Scotland and Japan should forge strong links to develop new technology to help tackle climate change and accelerate moves to a low carbon economy.

Yesterday, in a speech at Tokyo University, John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, invited Japanese companies and universities to work with Scottish counterparts in finding new ways to help achieve renewable energy goals.

He told the audience of business leaders and students that, as a leader in efforts to tackle climate change, steered by the world's most ambitious emission reduction targets, Scotland was adopting aggressive renewable energy targets.

He emphasised that this presents opportunities for an exchange of expertise in creating new technologies and therefore result in investment, trade partnerships and research opportunities.

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He said: "The economic opportunity presented by the move to a low carbon economy is one of the mainstays in the Scottish Government's climate change policy, particularly in the production of electricity from renewable energy sources.

"We have set ourselves one of the most challenging targets in Europe for electricity from renewable sources - 50% by 2020 - and we want to work with innovative and groundbreaking partners in reaching this goal and providing the rest of the world with the technology to make the transition to renewables easier."

Mr Swinney said Japan has great potential to avail itself of both deepwater offshore wind and in wave and tidal technologies - sectors where Scotland is a recognised world leader - and he called for collaboration between the two nations as Japan begins to develop its own offshore wind resources.

He said: "The next 10 years will see up to 10-12GW of offshore wind developed in Scottish waters. This represents a major investment opportunity for Japanese companies and the chance to gain experience in the development and operation of offshore wind farms."

Mr Swinney also invited more Japanese companies to take part in the £10m Saltire Prize competition. The prize is open to international competition for the best demonstration of commercial scale electricity production from marine energy in Scottish waters over the next five years.

The world-leading Climate Change (Scotland) Bill will introduce targets to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by at least 80% by 2050 and, before then, to reduce emissions by 42% by 2020 - probably the most ambitious medium term target of any country.

(GK/JM)