MANILA–Climate groups gathered in front of the Japanese Embassy in Manila to condemn “Japan’s fossil fuel obsession” and its promotion of false solutions, which are endangering the climate and harming communities across Asia.
The climate advocates- coming from the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD,) and other groups – staged their action on the eve of the Japan Energy Summit,t which will be held from June 18 to 20 in Tokyo.
Hosted by Japanese energy giants JERA and Tokyo Gas, the annual event is viewed by activists as an ineffective attempt to “greenwash Japan’s destructive role in Asia’s energy future.”
“At a time of worsening climate crisis, it’s outrageous to see an industry summit propping up fossil fuel companies under the guise of energy transition. The Japan Energy Summit doesn’t accelerate the shift to clean energy. What we urgently need is a full-scale rollout of solar and wind, not more excuses to cling to coal and gas,” said APMDD coordinator Lidy Nacpil in a press statement.
PMCJ’s Ian Rivera revealed that “communities near fossil gas facilities in the Philippines are already suffering from serious health impacts, including respiratory and heart-related illnesses. Yet, Japanese companies and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) continue to push for more gas expansion, ignoring the harm it brings to people and the environment. Japan must stop its dirty trail of gas expansion now!”
Nacpil underscored that Japan remains one of the top financiers of fossil fuels in the world, with its public and private banks channeling billions into coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects across Asia.
She cited a study by climate groups that shows that in a period of 10 years, Japan provided $93 billion in support to global oil and gas projects. Between 2020 and 2022, the Japanese government provided an average of $6.9 billion annually for overseas gas, coal, and oil projects.
A similar coordinated action was held in Bangladesh where more than 20 LNG power plants are being proposed in the port town of Chattogram.
Sharif Jamil, coordinator of Waterkeepers Bangladesh, said, “These dirty projects are part of the Moheshkhali-Matarbari Integrated Infrastructure Development Initiative (MIDI) Plan drafted by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with the involvement of numerous Japanese companies, like JERA and Mitsubishi Corporation.
Jamil said Japan’s fossil gas expansion in Chattogram has forcibly displaced communities in the coast and disrupted salt farming and fishing activities.
“Bangladesh should break free from this harmful fossil fuel agenda and pursue just renewable energy solutions for the people and communities,” he stated.
A protest rally was also held in Indonesia. Rere Christanto, Campaigns Director of WALHI, stressed that “Japan has been pushing dirty fossil fuels, right in the eyes of the Indonesian people.
It proposed to Indonesia’s upcoming electricity sector plan (RUPLTL 2025-2034) a JICA-backed decarbonization roadmap that prioritizes the expansion of 10.3 GW of LNG and the use of ammonia, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) to extend the life of coal and gas plants. We outrightly reject this greenwashing, masquerading as decarbonization.”
Meanwhile, Mecanzy Dabre of the fisher group Koli Yuva Shakti in Vasai Koliwada in India lamented: “Japan says it backs climate action, but its money tells a different story. Through its public financial institutions, like JBIC and NEXI, and fossil giants like Mitsubishi, Marubeni, and Sumitomo, LNG terminals are bankrolled in Dabhol, Jaigarh, Chhara, and Hazira. These aren’t transition projects – they’re fossil fuel lock-ins.”
Asian Civil society groups said that “with the climate clock already ticking and extreme weather events devastating the region, year after year, Japan must stop its fossil fuel obsession and pave the way for a just energy transition immediately.”
