Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Japan Gas Association (JGA) appears to be negatively engaged with climate change policy in Japan. While JGA has expressed support for achieving a climate-neutral society by 2050, it has engaged negatively with climate and energy related regulations, including carbon tax policy. JGA has advocated for policies to support the continued use of LNG in Japan and development of new upstream interests of fossil gas abroad, while also supporting the development of advanced fuels to decarbonize gas.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: JGA’s top-line messaging appears to show mixed positions on climate action. JGA appears to recognize climate change as an issue. On its corporate website accessed in September 2022, JGA appeared to support the achievement of a climate neutral economy by 2050. It is unclear if JGA supports the need for climate change regulation, although it "expressed hope that the government will develop the necessary systems and subsidies" according to Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun in June 2021
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: JGA appears to take negative positions on climate-related regulations, except for energy efficiency legislation and GHG targets. At the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) Basic Energy Committee in March 2021, Michiaki Hirose, then-chairman of JGA, called on the government to be “cautious” in setting “carbon pricing policies, such as carbon tax.” At a subcommittee on energy conservation in March 2021, JGA appeared to not support renewable energy legislation, stating, “energy efficiency and conservation first, followed by renewable energy.” At the same subcommittee in June 2021, JGA appeared to support more ambitious energy efficiency legislation, recommending that not only energy intensity but also usage reductions be regulated. In a METI hearing in June 2021, JGA appeared to support the achievement of the 2030 NDC target of reducing GHG emissions by 46% from FY2013 levels, however it qualified this by stating that the "immediate" spread and expansion of natural gas “is important to reduce CO2 emissions of society as a whole.”
Positioning on Energy Transition: JGA appears to be negatively engaged with the energy transition. JGA has advocated for technologies such as methanation, natural gas with CCUS, and “carbon-neutral LNG” as solutions to enable the industry to continue its reliance on fossil gas “without investing in new infrastructure,” as detailed in statements to various METI committees and study groups, including in February 2021 and March 2021. At the METI committee on Resources and Fuels in December 2020, JGA promoted the increased uptake of natural gas for use in co-generation as well as to balance the load alongside renewables and switch to gas in new sectors such as bunkering. JGA also supports the expansion of LNG, as stating that “upstream development and stable procurement of natural gas is extremely important” in a METI hearing in December 2021. It also advocated for the development of new upstream interests of fossil gas abroad to diversify the energy mix, without specifying conditions for CCS in the METI committee on Resource and Fuel in July 2022.
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.