Japan is hosting the 2023 G7 Summit in Hiroshima from May 19th - 21st.
At last year’s summit, Japan’s Minister of the Environment, Nishimura Akihiro, acknowledged that “to limit global warming levels to 1.5˚C, global emissions, including emissions from Japan, need to be significantly reduced” and stated that “Japan will lead the international community towards achieving global decarbonization.”
But Japan’s largest automaker, Toyota, is far from aligned with these commitments. Toyota has not only refused to ditch fossil-fuel powered cars for zero-emission vehicles fast enough to fix the climate crisis, but also ranked the automaker with the worst impact on climate policy globally for two years running!
Tell the Japanese government: It’s time for Toyota Motor Corp. to get with the climate program!
To Japanese Ambassador to the United States Tomita Koji
The upcoming G7 Summit represents an important opportunity for Japan to demonstrate global leadership on climate action.
Japan can honor its commitments to the international community by signaling to Toyota to end production of fossil-fueled vehicles globally by 2035, end its lobbying against electric vehicles globally, and commit to only producing zero emission vehicles built with fossil-free, equitable, and responsible supply chains that protect human rights and labor rights.
The upcoming G7 Summit represents an important opportunity for countries with some of the most advanced economies in the world to align on strategies to address the most pressing global issues of our time. Climate change is here, driving and exacerbating humanitarian crises across the world. It is critical that Japan and its G7 counterparts use this upcoming summit to demonstrate global leadership on climate action.
At last year’s summit, it was encouraging to see that Japan’s Minister of the Environment, Nishimura Akihiro, acknowledged that, “to limit global warming levels to 1.5˚C, global emissions, including emissions from Japan, need to be significantly reduced” and stated that Japan will “lead the international community towards achieving global decarbonization.”
However, Japan’s largest automaker, Toyota Motor Corp., is undermining these commitments. Not only has Toyota refused to ditch fossil-fuel powered cars for zero-emission vehicles on a timeline consistent with science-based climate targets; it has also ranked the worst automaker for its impact on climate policy for two years running .
Japan cannot credibly claim to lead the international community towards global decarbonization while acquiescing to Toyota’s efforts to delay Japan’s EV transition. Toyota’s lobbying against other countries’ efforts to decarbonize, including in G7 nations like the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, also reflects poorly on Japan.
As the host country for the G7 Summit, Japan should model how a G7 nation can lead the charge to decarbonize its economy. That includes engaging corporate leaders to take ownership in supporting the transition. Japan can honor its commitments to the international community by signaling to Toyota that it’s time to end production of fossil-fueled vehicles globally by 2035, end its lobbying against electric vehicles, and commit to only producing zero emission vehicles built with fossil-free, equitable, and responsible supply chains that protect labor and human rights.
