In recent international political and economic spheres, interest and concern on "economic statecraft" by which state exerts influences on other states with economic leverages to achieve its strategic goals, are increasing. There are numerous states' maneuvers in the name of economic security, such as introducing tariffs and import/export and investment restrictions on sensitive technologies, information, energy, rare earth, agriculture and fisheries products and others.

Even the cooperative field of aiming for the carbon neutral society aligned with the Paris Agreement faces the momentum of economic statecraft. While utilizing overwhelming leverages, superpowers and their economic spaces of influence are proceeding on industrial promotions for their own interests, and reshoring and de-risking policies by implementing subsidies, taxations and trade measures such as the carbon border adjustment mechanism for acquiring international market share. These maneuvers show each country's shrewd strategy to transform its social and industrial structure to acquire more added values on its products and services and competitive advantages in the forthcoming "green society".

How about the Japan's situation? It does not have natural resources and vast national land and a large domestic economic zone. What is more, it is difficult to say that it is internationally competitive in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Despite these disadvantages, Japan needs to find its own unique path for growth and continuously pay best efforts under public and private partnership to remain as a country which is needed by the international society.

This is the time to redesign how Japan's energy infrastructure, industrial structure and industrial location must be under the GX 2040 vision, realizing transformation to "Green Japan" and prosperous future. What we must always keep in mind is that Japan has been strenuously gaining trusts from countries in the world through building global value chains under public and private partnership and achieving co-growth by solving social issues and committing to economic growth in each area. Even in this new era of decarbonization, the path we must walk is to reform ourselves, strengthen our capabilities, and continuously lead co-creation with partner countries, aiming for sharing growth and prosperity, so that we can be trusted and needed by other countries.