On Friday, December 11, 2020, executive officers of six member companies of the Japan Climate Initiative (JCI) (Sony, Nippon Electric, Hitachi, Kirin Holdings, Ajinomoto, Nomura Research Institute) will met the Minister of the Environment Shinjiro Koizumi and exchanged views on the promotion of climate change countermeasures in response to the government’s declaration of carbon neutrality by 2050. In addition, the JCI Secretariat introduced a new initiative, “JCI Race to Zero Circle,” which JCI will start soon.
In his opening remarks, Minister Koizumi said, “Japan going for carbon neutrality by 2050 is irreversible trend that cannot be turned back. I am trying to support this trend by legislation. I understand that investment predictability is important for businesses, however, I want them to invest in decarbonization without any worry.” He also mentioned the resumption of carbon pricing discussions that he had announced at a press conference just before the meeting, saying, “There is a cursory view that the economic circle is against carbon pricing, but I don’t think so. I want also JCI companies to say that carbon pricing is necessary for economy. ”
In response to Minister’s remarks, the six participating companies introduced their own efforts and made requests to the government. Among the comments from the participants, it was pointed out that it is necessary for Japan to supply a large amount of inexpensive renewable energy, and one of the participants introduced that they introduced internal carbon pricing to optimize investment in-house.
At the end of the meeting, Minister Koizumi said, “After the declaration of carbon neutrality by 2050, there has been a lot of talk about innovation, but the important thing is how much carbon emission we can reduce by 2030. Instead of expecting unseen innovation, it is important to implement the existing technology as introduced today in society to reduce carbon emissions. ”
The meeting was closed with the promise of continued cooperation, such as holding meetings between JCI and Minister Koizumi on an ongoing basis.
■ Date and Place:
Date and time: 11: 15-12: 00, Friday, December 11, 2020
Place: Ministry of the Environment
■ Participants (in alphabetical order):
[JCI member companies]
Shiro Kambe, Senior Executive Vice President, Corporate Executive Officer, Sony Corporation
Shigeki Shimizu, Senior Vice President, Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO), NEC Corporation
Kazunori Takahashi, Deputy General Manager, Sustainability Promotion Division, Hitachi, Ltd.
Ryosuke Mizouchi, Senior Executive Officer, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
Chika Morishima, Corporate Executive Officer, Domestic and Overseas corporate communications and Sustainability Development Dept., Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
Kenji Yokoyama, Senior Corporate Managing Director, Nomura Research Institute, Ltd.
[JCI Representative / Secretariat]
Takejiro Sueyoshi, JCI Representative, Special Advisor to the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative
Teruyuki Ohno, Executive Director, Renewable Energy Institute
Michiyo Morisawa, Director, CDP Worldwide Japan
Naoyuki Yamagishi, Chief Conservation Officer/ Director, Climate & Energy and Oceans & Fisheries Division WWF Japan
