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- METI Hosts 2025 Asia Zero Emission Community Senior Officials Meeting （AZEC SOM） and Promotes AZEC at Energy Asia
METI Hosts 2025 Asia Zero Emission Community Senior Officials Meeting （AZEC SOM） and Promotes AZEC at Energy Asia
June 26, 2025
On Thursday, June 19, 2025, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry （METI）, in cooperation with Malaysia’s Ministry of Economy, held the 2025 Asia Zero Emission Community Senior Officials Meeting （AZEC SOM） in Kuching, Malaysia. Senior officials from AZEC partner countries and other stakeholders gathered to discuss the outcomes of the AZEC Ministerial Meeting to be held this fiscal year. In addition, METI promoted AZEC at the international energy event Energy Asia, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from Monday, June 16 to Wednesday, June 18.
1.2025 Asia Zero Emission Community Senior Officials Meeting （AZEC SOM）
Mr. Kihara Shinichi, the Director-General for International Policy on Carbon Neutrality from the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy and Dato Luqman Ahmad, Deputy Secretary General of Ministry of Economy of Malaysia co-chaired the AZEC SOM and discussed on the outcomes of this fiscal year’s AZEC Ministerial Meeting with the senior officials of AZEC partner countries, as well as representatives from the ASEAN Centre for Energy （ACE）, the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia （ERIA）, and the International Energy Agency （IEA）. At the meeting, Mr. Kihara provided an overview of the initiatives expected to be undertaken based on the outcomes of this fiscal year’s AZEC Ministerial Meeting and exchanged views with other participants. He also shared the schedule leading up to the next AZEC Ministerial Meeting. Furthermore, ERIA provided updates on its initiatives, including the ASEAN-oriented decarbonization roadmap and the activities of the Asia Zero Emission Center.
Going forward, METI will continue to work together with AZEC partner countries to advance decarbonization in Asia by promoting policy coordination and individual projects in tandem.
2．Promotion of AZEC at Energy Asia
At Energy Asia, an international energy conference hosted by Petronas in Kuala Lumpur, Mr. Kihara took the stage at the plenary session to share information on AZEC and Japan’s initiatives. He also participated in an AZEC Round Table organized by ERIA and engaged in discussions on the roles of the private sector in AZEC with other participants, including those from companies of AZEC partner countries, the ASEAN Business Advisory Council （ASEAN-BAC）, and the World Economic Forum. Furthermore, at Energy Park, Energy Asia’s exhibition area, METI hosted an AZEC Pavilion showcasing decarbonization technologies developed by Japanese companies.
Division in Charge
International Affairs Division, Commissioner's Secretariat, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy