Japan Climate Leaders Partnership (General Incorporated Association) New Commemorative Day Establishment Media Briefing

2025.08.18

A business organization working to realize a decarbonized societyJapan Climate Leaders' Partnership (JCLP)On Friday, August 8, 2025, at LINE Yahoo! Corporation's headquarters, "LODGE" (Chiyoda Ward), the group announced that August 8th has been registered with the Japan Anniversary Association as "The Day to End the Too Hot Summer." The group aims to raise awareness of climate change measures and stop global warming so that this anniversary will no longer be celebrated.

◾️About the new anniversary "The Day to End the Too Hot Summer"

JCLP is a corporate group of approximately 230 companies that share a healthy sense of urgency about climate change and view decarbonization as a new opportunity for growth. Our sense of crisis extends beyond environmental issues, threatening various aspects of people's lives, including rising prices, worsening working conditions, and health hazards. While decarbonization is expanding as a growth market and business opportunities are increasing worldwide, in Japan, the stereotype that it is costly and time-consuming remains deeply rooted, and a market that adequately rewards corporate efforts has yet to be established. Therefore, the awareness and efforts of individuals and companies alone are limited; systemic change and policy reform across society are essential. And to support such reform, we need the interest and public opinion of every citizen. We focused on heat, the weather when climate change is most noticeable, and established August 8th, the hottest day of the year, as a commemorative day. We hope to spread awareness of climate change, not as a distant issue, but as a personal concern.

JCLP Representative Director Yoshinori Yamashita (Chairman and Representative Director, Ricoh Company, Ltd.)

There's a Native American saying that goes, "We don't inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our future generations." If the Earth is "borrowed," I believe it's polite to return it in a cleaner state than when we borrowed it. The reason we established this commemorative day is because we wanted to use August 8th, Japan's hottest day, as an opportunity to think about climate change as something that affects us personally, rather than something that's far away. We also believe that this commemorative day should be "eliminated" in the future. We hope that this day will be the first step in taking climate change seriously.

◾️JCLP Director Nobuyuki Miyaji (Executive Officer, Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd.)

In recent years, we have felt headwinds regarding sustainability, such as anti-ESG and anti-DEI sentiment. However, climate change is a global issue, and even if some people are indifferent, no one is unaffected by it. Through this anniversary, we hope to deepen understanding and interest in the issue, leading to a sense of ownership and changes in daily behavior. JCLP will work together to ensure that these efforts will promote change in social systems and become a positive tipping point.

◾️Thoughts on attending the media briefing for the new anniversary

Until now, I had felt that climate change was something far away, but I have come to realize that it is now affecting issues close to home, such as the record-breaking heatwaves and rising prices we have experienced in recent years. In order to expand the market for companies working to decarbonize and to reform social systems, I hope that this August 8th anniversary will encourage as many people as possible to see climate change as something that affects them personally and take an interest in it.

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on July 8, 2025 by Aoi Watanabe, a first-year student at Hosei University

<Organizing organization>
Japan Climate Leaders' Partnership (JCLP)　
A corporate association established in 2009 based on the recognition that industrial sectors must have a healthy sense of urgency and take proactive action to realize a carbon-free society. Over 230 companies from a wide range of industries are members (as of August 2025). The combined sales of member companies is approximately 160 trillion yen, and the total electricity consumption is approximately 80 TWh (estimated). Since 2017, as an official regional partner of the international non-profit organization The Climate Group, it has also served as the contact point and operation for RE100, EV100, and EP100 in Japan.

<Co-hosting organizations>
-Japan Local Character Association
With the aim of promoting the appeal of the region and revitalizing the area, we build networks for local mascots, support their activities, and disseminate information.

-Japan Sustainable Fashion Alliance (General Incorporated Association)
A corporate collaboration platform that brings together companies and organizations across the entire supply chain to solve problems and disseminate information, aiming for a sustainable future for the fashion industry.

-NPO Weather Caster Network
An organization led by weather forecasters and newscasters that conducts awareness-raising activities and disaster prevention and environmental education with the aim of providing accurate information on weather and climate change to society.

<Supporting organizations> (in order of support)
・Protect Our Winters Japan (POW)
・Taiwan Climate Partnership (TCP)
・Team WFCC (Weather Forecasters against the Climate Crisis)
・Japan Youth Council (General Incorporated Association)
・Japan Zero Carbon Welfare Council (General Incorporated Association)
・Japan Professional Football League (J.League), a public interest incorporated association

Hosei University, 1st year student Watanabe Aoi / Tsuda University, 3rd year student Ishimatsu Karin / Josai International University, 2nd year student Watanabe Yurie