Japan’s Continued Support for Ultra-Supercritical Coal Power is Outdated

Japan has provided over US$17.5 billion in public finance for 21 GW of coal power abroad since 2013, often justifying this by claiming to support "best available technologies" like ultra-supercritical plants. However, the document asserts that these plants are still too polluting to meet Paris Agreement goals and that Japan's withdrawal would not prevent the use of inferior technologies, as China and South Korea are also major funders. Furthermore, the briefing notes that Japanese-funded overseas projects often use inferior emission controls compared to domestic standards and that coal is increasingly an unsafe investment compared to cheaper solar and wind power.

• Since 2013, Japanese public financial institutions have reached financial closure on over 21 GW of coal power abroad, totaling more than US$17.5 billion, with an additional 3.7 GW under negotiation costing nearly US$4.4 billion.
• The Japanese government's justification that it only supports "best available technologies" is contradicted by the IPCC's Special Report on 1.5°C, which indicates that meeting Paris Agreement goals requires a two-thirds to four-fifths reduction in unabated coal power—including ultra-supercritical plants—by 2030.
• Data on coal power currently under negotiation shows that only 32% of the capacity Japan is considering funding is ultra-supercritical technology, which is significantly lower than the shares for South Korea (45%) and China (48%).
• Overseas coal projects supported by Japan often use emission control techniques that are far inferior to those used in Japan, resulting in emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and dust that are up to 13, 33, and 40 times higher, respectively.
• Coal power is considered an unsafe investment because new solar and wind power are now cheaper to build than new coal in all major global markets, making new coal plants likely to become underutilized assets operating at a loss.

APA

Global Energy Monitor (2020). Japan’s Continued Support for Ultra-Supercritical Coal Power is Outdated. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Briefing-on-Japan-coal-policy_April2020_11.pdf

Chicago

Global Energy Monitor. Japan’s Continued Support for Ultra-Supercritical Coal Power is Outdated. 2020. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Briefing-on-Japan-coal-policy_April2020_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Energy Monitor |title=Japan’s Continued Support for Ultra-Supercritical Coal Power is Outdated |date=April 2020 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Briefing-on-Japan-coal-policy_April2020_11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalenergymonitor2020japans, author = {{Global Energy Monitor}}, title = {{Japan’s Continued Support for Ultra-Supercritical Coal Power is Outdated}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Briefing-on-Japan-coal-policy_April2020_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }