Tokyo: Japan on Monday hosted the first summit of the Asia Zero Emission Community, which was established at Japan’s initiative for decarbonization cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Australia.

At the AZEC summit, participants agreed to establish a command center to help member countries draw up related policy measures.

“Decarbonization is a common challenge for Asia, and innovation is key to providing solutions,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at the meeting. “Japan will take the lead in developing related technologies and legal systems.”

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the three-day Japan-ASEAN special summit in the Japanese capital through Monday.

The Asia Zero Emission Center will be established at an international organization in Jakarta. It will support the development of decarbonization timetables and legislation for the introduction of renewable energy, as well as efforts by private companies to help supply electricity from renewable sources to industrial parks.

Japan aims to cooperate with Asian partners on decarbonization as Southeast Asian countries rely heavily on fossil fuels for electricity, while European countries are accelerating the introduction of renewable energy sources and China holds a large share of the market for solar panels.

JIJI Press