Malaysia, Japan Strengthen Green Partnership At AZEC Ministerial Meeting

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 (Bernama) -- Seven memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed between Malaysian and Japanese entities, covering strategic areas of decarbonisation, biofuels, transition financing, and carbon capture and storage at the 3rd Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Ministerial Meeting today.

Malaysia’s Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang said the meeting crystallised three key pillars for future cooperation -- ensuring a just transition, accelerating green mobility and sustainable aviation fuel, and mobilising transition finance --  all of which underpin Malaysia's own transition pathway.

“This meeting reaffirms Malaysia's unwavering dedication to a resilient energy future, while strengthening our close cooperation and taking meaningful steps to advance energy security, affordability and sustainability,” he said at a joint media conference with Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Muto Yoji, and the Philippines’ Department of Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin.

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The meeting was hosted and co-chaired by the Malaysian and Japanese governments. 

Among the MoUs were a memorandum of cooperation between the Malaysian government and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan in the field of carbon capture and storage, and a collaboration agreement to enhance the Malaysia Rubber Council member companies’ operations by connecting them with a company offering cloud services and related consulting services.

Chang emphasised that the AZEC platform provides a crucial avenue for regional cooperation to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining economic growth and energy affordability.

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He said this initiative also aligns with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the national principles of Malaysia MADANI.

In a separate statement, the Economic Ministry stated that Malaysia has outlined its transition pathway through the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), introduced in 2023. This roadmap targets achieving 70 per cent renewable energy (RE) capacity by 2050, leveraging solar, hydro, green hydrogen, and digital grid solutions.

This is further reinforced under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), which sets a nearer-term target of achieving a 35 per cent RE share in the installed capacity mix by 2030.

Among notable achievements in energy transition include the gazettement of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (EECA) 2024, that regulates efficient energy consumption and conservation across industrial, commercial, and public sectors; and the gazettement of the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Act 2025, which strengthens Malaysia’s regulatory framework and positions the country as a regional CCUS hub.

-- BERNAMA