TOKYO – Japan is considering holding the second summit of the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC), a multilateral forum focused on decarbonization efforts in Southeast Asia, in Laos in October when leaders from ASEAN and its partner countries gather for a series of meetings, a government source said Sunday.

Japan aims to reach an agreement with other AZEC participants -- nine members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Australia -- at the contemplated summit to establish a detailed plan for accelerating decarbonization in Asia over the next decade, said the source as quoted by Kyod News..

The first summit of the forum, an initiative proposed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, was held in Tokyo in December 2023, following a ministerial meeting in the Japanese capital the previous March.

Japan hopes to use AZEC to encourage investment in the market for products and technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions in Southeast Asian countries dependent on fossil fuels for their energy needs.