ERIA President Joins AZEC Plus Summit on Strengthening Asia’s Energy Resilience

Jakarta (virtual), 15 April 2026: To address shared energy security challenges across Asia, the Government of Japan, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, convened an online summit with partners of the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) and other countries in the region.

The meeting brought together leaders from the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Viet Nam, Timor-Leste, Bangladesh, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand, alongside ministerial-level representatives from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, India, and Sri Lanka. Key international organisations - including ERIA (represented by President Tetsuya Watanabe), the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) - also participated in the summit.

During the meeting, leaders underscored the urgency of strengthening regional co-operation in response to evolving energy risks arising from the prolonged crisis in the Middle East. They also proposed advancing collaboration under an upgraded 'AZEC 2.0' framework to address both immediate energy security concerns and longer-term energy transition goals. In addition, participants welcomed the launch of the Partnership on Wide Energy and Resources Resilience (POWERR ASIA) during the summit.