Japan had IMF delete mention of coal in report on its economy

The deletion was made at the request of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which places an emphasis on exports of coal-fired power plants.

So all that taxpayer money going to Dentsu for commercials and posters promoting us all to follow "sustainable development goals" is just a sham? Color me surprised.

Nasty, METI, nasty!

The deletion was made at the request of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which places an emphasis on exports of coal-fired power plants.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference the following day that the government was not in a position to comment on how the report had been prepared.

I see even implausible deniability is an acceptable part of government dealings.

What honest Japanese bureaucrats, so full of integrity!

Don't worry, China will still be the only country to be blamed for global GHG emissions.

Gerry Rice, director of communications at the IMF, also declined to comment, telling Kyodo News that "we don't comment on leaks of draft documents."

He meant they get paid well not to comment on leaks.

Don't worry, China will still be the only country to be blamed for global GHG emissions.

Do you believe in man-made climate change?

This can't be a surprise when Japanese banks basically fund the world's coal industry - https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/12/07/national/report-names-japans-top-three-mega-banks-worlds-biggest-lenders-coal-plant-developers/

That METI serve the interests of a Japanese industry is not surprising though morally questionable, that the IMF acquiesced in suppressing facts is utterly disgraceful and unacceptable. Those responsible at the IMF need to be fired, though squadrons of flying pigs overhead are more likely than that happening.

Not wise.

Subsidies for investment in renewables have been so pared back in Japan that it is not worth the time and energy to set up new ones.

Yet, the resulting pollution from the coke fired station in East Kobe is enough to cause residents in Ashiya to demonstrate in the street.

It’s a mad world…

It's the Nikko monkeys again, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

Since they were carved way back when, and the thinking goes back much further, I shall end with "same as ever was, same as it ever was, same at it ever was...."

Another example of the underbelly of criminality in the Japanese government and the society.

Maybe if I bribe the police like the funeral homes, I can get some criminal politicians arrested!

"Shifting to a low carbon economy" ?

Extremely slow Shifting and in reality doing absolutely nothing to curb carbon emissions by Japan.

They still burn all their trash in residential districts all over Japan and are dependent on coal.

Not to mention cigarette smoke emissions are everywhere in Japan.

Japan doesn't care about emissions.