Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Lobbying Overview: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) engages actively and exhibits both positive and negative engagement with science-aligned climate policy. It appears to have broadly positive top-line messaging on climate change, while advocating for the continued use of fossil gas in the energy mix with CCUS and for the production of hydrogen. It engages positively on renewable energy legislation, while holding prominent positions in industry associations which have opposed key climate regulations in Japan. Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: MHI has limited and positive recent top-line messaging on climate change. In an April 2025 online article, it supported government regulations to reach 2050 carbon neutrality targets from multiple countries in Asia. MHI supported government measures to transition towards zero-carbon technologies or infrastructure in an online article in December 2024. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Americas President and CEO Takajiro Ishikawa supported zero emissions transition timelines in an interview in April 2024. In a March 2024 online article, it supported growth-oriented carbon pricing under Japan’s GX strategy. Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: MHI has limited and broadly positive recent evidence of engagement with climate related regulations. In an online article in May 2025, MHI supported greater investment in renewable energy and legislation to streamline regulations and permits, aiming to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. Furthermore, MHI supported government investments in green hydrogen infrastructure in an online article in September 2024. In an April 2024 interview, MHI supported further government investments into renewable energy following the success of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the United States. Positioning on Energy Transition: MHI appears to hold broadly negative positions on the energy transition. In the United States, in a February 2025 joint letter to the US Senate and House of Representatives, MHI advocated for a prominent role for fossil gas as a feedstock for hydrogen production. In a January 2025 joint letter to the US House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, it opposed the rollback of specific CCUS incentives, including the IRA's 45Q tax credit that incentivizes CO2 storage through CCUS. However, while promoting the use of CCUS for energy production and manufacturing, it did not mention how CCUS can contribute to the transition to a net-zero energy and industrial sector in line with IPCC mitigation pathways. MHI published a few articles in July 2025. One online article advocated for infrastructure, investments, and research into renewable synthetic e-fuels in the aviation and shipping sectors. Another online article advocated for synthetic methane as a way to use gas infrastructure in the long term, without placing clear timelines on fossil gas phase-out. A different online article supported the use of hydrogen produced from renewable energy (green) and from fossil fuels with clear conditions around the use of CCS (blue) in heavy industry or hard-to-abate sectors.
Industry Association Governance: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries does not appear to have a dedicated disclosure of its climate-relevant policy positions and engagement on its corporate website (accessed August 2025), nor of its memberships in industry associations. MHI has disclosed its membership in the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) and stated that its positions on climate change are consistent with the company’s. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries holds key positions in Keidanren as well as the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Japan Coal Frontier Organization (JCOAL) and Japan Society of Industrial Machinery Manufacturers (JSIM), which have all engaged in opposition of some key climate change policies in Japan.
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 (August) 2025.