According to Reuters article published on April 13, 2023, energy-poor Japan is waging an uphill battle for more investment into natural gas exploration and production among Group of Seven (G7) climate and energy ministers, according to a French ministry official.
This weekend's G7 ministerial meeting in Sapporo, Japan, is meant to coordinate efforts to address climate change - which are under pressure from energy security concerns after Moscow slashed gas deliveries to Europe last year, causing global supply squeezes and price spikes.
"We understand their (Japan's) energy reasons, but it's a request we are combatting in the context of the G7 communique," the French official said. "There is very strong unity among the other G7 members to avoid any and all language favorable to fossil fuels and gas exploration in these negotiations."
The Japanese embassy in Paris did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
An initial draft communique proposed by Tokyo had said "demand for (Liquefied Natural Gas) will continue to grow" and called for "necessary upstream investments in LNG and natural gas", according to a document seen by Reuters.
A subsequent revision, also seen by Reuters, toned down that language, saying global energy supply gaps needed to be bridged "in a manner consistent with our climate objectives and commitments".
The International Energy Agency, whose director will attend the ministerial meeting, has said reaching the Paris Climate Agreement goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050 means no new investments in fossil fuel projects.
The French official said the U.S. was generally aligned with European G7 members' "hostile" stance against language on new upstream gas investments, while Canada was more measured and slightly supportive of the Japanese presidency's proposal.
France is pushing for more ambitious language "to completely exit fossil fuels" following last year's commitment to work towards exiting coal use, the official added, with the goal of establishing written commitments in a final draft expected on Sunday that can be taken up by the Group of Twenty countries and at the COP28 climate conference later this year.
Japan still burns plenty of coal and has said it plans to rely on imported natural gas for at least 10 to 15 years — though it will be holding a seminar on the decarbonisation benefits of nuclear power at this weekend's ministerial meeting, which the French official said would provide an opportunity for "nuclear cooperation discussions, including concrete talks for France to accompany the relaunch of nuclear energy in Japan."
One possible chink in the armour of European G7 unity: Germany will this weekend be powering down its last three nuclear reactors, creating a power supply gap to be filled by mostly coal and gas.
"It goes without saying that powering up fossil energy to compensate for the exit of nuclear does not go in the direction of the climate action we are collectively supporting," the French official said. "Negotiations are ongoing, but difficult.”
