Japanese gas giants meet Australian officials at least two dozen times since Labor elected

Japanese companies with gas export interests have met with Australian policymakers at least two dozen times in recent years, as an analysis asserts narratives pushed by both countries do not align with global climate goals.

Japanese firms, including INPEX, JERA and Mitsubishi Corporation, have almost $70 billion ($US50 billion) in equity invested in 13 Australian liquefied natural gas export projects, according to research from climate think tank InfluenceMap.

The report’s author Jack Herring was surprised by the scale of their financial stake.

“This serves to link Japanese corporate interests directly to Australia’s gas export economy,” InfluenceMap’s Australian program manager told AAP.

Australia is a major supplier of gas to Japan but in recent years, the importer’s practice of reselling it to other markets – namely Southeast Asia – has come under scrutiny, particularly against the backdrop of warnings Australia might not have enough of the fuel to meet domestic needs.

Roughly 600 to 800 petajoules of Australian gas was onsold to other Asian markets by Japanese companies in 2024, according to Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis estimates – comparable to eastern Australia’s annual domestic gas consumption. 

InfluenceMap says four tactics are being used to keep expanding the fossil fuel industry: investment, lobbying in Australia, government influence in Japan, and public and political “narrative capture”.

At least 24 meetings between Japanese companies and Australian ministers and officials since Labor came to power in 2022 have been identified via freedom of information requests.

Mr Herring said the two-dozen meetings were “the tip of the iceberg” and it was impossible to know the full extent without mandatory ministerial diary disclosures and other transparency reforms.

The report also contained briefs, revealed for the first time, prepared for Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King before an October 2024 visit to Japan that repeatedly emphasised Australia’s commitment to “encouraging targeted investment into new gas projects in Australia”.

Pro-LNG narratives were also tested against scientific guidance for meeting global climate goals set out in the Paris agreement.

Common descriptions of gas as a “transition fuel”, as well as its importance for energy affordability and security, were deemed inconsistent with science-based pathways to stay within the 1.5C warming limit.

Mr Herring said continued investment in the LNG industry could delay decarbonisation in both Australia and the broader region by locking in decades of gas production.

He pointed to a Deloitte report commissioned by the WA Labor government and leaked in 2025 that found gas could “crowd out investments in renewable technologies”.

A spokesperson for Ms King said regular meetings with industry stakeholders were part of the role.

“Japan has been a strong and valued investment partner for Australia’s offshore LNG industry,” the spokesperson said.

A JERA spokesperson said like many businesses in Australia, it regularly engaged with state and federal governments and regulators on the operation and management of the LNG projects it is involved in.

“Australian LNG contributes to Japan’s supplies of reliable and affordable gas while generating valuable jobs and revenue in Australia,” the spokesperson said.

INPEX senior vice president corporate Bill Townsend said the company took a “bi-partisan approach to government engagement” and highlighted the jobs created by the Ichthys LNG project it operates, and its tax contributions.

“We are actively working to support Indo-Pacific energy security, while helping the region to achieve net zero by 2050, as detailed in our INPEX Vision 2035 strategic roadmap,” he said.

Source: AAP