Tell the Japanese Government & Olympic Sponsors to Stop Funding Coal

Send Your Message

Your letter will be delivered to Japanese government officials and Olympic sponsors Mizuho, SMBC, and Tokio Marine:

We are deeply concerned that Japan’s continued support for coal is exacerbating the climate crisis. This crisis is responsible for the deadly heatwaves that have swept across Japan and which threaten the health and safety of athletes and spectators at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

With the global spotlight focused on Japan over the next year, we urge you to take this opportunity to show real climate leadership and end support for coal.

Deadly heatwaves continue to strike Japan during the summer months when the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are set to take place. Thus far in 2019, 57 people have died and over 18,000 were hospitalized. In 2018, 1,032 people died in Japan from an unprecedented heatwave with temperatures exceeding 35°C (95°F). According to research by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the heatwave “would never have happened without anthropogenic global warming.”

The recently unveiled Tokyo 2020 Cooling Project is a good step towards addressing the immediate safety concerns, but the Japanese public and the wider world – including many of the world's poorest people – are increasingly at risk as a result of the climate crisis.

One of the three Tokyo Olympics pillars is to “pass on a legacy for the future.” We urge the Japanese government and Olympic sponsors Mizuho, SMBC, and Tokio Marine to use this special occasion to demonstrate true climate leadership by ending support for coal and investing in renewable energy both within Japan and overseas. This would be a truly honorable legacy to pass on to future generations and would be in the spirit of the Olympic Games.

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Comment

In less than one year Japan is set to host the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – and officials are already worried about the deadly heatwaves that have been happening with increasing frequency.

In 2018, 1,032 people died in Japan from an unprecedented heatwave with temperatures exceeding 35°C (95°F). According to research by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the heatwave “would never have happened without anthropogenic global warming.”

While the Japanese government and several Olympic sponsors are taking steps to ensure the health and safety of athletes and spectators, these measures won’t protect the Japanese public and the wider world – including many of the world's poorest people – from the extreme weather events associated with the climate crisis.

Japanese officials need to get to the root cause of this problem and end support for coal.

The Japanese government and Olympic sponsors Mizuho, SMBC, and Tokio Marine are among the world’s biggest backers of coal. Japan is planning to build more coal-fired power plants than any other developed nation and is one of the world’s largest providers of public finance for coal power overseas.

Japanese megabanks Mizuho and SMBC are the 1st and 4th largest lenders to coal developers globally. Tokio Marine, one of the world’s leading power and energy sector insurance companies, has recently come under fire for its coal support.

With the global spotlight focused on Japan with the Tokyo Olympics, the Japanese government and Olympic sponsors have a huge opportunity to demonstrate real climate leadership and end their support for coal.

One of the three Tokyo Olympics pillars is to “pass on a legacy for the future.” Ending support for coal and investing in renewable energy both within Japan and overseas would be a truly honorable legacy to pass on to future generations.

Please send a message urging the Japanese government and Olympic sponsors Mizuho, SMBC, and Tokio Marine to stop exacerbating the climate crisis and end their support for coal.