[Press Release] Japan, Back the TAFF Roadmap and Phase Out Fossil Fuels. Don’t Hold Back Ambition.

PDF Version with footnotes available here.

Japan is failing to support a just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF) and to commit to sufficient climate finance to make it possible. To answer its recent media scrutiny, Japan must endorse a credible TAFF roadmap and mobilize sufficient climate finance to meet Global South countries’ needs—now.

Belém, Brazil — November 21, 2025 — As the negotiations enter their second week, momentum for a Transition Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF) is building, driven by the Belém Declaration of Transition Away from Fossil Fuels. 

At this critical stage, the declaration has secured support from  24  countries, underscoring rising ambition. Brazil’s roadmap has also attracted support from more than 80 countries as of 20th November. However, Japan is reportedly not joining those proposals, calling hydrogen and ammonia co-firing the “realistic pathway” to decarbonize the power sector. Numerous studies have shown that fossil-based ammonia and hydrogen are false solutions that fail to deliver meaningful emissions reductions. For example, 100% ammonia combustion still emits more than 1.5 times as much CO₂ as a gas-fired power plant.

During COP30, Japan’s promotion of those fossil-based “false solutions” and fossil gas in Asia through AZEC (Asia Zero Emission Community), as well as massive fossil-fuel finance through JBIC (Japan Bank for International Cooperation) and staggering hidden emissions of 408 million tons of CO₂-equivalent from this financing, have been widely criticized in the Fossil of the Day awards and in on-the-ground civil protests, which have led to major scrutiny in international media. 

Japan’s backwardness stands out as other Asian countries commit to an ambitious fossil-fuel phase-out. South Korea has announced it is joining the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), and Cambodia has endorsed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT). Japan is not participating in either initiative.

As negotiations near their end, Japan can—and should—prove otherwise. It is deeply regrettable that the latest draft text omits the mention of transitioning away from fossil fuels. Japan should support the TAFF roadmap for a fair and equitable energy transition, provide climate finance to meet developing countries’ needs in line with the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities, and set a clear timeline for phasing out fossil fuels.

Avril De Torres, Deputy Executive Director, Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED)
Japan is the single biggest source of fossil fuels financing in Southeast Asia. Through AZEC, it is also condemning the region to decades more of reliance on fossil fuels and dangerous false solutions. With its insistence on fossil fuels, Japan is also harming critically biodiverse areas in the Coral Triangle and in the Philippines’ Verde Island Passage, to the detriment of our Amazon of the ocean and of the millions who rely on these waters for their food and livelihood. Japan claims to assist in advancing the economic development, sustainability, and resilience of our nations, yet all that it is doing is hindering our transition to genuinely clean and reliable energy from renewables, for which Southeast Asia has massive potential and appetite for. If it is truly committed to strengthening Asia’s prosperity and climate action in the region, Japan should be at the forefront of the call for a roadmap for the transition away from fossil fuels.

Masayoshi Iyoda, Japan Campaigner, 350.org
“Japanese Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara has sent the wrong signal by refusing to support global efforts to accelerate a just transition from fossil energy to 100% renewables in order to achieve the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C goal. Japan’s energy tactics to use fossil-made ammonia and hydrogen co-firing with coal and gas will not only fail to cut carbon pollution drastically, but they are also too costly and cannot compete with cheaper renewables without governmental fossil fuel subsidies. Ammonia and hydrogen technologies in the power sector are not mature enough to be scaled up in a timeline that’s compatible with the Paris climate goal–they are only delaying the urgently needed transition away from fossil fuels. 

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi must realize that energy efficiency and renewable energy represent the fastest path toward 100% energy self-sufficiency. Supporting the fossil fuel phase-out roadmap will not jeopardize, but advance, Japan’s interests by paving the way to a resilient and sustainable economy.”

Hiroki Osada, Campaigner, FoE Japan
Calls for a roadmap for the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF) must be matched with sufficient climate finance. Yet Japan is failing to lead on both climate action and negotiations. It is unacceptable that Global North countries such as Japan continue to finance fossil fuels while claiming climate leadership and criticizing Global South countries for not stepping up. As a Global North country, Japan has the resources, technology, and finance to lead. It is time to demonstrate real leadership by supporting TAFF and providing sufficient climate finance.

Erin Ryan, Senior International Campaigner, Climate Action Network Australia 
Japan may have a reputation for being cutting-edge, but in the world’s climate talks they’re stuck in the past. At COP30, Japan’s major fossil fuel supplier, Australia, signed up to the Colombian-led Belém Declaration on the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels. This decision is a step towards Australia breaking free from Japan’s fossil fuel finance, aggressive anti-climate diplomacy, and profit-driven ploy to resell Australian-produced fossil gas across Asia. Asian communities, regional trading partners, and a growing bloc of global voices are all in unison: the fossil fuel era is ending, and countries like Japan need to embrace a cleaner and more resilient economic future.