Japanese Kishida at COP28: "No Additional Construction of Coal-Fired Power Plants"

Meeting with Israeli and Qatari Leaders

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that no additional coal-fired power plants will be built to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida / Photo by Yonhap News

On the 1st (local time), Prime Minister Kishida stated in a speech at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), "We will end the construction of new domestic coal-fired power plants that are not part of emission reduction measures."

This is the first time Japan has independently announced to the international community its intention to stop building coal-fired power plants. The Yomiuri Shimbun reported, "Coal-fired power generation accounts for about 30% of Japan's electricity production," and added, "It seems that Prime Minister Kishida has shown determination to achieve the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050."

Previously, Japan set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 46% by 2030 compared to 2013 levels and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Regarding this, Prime Minister Kishida emphasized, "We are steadily progressing, having already reduced emissions by about 20%."

Prime Minister Kishida also expressed support for the global goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 and announced that the first 'Asia Zero Emission Community' (AZEC) summit will be held this month to promote decarbonization in the Asian region.

Meanwhile, taking the opportunity of attending COP28, Prime Minister Kishida met with leaders from the Middle East to discuss the unstable situation in the region caused by the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas. In a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, he requested adherence to international law, including international humanitarian law, concerning the situation in the Gaza Strip. He advised that it is necessary to continue and increase the delivery of relief supplies to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and that Israel and Palestine must coexist peacefully.

In a meeting with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Prime Minister Kishida expressed regret over the resumption of hostilities in Gaza and agreed to cooperate so that Japan and Qatar can help calm the situation. He also met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Prime Minister Kishida highly appreciated Egypt’s ongoing diplomatic efforts and efforts to facilitate the delivery of relief supplies to Gaza. He also mentioned that Japan is considering financial support of up to $230 million (approximately 300 billion KRW) to Egypt.