With Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledging to bring Japan's carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2050, a growing number of Japanese companies are looking at how they can make a bigger contribution to curbing global warming.
As investors scrutinize how firms address environmental issues, sustainability and governance, Japanese trading houses are reviewing business strategies by reducing their traditionally heavy reliance on natural resources as a major source of profits.
Itochu Corp. is selling its 20% stake in a coal mine in Colombia to Drummond Company Inc., a U.S. coal producer that owns the remaining 80%, as part of efforts to promote decarbonization.