(English follows Japanese)

第一生命保険が、海外石炭火力発電事業へのプロジェクトファイナンスに新規融資しない方針を決定した。私どもが把握している限り、日本の金融機関として初の石炭関連事業からの融資撤退方針の策定であり、先進的な取り組みとして歓迎の意を表したい。

ただ、新たな石炭火力発電の建設支援は、気候変動の国際合意であるパリ協定の目標と整合性がないことは科学的に明らかであり、国内の石炭火力発電事業を除外することは理解しがたい。国内事業へのプロジェクトファイナンスについても、同様に撤退するべきである。

また、欧州の大手生命保険会社のアクサやアリアンツは、石炭火力発電事業の大規模な増設に関与している企業の株式投資・融資の撤退も進めていることから、今後、投融資方針の対象拡大を期待したい。

先日、日本生命も同様の検討を進めていると報道されたが、今回の第一生命の動きを受けて、さらに3大金融グループを始めとする他の日本の金融機関も、国内外の石炭火力発電事業／関連企業からの投融資撤退方針の策定に向けた取り組みを積極的に進めていくべきである。

「環境・持続社会」研究センター（JACSES）
国際環境NGO FoE Japan
気候ネットワーク
350.org Japan
国際環境NGOグリーンピース・ジャパン
レインフォレスト・アクション・ネットワーク（RAN）

【For Immediate Release】Environmental NGOs respond to the Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company announcing coal power plant finance restriction – Japanese financial institution takes first step towards divestment from coal –

May 9, 2018 Tokyo, Japan — In response to the Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company’s announcement on coal power plant finance restriction, a group of Environmental NGOs, Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society (JACSES), Friends of the Earth Japan (FoE Japan), Kiko Network, 350.org Japan, Greenpeace Japan and Rainforest Action Network, issued the following statement:

“We welcome the news of the Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company adopting a policy to end new project financing for overseas coal power plants . As far as we know this is the first time that a Japanese financial institution has announced such a policy indicating the first step towards divestment from coal development. We commend this forward-thinking action taken by the Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company.

However, science indicates that we cannot allow any new coal plants to be built if want to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius as set out in the Paris Agreement and prevent catastrophic climate change. So we compel the Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company to take a step further by also restricting project finance for domestic coal power plants projects as well.

Major European insurance firms such as AXA and Allianz are leading the way by divesting from businesses that are involved in large-scale coal-fired power plant expansion projects. We foresee that this trend will expand throughout the financial sector.

It has been reported by the Nikkei Newspaper that Nippon Life Insurance Company is also considering putting in place similar restrictions around lending to new coal fired power plants.

Japanese financial institutions, starting with — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group — should take heed of actions taken by the Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company and act accordingly by adopting policies that will restrict new lending and investment into both international and domestic coal-fired power plant projects and companies involved in coal development and move toward divestment from the coal sector.”

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Contact

Yuki Tanabe, Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society(JACSES)
Email: tanabe@jacses.org Tel: +81-3-3556-7325

Shin Furuno, 350.org Japan
Email:shin@350.org