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:
Japan Petroleum Development Association (JPDA) appears to be negatively engaged on climate change policy in Japan. While JPDA has expressed support for achieving a climate neutral society by 2050, the association appears to emphasize the need for the development of fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and gas.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy:
JPDA’s top-line messaging appears to show mixed position on climate action. JPDA appears to recognize climate change as an issue, but in the council of Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (METI) in 2020, the association appeared to not support urgent action on climate change, emphasizing the need for climate solutions that heavily rely on technology, such as CCS, to reduce emissions from GHG-intense energy sources in the long-term. In a position statement published on the website in 2021, JPDA appears to support achieving a climate neutral economy by 2050.
JPDA does not appear to have expressed a position on the Paris Agreement. While JDPA commented on the Paris Agreement in a policy request published in June 2019, it did not specify any clear position on the treaty. As of August 2022, the association has not stated a clear position on the need for climate change regulations on its website.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations:
JPDA has very limited engagement with climate-related regulations. InfluenceMap did not find any recent evidence on JPDA’s position on climate-related regulations, however on its policy request submitted in June 2018, JPDA appears to strongly support increased ambition of renewable energy legislation, especially geothermal development.
Positioning on Energy Transition:
JPDA appears to be having negative position on energy transition in Japan. JPDA appears unsupportive of a transition away from fossil fuels in line with IPCC science, advocating for the long-term presence of oil and gas in the energy mix. In April 2021, as a member of Fuel Subcommittee hosted by METI, JDPA supported a long-term role for fossil gas in the energy mix without placing clear conditions on the deployment of CCS or methane abatement measures. Furthermore, at the same subcommittee in July 2022, Toshiya Nakahara, vice president of JPDA, appealed to the government to supply risk money for coal mine development.
At the CCS Long-term Roadmap Study Group held by METI in February 2022, it also requested financial support to develop CCS as a business, however, with ambiguity around conditions and timelines for the CCS deployment.
Toshiaki Kitamura, the chair of JPDA appears to be supporting the transition from coal to fossil gas in a statement published on the website in 2021, without placing clear conditions on CCS. Kitamura also appeared to support investments that will lock in unabated fossil fuels, including oil and fossil gas, in 2020.