Japan, Brazil agree to jointly protect Amazon rainforest
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shake hands at the beginning of their talks in Brasilia on May 3, 2024
BRASILIA (Kyodo) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva agreed Friday to strengthen efforts to combat climate change, including enhancing the protection of the Amazon rainforest.
During their talks in Brasilia, Kishida and Lula signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement on decarbonization and other environmental issues.
The Green Partnership Initiative agreement features financial contributions and assistance for regenerating degraded farmland to prevent deforestation and promote sustainable agriculture.
After the meeting, Kishida told a joint press briefing with Lula that Japan will “make a contribution to realizing carbon neutrality in the world.” Lula called for more investment in clean energy businesses, saying climate change is a serious problem.
Japan is seeking to deepen relations with emerging and developing countries, collectively dubbed the Global South, and Brazil is seen as a key player among them, along with India and Indonesia.
The prime minister has said Japan is ready to work with Brazil, this year’s chair of the Group of 20 major economies, to address global issues.
Brazil is slated to host the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as COP30, in 2025. Lula is eager to take steps to save the Amazon rainforest, often referred to as the “lungs of the Earth.”
Kishida on Friday offered Japan’s cooperation in efforts to protect the rainforest in the northern Amazon region, including a contribution to a fund for that end.
The leaders agreed to make efforts to spur measures for decarbonization such as joint projects using Brazil’s biofuel technology and Japan’s hybrid engines, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Kishida and Lula also agreed to cooperate more closely in the defence and cybersecurity fields as well as on reform of the U.N. Security Council, according to a separate statement.
They shared concerns about the situations surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
The two leaders underscored the importance of people-to-people exchanges between their countries in propelling bilateral relations, as last year marked the 115th anniversary of the start of Japanese immigration to Brazil.
About 2.7 million people of Japanese descent live in Brazil, the largest community outside Japan, while Japan is home to the fifth largest Brazilian community numbering over 210,000, according to their statement.
