350.org on the visit of Japan's Prime Minister to the U.S.

Starting tomorrow, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be visiting the United States to attend the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. This occasion underscores the persistent need for groups such as 350.org to highlight the role that Japan has played in encouraging the development of coal-fired and nuclear power plants both within and beyond its borders.

In response, Shin Furuno, 350.org Japan Divestment Campaigner issued the following statement:

"Japan continues to lag behind the global energy shift towards a 100% renewable society, given the most recent examples of the Ministry of Environment approving plans to build 47 new domestic coal-fired power plants and signing a memorandum with India for nuclear energy cooperation. Coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, and nuclear power, an unacceptable risk to humanity and the environment, are certainly not the solutions to the global dilemma of climate change. As the host country of the G7 and party to the Paris agreement, Japan needs to show leadership in the shift away from the use and finance of unsustainable and economically risky sources of energy. The time has come for Japan to evolve to a 100% renewable energy society."

350.org and numerous partners around the world are preparing mass mobilizations to shut down major fossil fuel projects on six continents in a series of actions on May 7-15, 2016 right before the G7 Summit in Japan. This Break Free wave of actions will re-emphasize the end of the era of fossil fuels and herald the start of a new era in which all power production comes from renewable energy sources accessible to all.