The 2023 G7 Leaders Summit is an opportunity to pressure the Japanese government to stop financing fossil fuels and promoting false solutions. After resisting commitments to phase out fossil fuels at COP26 (the only G7 country to do so), Japan finally committed to phasing out unabated fossil fuel projects at last year’s G7 meeting.
However, Japan recently launched an intense strategy to advance its “green transformation” and Asia energy transition initiatives. Japan is promoting fossil gas as a transition fuel and is driving the expansion of fossil fuel-based technologies such as ammonia-coal co-firing, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage (CCS). This strategy would block the renewable energy transition, undermine energy security, and worsen the climate crisis.
Hosting the G7 summit is a moment of national pride for Japan – it’s our chance to challenge them. Japan is the world’s top financier of fossil fuels and is promoting false solutions prolonging the use of fossil fuels when we should be phasing them out immediately.
In 2022, the G7 agreed to decarbonize by 2035, with coal phase-out by 2030 and fossil-fuel vehicles phase-out by 2035. But Japan won’t give up fossil fuels and is determined to export outdated fossil fuel technologies and rebrand them to “less developed” Asian countries in the name of development.
This is a betrayal to Japan’s role as G7 lead and to its fellow Asian countries and communities that have already lost lives and livelihoods to forced evictions, pollution, and climate-induced disasters. All of Asia deserves to breathe clean air, to be safe from heatwaves, floods and rising sea levels, and to live free from the fear of eviction brought by Japanese-funded fossil fuel projects.
The G7 cannot afford to backslide on its commitments in 2022, and Japan’s attempt to block a clear timeline for coal phase-out and push false solutions risk running the people and the planet over the cliff of climate catastrophe.
As this year’s summit president, Japan can show leadership in raising ambition among the G7 and Asian countries. This means a full stop to Japanese financing of fossil fuels in Asia and everywhere.
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The Group of Seven (G7) Hiroshima Summit is happening in May 2023, where the largest economies will come together to address global issues, including the climate crisis. Japan's G7 presidency presents a unique opportunity to demand an end to fossil fuels.
However, Japan plans to continue using fossil fuels until 2030 and exporting outdated dirty energy technologies to Asian countries under the guise of "development." This policy ignores the plight of those in Asia affected by forced evictions, pollution, and climate disasters.
Our demands are simple: we want clean air, safety, and protection from eviction. Achieving these requires Japan to stop funding all fossil fuels everywhere.
To the Government of Japan:
Japan’s G7 presidency this year opens a unique opportunity for us to act and demand that the government stop supporting all fossil fuels NOW.
It has been found that Japan does not want to give up fossil fuels before and beyond 2030; it opposes setting a clear timeline for coal phase-out domestically and advocates for gas investment, both domestically and abroad.[1] Under the current policy, Japan is determined to export greenwashing fossil technologies,[2] rebranding them, to those “less developed” Asian countries in the name of development and international cooperation.
The policy's sole purpose is to save Japan’s dying fossil fuel industry, while countless people in Asia have already suffered from forced evictions, pollution, and climate disasters. The policy will only worsen the current climate and democracy crisis in Asia and the world.
Our demands are clear and simple: we want to breathe clean air, live without the fear of drowning from floods, and live without the fear of getting evicted from our homes.
To the Government of Japan, stop supporting all fossil fuels in Asia and everywhere NOW.
Reference
[1,2] US and Other G7 Members Oppose Japan’s Push For Fossil Fuel Investment - Bloomberg
The G7 governments are at a crucial point where they must decide whether to maintain the current state of pollution and climate emergency, or pave the way for a fossil-free economy that benefits everyone.
G7 leaders stated their commitment to “accelerate” the phase out of fossil fuels, but didn’t walk the talk: they promoted fossil gas expansion under the guise of being “appropriate” for the times.
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Join our creative, collaborative actions in time for the G7 summit week, to demand a better future for all. You can now register an action, or learn more on how to pariticipate or organise an action through our solidarity action toolkit.
