Japan managed to include vague wording that weakens the Group of Seven’s agreement to phase out coal-fired power plants, but Tokyo is becoming increasingly isolated in its efforts to continue using this energy source.

The agreement to eliminate coal-fired plants by 2035 was reached at the G-7 Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment held from April 28 to 30 in Turin, Italy.

However, wording proposed by Japan in the joint statement leaves room for interpretation and loopholes.

The statement said coal-fired power plants that have no emission-reduction measures in place should be shut down by the early 2030s.

It also said alternatively the goal should be reached during a time frame in which the temperature increase from pre-industrial times can be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Economy minister Ken Saito said at a news conference after the G-7 meeting that the agreement is “a good balance of both sides: decarbonization and energy security.”

The Japanese government and power companies have argued that continued use of coal-fired plants is necessary to secure a stable energy supply in the country.

The ministry noted that the G-7 statement did not provide a definition for “plants without emission-reduction measures,” allowing certain Japanese coal-fired plants to remain online.

The ministry has conducted demonstration experiments on combining coal and ammonia for power generation. The results, according to the ministry, showed a decrease in emissions.

Japan’s argument is that coal-fired plants using this mixture should be exempt from the G-7 agreement because they have emission-reduction measures in place.

The ministry also wants exemptions for coal-fired thermal power plants that reduce emissions by increasing power generation efficiency.

As for the time frame concerning the temperature increase from pre-industrial times, a ministry official said, “The idea is to make a realistic transition without major changes (from Japan’s policy goals).”

Coal-fired power generation accounted for 30.8 percent of Japan’s total power in fiscal 2022.

Since fiscal 2012, the ratio has remained around 30 percent, and the government aims to reduce the figure to 19 percent in 2030.

Japan has said coal will be necessary to ensure a stable supply of electricity into the 2030s, and that coal must play a complementary role during the transition period to renewable energy.

The economy ministry has also emphasized that coal is inexpensive, easy to procure from a variety of countries, and is storable.

“It is difficult for Japan to set a deadline,” a ministry official said.

Power companies are also aligning themselves with the government.

Kojiro Higuchi, president of Tohoku Electric Power Co., said at a news conference on April 30, “A parallel discussion on how to achieve a stable energy supply is needed as a precondition for the total abolition of coal-fired plants.”

However, the room for Japan’s interpretations is narrowing.

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency define “emission-reduction measures” as those that can capture “most” of the carbon dioxide released during power generation.

The IEA also states that achieving the 1.5-degree target will require the elimination of coal-fired power generation in developed countries by the 2030s.

Calls to eliminate coal-fired thermal power have gradually intensified at G-7 and other international meetings.

Even the United States, which has been close to Japan on energy issues, joined a coalition of nations calling for the abolition of coal-fired power generation at the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP28) held in Dubai in 2023.

Japan is now the only G-7 nation that has not joined this coalition.

In late April, the United States also announced new measures to tighten regulations on coal-fired plants.

According to a source involved in the G-7 negotiations, the tougher stance against emissions by the United States and others made Japan’s opposition to a total phaseout particularly conspicuous at the meeting.

By February 2025, all countries must submit their greenhouse gas reduction targets for the period until 2035 to the United Nations.

For Japan, 2024 is also the year it will revise its basic energy plan.

Kimiko Hirata, chair of Climate Integrate, a Tokyo-based think tank that works on climate change issues, said the G-7 meeting should be a wake-up call for Japan.

“Japan is confronted with the reality that its current coal-fired power policy is incompatible with the global trend,” she said. “Japan must move forward in earnest toward the total phase-out of coal-fired power generation.”

(This article was written by Chinami Tajika, Kai Ichino and Yoshikatsu Nakajima.)