Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Brazilian President Lula da Silva agreed to co-operate to protect the Amazon rainforest and step up efforts to fight climate change, local media reported on Saturday.
During the meeting, the two leaders also signed a comprehensive co-operation agreement on decarbonization and other environmental issues. Kishida said Japan is ready to work with Brazil, this year’s chair of the Group of 20 major economies (G20), to address global issues.
The Green Partnership Initiative agreement features financial contributions and assistance for regenerating degraded farmland to prevent deforestation and promote sustainable agriculture.
Kishida said at a joint press briefing with Lula that Japan to contribute to achieving carbon neutrality in the world. Lula called for increased investment in clean energy ventures, saying climate change is a serious problem.
Brazil is due to host the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as COP30, in 2025. Lula is keen to take steps to save the Amazon rainforest, often referred to as the “lungs of the Earth.”
Kishida on Friday also offered Japan’s co-operation in efforts to protect rainforests in the northern Amazon, including a contribution to a fund for that purpose. The co-operation is particularly important as the Brazilian government last year reported a 22.3 per cent reduction in illegal logging and deforestation in the Amazon rainforest between August 2022 and July 2023.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the leaders also agreed to make efforts to promote decarbonisation measures such as joint projects using Brazilian biofuel technology and Japanese hybrid engines.
The two leaders noted the importance of humanitarian exchanges between the two countries for the development of bilateral relations, as last year marked the 115th anniversary of the beginning of Japanese immigration to Brazil. There are about 2.7 million people of Japanese descent in Brazil, the largest community outside Japan, while Japan has the fifth-largest Brazilian community with more than 210,000 people.
