Climate Lobbying Overview: Hitachi’s top line positions on climate policy appear to be broadly positive, but the company appears to have limited engagement with specific climate-related regulation recently. Hitachi’s positions on the energy transition are mixed - whilst showing strong support for renewables and nuclear in multiple markets. Hitachi retains memberships to industry associations which have engaged against climate policy such as Keidanren, Business Europe, and National Association of Manufacturers.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Hitachi appears to have broadly positive top-line messaging on climate change. Hitachi announced on its website accessed in March 2021, that it supports business alignment with the Paris Agreement and limiting global temperature rise to 1.5℃ above preindustrial levels. At a Japanese Cabinet Office meeting in November 2020, Hitachi’s former president Hiroaki Nakanishi called for broad but urgent government regulation to achieve decarbonization in various sectors. In January 2022, the current CEO Higashihara emphasized the importance of meeting carbon neutrality by 2050 in the Keidanren’s new year comment as a vice chair.

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Hitachi appears to have limited transparent engagement with specific climate-related regulation in recent years. In December 2020, Nakanishi also signaled an openness to discuss carbon pricing, in a shift from his previous opposition to carbon pricing in 2018. On its website in June 2021, the company broadly welcomed pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions announced by the United States, the UK, and other governments. In its .2021 CDP response, Hitachi gave limited disclosure on engagement with policymakers, focusing on financial and policy assistance for infrastructure exports. Hitachi also disclosed former Chairman Nakanishi’s participation in the Future Investment Council (Cabinet Secretariat of Japan), but did not detail the company’s position on climate-related issues. In addition, although Hitachi supports public-private corporation to increase investment into infrastructure, it has not declared a clear position on renewable energy legislation in the Council of Economic Advisers at Cabinet Office in November 2020.

Positioning on Energy Transition: Hitachi appears to have a mixed position on the energy transition. It has made statements that suggest support for a low-carbon energy transition, particularly for renewable energy, in the 2020 Hitachi Integrated Report. Hitachi appears to support government policies, such as the Revision of Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures and Basic Energy Plan in Japan, and suggested that they are opportunities for energy sector businesses in its investor presentation in June 2021. During high-level meetings with the Japanese government in 2020, Hitachi former president Hiroaki Nakanishi frequently supported upgrades to electricity infrastructure and restarting the nuclear power plants. Hitachi also advocated for the government to hold discussions to improve the ratio of renewable energy introduction, in a consultative meeting in December 2020. Hitachi President Higashihara emphasized the importance of reoperation of nuclear power in the Keidanren’s New Year message as a vice chair in January 2022 as well as during the Keidanren’s event in 2022 July, given the crisis of power shortage in Japan.

Industry Association Governance: Hitachi Global disclosed a list of its industry associations memberships in its website, accessed on 2020. Hitachi retains memberships and leadership roles in industry associations negatively engaged on climate policy engagement, including Keidanren and Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association (JEMA).

Hitachi is also a partner company in Business Europe, which has vocally advocated against renewable energy and energy efficiency targets in the EU. In the US, Hitachi is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers which has engaged negatively with various forms of US climate-related policy and regulation while strongly supporting the ongoing role of fossil fuels in the US economy. A subsidiary of Hitachi is a member of the National Mining Association, which has actively opposed various strands of climate legislation whilst strongly promoting coal in the energy mix.

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 2022.