Osaka District Court Orders Gov't to Disclose Information on Corporate Energy Use

On January 30, 2007, the Kiko Network, a Japanese non-governmental organization, won another case in Osaka against the national government, which had refused to disclose information on energy use at major manufacturing facilities. The Osaka District Court ordered the government to disclose the fiscal 2003 reports on the consumption of electricity and fuel submitted by four factories, including the Wakayama Steel Works of Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. This is the second legal victory for the Kiko Network, following their victory at the Nagoya District Court in October 2006.

The Kiko Network filed three lawsuits against the government in 2005 (at the district courts of Nagoya and Osaka in July, and at the Tokyo District Court in August) seeking the cancellation of the government's non-disclosure policy and the disclosure of the 2003 reports submitted by some large-scale manufacturing facilities. These are the nation's first lawsuits related to global warming issues. The network welcomed the district court decisions in Nagoya and Osaka, saying that the disclosure of information will help step up Japanese policy against global warming.

While the suits were pending, the number of disclosed reports increased from 85 percent to 92 percent of the total. However, 8 percent were still withheld, including the reports from 17 blast furnace steelworks whose carbon dioxide emissions are estimated to be 13 percent of Japan's total. The network expects that the district court decisions will contribute to further disclosure of information on corporate energy use.

A representative of the Kiko Network has stated that the government should disclose the information in accordance with the court decision, and accelerate the formulation and implementation of effective anti-global warming measures, such as the introduction of a national emissions trading system.


http://www.kikonet.org/english/hot-topics/2004-10-15.html
- Court Orders Central Gov't to Disclose Information on Corporate Energy Use (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1588-e

Posted: 2007/03/15 02:12:06 PM
Japanese version