Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Climate campaigners staged protests outside British Petroleum (BP) and Itochu Corporation in Tokyo on Saturday to demand their withdrawal from the BTC pipeline that supplies around 30 percent of Israel’s crude oil imports.

The protest was organized by climate journal “Ship and Wind,” which organized a petition of over 10,000 signatures to deliver to BP and Itochu.

Representatives of Ship and Wind team went to the offices of BP in Tokyo hoping to submit the petition and a protest letter, but BP refused to accept them.

They followed up by holding a protest rally in front of the Tokyo headquarters of Itochu Corporation, demanding that the company withdraw from the BTC pipeline. The protesters shouted slogans and raised banners with messages such as “Stop fueling genocide.”

Itochu and another Japanese oil company INPEX are both investors in the Azerbaijan’s ACG oil field and the BTC pipeline project. The main operators of the BTC pipeline are BP, along with SOCAR, which has received loans from Japanese banks.

Azerbaijan, where the COP29 climate conference is being held, supports around 30 percent of Israel’s crude oil imports through the BTC pipeline, the protesters said.

“In light of the climate crisis today, we must immediately cease the extraction and utilization of fossil fuels, particularly oil, which is directly linked to genocide in Palestine and neighboring countries,” they said. “We demand that these companies withdraw from the BTC pipeline immediately and stop fueling genocide.

“Israel has received large quantities of crude oil transported through this pipeline, providing further fuel for the genocide being carried out in Palestine and the invasion of neighboring countries such as Lebanon and Syria. In addition, the BTC pipeline has also caused problems such as human rights violations against workers and minorities, environmental damage, and the outbreak of conflicts.”