State Minister TAKAGI Visits the Republic of the Philippines

Oct 9, 2026

Mr. TAKAGI Kei, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, visited Manila, the Republic of the Philippines and co-hosted the Fourth Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Ministerial Meeting with the Government of the Philippines from Wednesday, October 7, to Friday, October 9. On the sidelines of the meeting, the state minister also hosted a special meeting between Middle Eastern oil-producing countries and AZEC partner countries and attended the East Asia Summit (EAS) Energy Ministers Meeting and the ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting Plus Three. Moreover, he held meetings with his counterparts from the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Viet Nam.

The Fourth AZEC Ministerial Meeting, held on October 8, brought together representatives of all 11 AZEC partner countries, as well as international organizations. As representatives of Japan, State Minister TAKAGI, Mr. AZEMOTO Shogo, State Minister of the Environment, and Mr. YAMADA Takio, Ambassador in charge of AZEC, attended the meeting.

State Minister TAKAGI provided a briefing on the initiatives and achievements of AZEC over the past year, including those related to the following: cooperation to enhance the oil stockpiling systems of each Asian country under the Partnership on Wide Energy and Resources Resilience Asia (POWERR Asia), which Prime Minister TAKAICHI announced the launch of this April; measures to use diverse energy sources, such as renewable energy, liquefied natural gas (LNG), biofuels and nuclear power; and the launch of a new framework to support the structuring of transition finance projects. Mr. AZEMOTO, State Minister of the Environment, reported on the efforts made by the Ministry of the Environment regarding the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), waste-to-energy, and resource circulation, including critical minerals.

Participants from the AZEC governments shared their views on the importance of enhancing energy security in light of the international situation, measures to enhance oil stockpiling, and diverse energy transition initiatives for decarbonization.

Moreover, representatives of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) gave an update on the status of consideration regarding ASEAN-wide joint oil stockpiling and presented reports on the current situation and policy recommendations in key sectors, such as critical minerals, biofuels and the ASEAN Power Grid. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) also provided briefings on their related activities. In addition, representatives of the AZEC Advocacy Group provided a briefing on its joint recommendation and handed it over to the chairpersons.

As an outcome of the meeting, participating ministers adopted a joint statement reflecting on the achievements of the past year. Furthermore, they agreed on a work program to develop oil stockpiling systems and infrastructure, foster cooperation with oil-producing countries and establish a framework for coordinated emergency response in Asia.

In order to foster cooperation with oil-producing countries for the enhancement of energy security in Asia, ministers from the Asian countries attended a special Meeting held with the participation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. State Minister TAKAGI emphasized the importance of direct dialogue between oil-producing countries and Asian consumer countries to translate cooperation and collaboration into concrete action, as well as the need to continue such efforts.

In preparation for the AZEC ministerial meeting, an announcement was made regarding about 70 new memorandums of understanding (MOUs) concluded among companies and relevant organizations from AZEC partner countries on energy transition for decarbonization. With the addition of these new MOUs, the total number of projects under AZEC has exceeded 600.

At the ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting Plus Three, attended by the ASEAN Member States, Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea, and the East Asia Summit (EAS) Energy Ministers Meeting, attended by the 18 countries comprising the ASEAN Member States, Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, the United States, and Russia, both held on October 8, participants discussed progress on the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC), energy security, and cooperation for decarbonization and other issues.

During the meetings, State Minister TAKAGI referred to the importance of each country taking diverse and realistic approaches to achieve both energy security and decarbonization according to local circumstances and in view of the situation in the Middle East, and stated that Japan would proactively support the enhancement of oil stockpiling and supply chains in the region through POWERR Asia. He also emphasized the importance of free and transparent energy trade, international cooperation to enhance oil stockpiling, and stronger collaboration between oil-producing and oil-consuming countries as the three pillars of energy security. At the same time, he shared his views on the effective use of AZEC to foster collaboration for oil stockpiling in ASEAN and promote regional cooperation for the ASEAN Power Grid toward the establishment of a resilient energy system in the region.

Following the meetings, a joint statement was released for each of them.

(1) Meeting with H.E. Ms. Sharon S. Garin, Secretary of Energy of the Philippines

The two ministers discussed the specific measures to be taken for countries to cooperate for oil stockpiling and agreed to enhance cooperation in nuclear power and offshore wind power generation. Moreover, the following documents were signed: a memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Department of Energy of the Philippines on comprehensive cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, and a joint statement between JICA and the Department of Energy of the Philippines on cooperation in the field of oil security.

(2) Meeting with H.E. Mr. Akmal Nasir, Minister of Economy of Malaysia

The two ministers confirmed the progress of cooperation for oil stockpiling, nuclear power and ammonia under POWERR Asia and agreed to continue cooperation toward the future. Moreover, they exchanged views on the field of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), for which the two countries concluded a memorandum of cooperation last year.

(3) Meeting with H.E. Dr. Tan See Leng, Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry)　of Singapore

The two sides agreed to advance cooperation toward the next AZEC Ministerial Meeting, as Singapore is set to serve as ASEAN Chair next year. The ministers also exchanged views on bilateral cooperation in the field of gas-fired power generation and other sectors.

(4) Meeting with H.E. Mr. Nguyen Viet Son, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Viet Nam

The two sides agreed to continue working on the enhancement of Viet Nam's energy security, including oil stockpiling, under POWERR Asia. They also discussed the importance of building a system for LNG-fired power generation.

The AZEC Business Forum brought together over 250 business leaders from the economic sector and international organizations.
Representatives of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, Keidanren, the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), BlackRock, ENEOS and other industry-leading companies and organizations gathered to engage in lively discussion on oil stockpiling and transition finance.

In addition, at the forum, an announcement was made regarding the founding of the AZEC Inclusive Transition Finance Catalyst (AITF Catalyst) as a platform to provide advice and financial support for the solution of issues toward the implementation of specific transition finance projects. Also, another announcement was made regarding JICA's investment in international funds that target transition projects in Asia.

(AZEC Ministerial Meeting)

(EAS Energy Ministers' Meeting, and ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting Plus Three)

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