Japan firms join global calls to ditch coal-fired power

TOKYO, Jan 18: Japanese companies overwhelmingly feel Japan should shift away from its dependence on coal for power generation even though a third of firms say this would harm their business, a Reuters poll found, further evidence that the government is out of step with the global fight against climate change.
The monthly Reuters Corporate Survey may augment global pressure on Tokyo to temper its support for coal-fired power stations and the export of Japan's coal technology, as extreme weather conditions from bushfires in Australia to floods in Venice focus attention on climate change.
Japan is in the crosshairs as it seeks both to be recognised as a leader in the climate-change debate but also supports the use of what is widely regarded as a dirty fuel. With limited resources and especially after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the government feels it needs all options and coal is cheap and abundant.
Environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi told a United Nations conference last month that global criticism of Japan's "addiction to coal" was hitting home, even as Japan remains a big financier of new coal plants in Southeast Asia and the only G7 nation still building coal plants at home.    -Reuters