Australian ministers met Japanese gas companies 20 times amid fossil fuel lobbying push

Australian government ministers met Japanese gas company executives more than 20 times in the last term of parliament as Labor encouraged investment in the fossil fuel industry.The list of meetings is detailed in a report by the thinktank InfluenceMap that argues Japanese liquefied natural gas (LNG) companies have worked with Australian gas interests to lobby for favourable local government policy to prolong the life of the industry and slow a shift to clean energy in Asia Pacific.InfluenceMap quantified the role of Japanese operators in developing and sustaining Australia’s LNG export industry. Companies including Inpex, Jera, Mitsubishi and Mitsui were found to have more than A$70bn in equity in 13 Australian LNG developments.These developments made up about 17% of global LNG capacity. The largest investment is in the Icthys gas field development in the Timor Sea, backed primarily by Inpex.InfluenceMap found, based on their projected output, the 13 developments could be associated with 290m tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions a year – equivalent to about two-thirds of Australia’s total annual climate pollution.It said Japanese interests had worked publicly and privately to maintain a favourable policy environment for gas in Australia. Freedom-of-information documents showed the resources minister, Madeleine King, had met at least 17 times with Japanese LNG representatives.Four other ministers – including prime minister Anthony Albanese, who met the representatives from Inpex – were listed as having single meetings. At least three meetings were held with senior officials. InfluenceMap said weak Australian lobbying transparency rules meant it was likely there were further meetings that did not turn up in its document requests.But it said the lobbying appeared to shape key climate and energy policies, including the “future gas strategy” released by King in 2024 that said new sources of gas to meet demand would be needed “to 2050 and beyond” – after both the Australian and Japanese governments have committed to reach net zero emissions.InfluenceMap said talking points supplied to King by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources in a briefing pack before the minister visited Japan in October 2024 echoed language used by the gas industry. The department advised King to tell industry and government leaders that Australia was firmly committed to remaining a reliable provider of LNG “in support of energy security while transitioning to net zero” and welcomed “further investment in our gas industry”.Japan has limited access to energy domestically and is largely reliant on energy imports, including Australian gas and coal. The governments of both countries have argued Japan needs an increased supply of gas to help cut emissions by replacing coal-fired power and supporting renewable energy.But leaked “cabinet in confidence” advice to the Western Australian government obtained by Guardian Australia last year challenged this idea, warning unlimited Australian gas exports to Japan and neighbouring countries risked slowing the move to cleaner energy in Asia.A separate report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found Japanese companies have resold more than a third of the gas they bought from Australia, reaping more than $1bn in profit in 2024. Critics including Labor backbencher Ed Husic have argued this showed Japanese multinationals were profiting from Australian gas that was not needed to meet energy demand in their own country.Documents released to InfluenceMap show Inpex and Jera disputed this in meetings with government officials, arguing LNG demand and inventory levels “fluctuate in real-time” and companies purchased a “supply buffer” to ensure stable energy supply, in line with Japanese government policy. They said most of what was sold on to third countries was from that buffer.InfluenceMap’s Australia program manager, Jack Herring, said the evidence showed Japanese LNG investment and lobbying risked locking in fossil fuel dependence across the region, delaying the shift to genuinely clean energy.He said claims that gas was a “transition fuel” was at odds with evidence published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. That evidence had been backed by the Australian and Japanese governments. “In this context, it is increasingly important that the Australian government works towards a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels,” Herring said.A spokesperson for King said Japan had been a “strong and valued investment partner for Australia’s offshore LNG industry” and the minister “met regularly with resources sector stakeholders as part of her role”.InfluenceMap’s research found Inpex had twice as many meetings with senior government figures as other Japanese gas companies. Bill Townsend, a senior vice-president at Inpex, said the company advocated for “stable and predictable policy settings” with streamlined development approval processes and “reduced red – and green – tape”.Townsend said Inpex was “working to support Indo-Pacific energy security” while helping the region achieve net zero by 2050. It planned to introduce carbon capture and storage - a technology that has not yet been a success at scale - at the Ichthys development “from around 2030” and participated in renewable energy projects through a 50% interest in Potentia Energy, he said.Independent MP Monique Ryan said there was a clear scientific consensus that climate pollution needed to be cut, and InfluenceMap’s analysis helped explain why the Australian government “continues to act as an enabler” for Japanese gas companies.“It reinforces the need for more transparent regulation of corporate lobbying, and for the Australian government to act in the best interests of its citizens rather than those of Japanese companies and their industry associations,” Ryan said.