Manila, 8 October 2026: ERIA participated in the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Business Forum, held alongside the 4th AZEC Ministerial Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center. The forum brought together governments, international organisations, development finance institutions, and private-sector representatives to discuss transition finance and strategic energy stockpiling.

ERIA President Tetsuya Watanabe delivered the closing remarks, emphasising the need to advance decarbonisation and energy security in parallel. He highlighted the importance of transition finance in mobilising capital and accelerating the energy transition, while underscoring the role of strategic stockpiling, resilient infrastructure, and regional co-operation in safeguarding energy supplies and economic stability.

President Watanabe called for closer collaboration amongst governments, businesses, financial institutions, and international partners. He reaffirmed ERIA’s commitment to supporting practical action through evidence-based research, policy dialogue, and its Asia Zero Emission Center (AZE Center). He also thanked the Government of the Philippines, Keidanren, ASEAN-BAC, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and other participating institutions for their support.

ERIA contributed to three key activities at the forum:

• Launch of the AZEC Inclusive Transition Finance Catalyst: Mr Sho Hayashi, Policy Fellow on Energy Transition and Finance at ERIA, presented the Catalyst, a joint initiative of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), ERIA, and METI.
• Session 1 – Scaling Up Transition Finance in Asia: Moderated by Mr Hayashi, the panel featured representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), ADB, Standard Chartered Bank, and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
• Session 2 – Strategic Energy Stockpiling: Dr Nuki Agya Utama, Director for Energy and Head of the AZE Center, presented ERIA’s report and joined a panel discussion with representatives from the ASEAN Centre for Energy, the Philippine Department of Energy, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security, and ENEOS Holdings.

Through these contributions, ERIA supported regional dialogue on practical approaches to transition finance and energy security under AZEC.