Climate Lobbying Overview: Tokyo Gas has had mixed engagement with climate-related policies, supporting the Japanese government’s 2030 GHG emissions reduction target while not supporting carbon tax and emissions trading. The company has actively engaged on the energy mix, often supporting natural gas in combination with renewables in Japan as well as supporting the promotion of LNG and ammonia co-firing with coal in Southeast Asia.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Tokyo Gas appears supportive of climate change action in its top-line messaging. The company supported the Japanese government’s commitment to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050 in its 2021 Integrated Report published in August 2021, the Tokyo Gas President and CEO Takashi Uchida similarly expressed support on the company’s website in April 2021. In a MoE Global Environment Subcommittee meeting in April 2021, Tokyo Gas referred to the “strong demonstration of Japan’s determination to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050” and advocated for the government to “mobilize all policies, so that each entity regards the issue as their own and accelerates their response.” No evidence could be found on Tokyo Gas’ position on climate change science nor UN Climate Treaties such as the Paris Agreement.

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Tokyo Gas has had limited and mixed engagement with climate-related regulations. In the MoE Global Environment Subcommittee meeting in April 2021, Tokyo Gas appeared to support the Japanese government’s 46% GHG emissions reduction target for 2030. Tokyo Gas Chairman Michiaki Hirose presented an opinion paper by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in May 2022, appearing to argue that there is no need for a carbon tax because the existing global warming countermeasure tax and feed-in tariff levy are sufficient, and advocating for “realistic discussions on the ideal form of ‘carbon pricing that contributes to growth’” that consider the economy and international competition. In its 2021 CDP Climate Change disclosure, Tokyo Gas disclosed that it opposes emissions trading and “holds dialogues with policymakers and makes recommendations,” promoting “a PDCA cycle for voluntary action targets for emission reduction and performance management” as an alternative.

Positioning on Energy Transition: Evidence has shown negative engagement by Tokyo Gas on the energy mix, often supporting natural gas in combination with renewables. In the MoE Global Environment Subcommittee meeting in April 2021, Tokyo Gas stated that toward the achievement of Japan’s emissions reductions targets, “it is essential to expand the introduction of renewable and decarbonized energy sources, as well as to thoroughly conserve energy,” and supported “public and private funding not only for green technologies, but also for transition technologies.” In a Zaikai interview in December 2021, Tokyo Gas President and CEO Takashi Uchida stated that natural gas is “necessary… during the transition period,” agreeing with the statement that “for Japan, a resource-free country, natural gas is a realistic energy requirement,” while clarifying that “we are not reluctant to decarbonize, such as renewable energy development.” In January 2022, Jiji Press reported that Uchida stressed “the need for the public and private sectors to participate in the exploration, development, and production of LNG.” Subsequently in an interview with Asahi Shimbun in April 2022, Uchida expressed support for natural gas as a thermal power source to adjust to fluctuations in renewable energy. In September 2021, in a conference co-hosted by METI, Uchida advocated for “the effective use of natural gas and LNG” to “promote the realistic energy transition, especially in Southeast Asia,” as well as “efforts to decarbonize in the thermal field” such as the development of synthetic methane. Furthermore, the opinion paper by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented by Tokyo Gas Chairman Michiaki Hirose in May 2022 supported the use of renewables in combination with crude oil and LNG “during the transition period,” the “early restart of nuclear power plants,” and government support for the development of offshore wind power generation by Japanese companies overseas, as well as expanding ammonia co-firing with coal to Southeast Asia.

Industry Association Governance: Tokyo Gas has disclosed its membership of industry associations in its 2021 sustainability report and 2021 CDP responses, as well as most of its indirect climate policy engagement activities and positions in the latter. Tokyo Gas President and CEO Takashi Uchida is the Vice Chairman of the Japan Gas Association (JGA), which has had negative engagement with climate and energy-related regulations. Tokyo Gas Chairman Michiaki Hirose was the Chairman of JGA until March 2021. Tokyo Gas is also a member of the climate-related committees at the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), which have lobbied negatively on climate change regulation in Japan. Tokyo Gas Real Estate CEO Takashi Anamizu is a director of the Real Estate Companies Association of Japan (RECAJ).