We have expanded the list of climate policies we assess company engagement with to incorporate land-use related policy, referring to legislative or regulatory measures to enhance and protect ecosystems and land where carbon is being stored. Assessments under this category are currently underweighted in terms of their contribution to the overall company metrics. This weighting will be progressively increased over the next 6 months.
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
Climate Lobbying Overview: Consumers Japan (CJ) has engaged positively on a number of Japanese policies and regulations on climate change and energy. It communicates positive top-line positions on climate change. They have also been actively engaging with climate-related regulations, such as supporting implementation of carbon pricing and energy efficiency standards. It has also been supportive for phaseout of coal power plants and are supporting increased renewables.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: CJ appears to have positive top-line messaging on climate change. In the position paper submitted to Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (METI) in 2020 July, it has referred to the IPCC report and supports the 1.5℃ target. CJ has clearly supported the science of IPCC and advocated for effective policies, including carbon pricing, in its public comments submitted to METI in October 2021.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: CJ has actively engaged positively on climate-related regulations. In its position paper submitted at a METI committee meeting in October 2021, CJ appeared to support the implementation of a carbon price to strengthen decarbonization efforts in Japan. CJ also stated support for energy efficiency standards in its public comments submitted to METI in February 2021 in response to the 6th Basic Energy Plan.
Positioning on Energy Transition: CJ appears to have positive positions on the energy transition. In its opinion paper submitted to METI in October 2021, CJ appeared to support the urgent transition of the energy sector, including a phaseout of coal power plants. In February 2021, CJ advocated to policymakers, through its opinion paper on the formulation of the Basic Energy Plan, to support increased renewable energy in the energy mix in line with a 1.5-degree pathway and a phaseout of coal-fired power, including its export and investments abroad. The association has also supported clearer labelling of energy sources provided to consumers to encourage “consumer behavior toward carbon neutrality in 2050,” in its public comment submitted to METI in January 2021. In the same paper, CJ appeared to support investment in renewable energy and legislation to make it the main power source 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 Q4 2022.