Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: ENEOS is strategically engaged with a number of climate policies in Japan taking both positive and negative positions. The company has actively opposed policies on the energy transition, particularly by supporting a continued role of fossil gas and oil. ENEOS holds key climate-related positions within the influential cross-sectorial industry association, Keidanren, and a number of petroleum-related industry associations in Japan, many of which have engaged negatively with climate policy.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: ENEOS’s top-line statements on climate policy were broadly positive, more recently it has made a number of statements that downplay the need for urgent climate action. On its corporate website accessed in August 2025, ENEOS supported government regulation to respond to climate change. However, the CEO appeared to support a less ambitious response to climate change in its Mid-term plan presentation in May 2025 as well as in a Nikkei Shimbun article published in January 2025, commenting that the path to carbon neutrality will be “slower than initially assumed”.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: ENEOS demonstrates limited but largely positive engagement with climate-related regulations in Japan. ENEOS Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of ENEOS, supported a policy framework for power purchase agreement in the 27th meeting of the Offshore Wind Power Working Group, hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) of Japan. In the 32nd meeting in the same working group held in June 2025, it supported a number of legislations promoting offshore wind. ENEOS mentions implementing energy efficiency standards within the organisation on their corporate website accessed in August 2025, however it is unclear if they support legislative energy efficiency standards.
Positioning on Energy Transition: ENEOS demonstrates active and largely negative engagement with Japanese energy transition policies, advocating for the continued development of fossil fuels including petroleum and fossil gas. ENEOS and its subsidiary, ENEOS Xplora has been taking part in the METI committee on resources and fuels. In the 42nd, 43rd and 44th meeting held in September and November 2024 and July 2025 respectively, Chairman Nakahara of ENEOS Xplora, advocated for government support for CCS, whilst also supporting a continued role of fossil gas and oil in the energy mix unaccompanied by timelines aligned with IPCC guidance. In the Electricity and Gas Policy Subcommittee held in June 2024 and Electricity System Reform Working Group held in July 2025, ENEOS appeared to support the role of thermal power without placing clear conditions on the deployment of CCS.
In a Synthetic Fuel Subcommittee held in December 2024, ENEOS supported an increased role of biofuels in the energy mix and transport, however, without recognizing the limitations and uncertainties. In the comments on Environment Impact Assessment submitted to the government, ENEOS Renewable Energy supported an increase in wind energy in the energy mix.
Industry Association Governance: As of August 2025, ENEOS has disclosed a partial list of its affiliated industry associations on its website, including details of the position held in the industry associations, but with limited details on how the company influences the associations’ climate change policy positions. ENEOS has not published a review of its alignment with its industry associations’ positions on climate change. ENEOS is a member of Petroleum Association of Japan (PAJ), Japan Petroleum Development Association (JPDA) and Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), all of which have active and negative climate policy engagement activities. Currently, CEO Nakahara of ENEOS Xplora, a subsidiary of ENEOS, serves as a Chairman of JPDA, and CEO of ENEOS Holdings, Miyata serves as Vice Chairperson of PAJ.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2025.