportunity for the world to dig in its heels, hopefully in the same spots.