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.
