Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Tuesday spoke out against a coal-fired power plant project in Vietnam, calling into question the government's planned financial support for the project amid a rising global outcry from climate activists.
Dozens of nongovernmental organizations are calling on the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) not to finance the 1.2 gigawatt Vung Ang 2 plant project led by Mitsubishi Corp.
JBIC and Japan's megabanks are considering financing the $2.2 billion (¥242 billion) project, and construction is slated to be conducted by Chinese and U.S. firms.