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New Straits Times
10-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Japan sees Malaysia as key Asean partner in advancing clean energy
KUALA LUMPUR: Japan regards Malaysia as playing a crucial role in advancing clean energy cooperation in Southeast Asia, particularly in its role as this year's Asean Chair and co-host of the Asia Zero Emissions Community (AZEC) ministerial meeting. Former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Malaysia's leadership comes at a pivotal time for regional decarbonisation efforts, with numerous AZEC-related projects already in progress. "As this year's Asean Chair and co-host country of the AZEC ministerial meeting, Malaysia plays a crucial role in advancing various decarbonisation projects across the region," he said. Kishida, who was on a two-day working visit to Malaysia, is also the Supreme Adviser to the Parliamentary Association of AZEC. He said that current AZEC initiatives span areas such as power transmission, distribution, and renewable energy, which are expected to align closely with Asean's clean energy efforts. "We expect these efforts to create strong synergies with Asean initiatives, including the Asean Power Grid concept," he added. AZEC is a Japan-led initiative launched in 2022 to promote decarbonisation across Asia through regional collaboration, technology transfer and public-private partnerships. The initiative aims to balance climate action with sustainable economic growth, particularly in emerging economies. Kishida, who is also the Special Envoy of the Japanese Prime Minister, said Tokyo sees Malaysia as a "very reliable partner" that has taken active steps towards its energy transition, inspired partly by AZEC. "I see great potential for collaboration between our two countries in advancing decarbonisation," he said, noting that ongoing cooperation covers projects in carbon capture and storage (CCS), ammonia, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and power grid development. "During this visit, I strongly felt both the diversity of needs related to decarbonisation in the Southeast Asian region and the high expectations placed on Japan, as many projects are already underway," he said. Kishida noted that site visits and engagement with businesses had reinforced the importance of the government taking the lead in building effective partnerships with regional counterparts. He also emphasised the growing role of Japan's AZEC Parliamentary League in promoting the initiative from a legislative perspective. "As a parliamentary group, we hope to contribute to the promotion of AZEC from a uniquely parliamentary perspective by leveraging each member's broad network and facilitating dialogue with partner countries, businesses and other stakeholders," he said. Looking ahead to upcoming ministerial and summit-level meetings, Kishida added that the group intends to submit formal recommendations to the Japanese government based on the outcomes of this visit to support AZEC's progress further.
New Straits Times
06-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Malaysia, Japan eye green energy, tech cooperation
KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said that Malaysia and Japan are ready to explore potential collaborations in green energy development and technology, aiming for a more sustainable future. He said this during his meeting with former Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida, a special envoy of the Japanese Prime Minister, in Putrajaya, today. Fadillah, who is also the energy transition and water transformation minister, said that the cooperation aligns with the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), which targets investment opportunities, ranging from RM435 billion to RM1.85 trillion by 2050, while aiming to create profitable joint ventures, which are beneficial for both the environment and the economy. Additionally, Fadillah and Kishida, the architect of the Asia Zero Emissions Community (AZEC) initiative, discussed various other key aspects. "This includes AZEC's role in strengthening bilateral, regional, and global cooperation," he said in a Facebook post, today. AZEC is a cooperation platform aimed at advancing carbon neutrality and facilitating energy transition to achieve zero-emission targets. Apart from Malaysia and Japan, the AZEC member countries include Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. – Bernama
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Malaysia, Japan reaffirm ties to advance regional decarbonisation under AZEC
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Japan have reaffirmed their commitment to advancing regional decarbonisation and sustainable growth under the Asia Zero Emissions Community (AZEC) initiative, reflecting shared efforts to strengthen cooperation on clean energy and climate resilience. The pledge was made during the courtesy call by former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya on Tuesday, held in conjunction with Kishida's two-day working visit to Malaysia to attend the AZEC summit in the capital. Kishida, who is also the Supreme Adviser to the Parliamentary Association of AZEC, said they exchanged views on decarbonisation, regional cooperation and global economic challenges. 'We talked about how Japan and Malaysia, together with like-minded countries in the region, can play a leading role in achieving decarbonisation while maintaining sustainable development,' he told a press conference attended by local and international media here. AZEC is a Japan-led initiative launched in 2022 to promote decarbonisation across Asia through regional collaboration, technology transfer and public-private partnerships. It aims to strike a balance between carbon neutrality and economic growth, particularly in emerging economies. Kishida reaffirmed Japan's commitment to work with Malaysia in advancing AZEC, adding that Tokyo aimed to contribute to Asia's 400 trillion yen funding needs through its technological and financial capabilities. Kishida, who is also the Special Envoy of the Japanese Prime Minister, conveyed a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shinjiro Ishiba to Anwar and explained the purpose of his visit, which also addressed broader issues, including the global economy. He also said that Anwar responded with a clear intention to continue working closely with Japan, adding, 'I truly appreciate his proactive and forward-looking approach.' In a lighter moment, Kishida shared a video on his official X account showing his exchange with Anwar about durian, fondly recalling enjoying the fruit during his previous visit to Malaysia — prompting laughter and a lively conversation. Earlier in his speech, Kishida shared that his visit to Indonesia and Malaysia had highlighted the diverse decarbonisation needs across Southeast Asia. 'During the visit to both nations, I felt firsthand the high expectations placed on Japan and the wide variety of decarbonisation needs and active projects across Southeast Asia. 'Through site visits and exchanges with businesses, I reaffirmed the importance of governments taking the lead in building partnerships with host countries,' he said. He said that Japan had formed a parliamentary league dedicated to AZEC, which would work alongside partner countries, businesses and other stakeholders to promote the initiative. 'As a parliamentary league, we hope to utilise the wide-ranging networks of each member and contribute to the advancement of AZEC by engaging with partner countries, companies and other stakeholders from a parliamentary perspective,' he said.
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Malaysia, Japan eye green energy, tech cooperation
KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said that Malaysia and Japan are ready to explore potential collaborations in green energy development and technology, aiming for a more sustainable future. He said this during his meeting with former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, a special envoy of the Japanese Prime Minister, in Putrajaya, today. Fadillah, who is also the Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, said that the cooperation aligns with the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), which targets investment opportunities, ranging from RM435 billion to RM1.85 trillion by 2050, while aiming to create profitable joint ventures, which are beneficial for both the environment and the economy. Additionally, Fadillah and Kishida, the architect of the Asia Zero Emissions Community (AZEC) initiative, discussed various other key aspects. 'This includes AZEC's role in strengthening bilateral, regional, and global cooperation,' he said in a Facebook post, today. AZEC is a cooperation platform aimed at advancing carbon neutrality and facilitating energy transition to achieve zero-emission targets. Apart from Malaysia and Japan, the AZEC member countries include Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
