On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, the U.S.-Japan Council (USJC) hosted a hybrid seminar, titled “Green Materials: Key for Scope 3 Emission Reduction”, a part of the USJC’s “Climate & Sustainability Leadership Initiative“. In collaboration with the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation (EUJC), the seminar addressed the particularly challenging issue of reducing Scope 3 emissions generated across global supply chains and highlighted high anticipation for the widespread adoption of “green materials” for key components, which account for the majority of these emissions.
Recognizing that cooperative efforts from both the supply and demand sides are essential, the seminar featured policymakers and experts representing the entire supply chain, including the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), BHP Billiton Japan Limited, Nippon Steel Corporation, JX Advanced Metals Corporation, and NEWSCON Inc.
Discussions focused on sustainability strategies for materials, in particular, green steel and non-ferrous metals, and EU and Japan market and policy trends. Japan’s policy approach specifically highlighted the need to design a framework to appropriately evaluate the value and share the social cost increase associated with decarbonization, expand the use of public procurement, and promote the assessment of green value through linkage with financial markets.
In the steel industry, efforts included sharing plans for long-term investments (direct reduction, advanced electric arc furnaces, and hydrogen utilization). Emphasis was placed on developing business models utilizing methodologies that establish mass balance and allocation systems to reliably visualize and transfer the value of emission reductions from investment, rather than from actual emissions. Conversely, a situation was reported in the EU where acceptance of a green premium was lower than expected, leading to increased investment postponements and revisions, which suggests the need for additional policies to bridge the cost gap.
Yasuo Tanabe, USJC Senior Advisor and seminar moderator, concluded the discussion by summarizing: ” The ultimate success in achieving decarbonization throughout the supply chain will hinge on market conditions with proper policy support, enabling supply-side players and demand-side players can work together toward the decarbonization goal”.
The discussions provided foundational knowledge for future policy cooperation and market design to support the widespread adoption of green materials across major industries in Japan, the United States, and Europe.
Speakers
- Manabu Nabeshima, Director, Metal Industries Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
- Kanna Mihara, President, BHP Billiton Japan Limited
- Shigeaki Tanaka, Executive Officer, Environmental Planning and Green Transformation, Nippon Steel Corporation
- Akito Tani, Senior Managing Executive Officer / Advisor to the Technology Division, JX Advanced Metals Corporation
- Shinobu Tachibana, General Manager, UK Branch, NEWSCON Inc.
Moderator
- Yasuo Tanabe, Senior Advisor, U.S.-Japan Council
This event was held as part of USJC’s Climate & Sustainability Leadership Initiative, which is supported by the Initiative’s Founding Strategic Partner, Amazon.