Promoting Low-Carbon Agriculture and Carbon Credit Creation in the ASEAN Region
Green Carbon Inc. (CEO: Jun Okita, hereinafter referred to as “Green Carbon”), a company engaged in the development and sale of nature-based carbon credits, is pleased to announce its participation as a speaker at the ASEAN-Japan Workshop on Carbon Neutrality, Food Security, and Agricultural Innovation (hereinafter referred to as “the Event”), which was held in Tokyo from March 17 (Mon) to March 19 (Wed), 2025, organized by international institutions such as IRRI, AJC, and SEARCA.
At this event, discussions focused on promoting low-carbon agriculture through cooperation between ASEAN countries and Japan, as well as the sustainable development of agriculture utilizing carbon credits. Green Carbon participated in Session 2 (Transition Finance) and Session 3 (Agri-Tech Enterprise Presentations) on March 17 (Wed). During these sessions, Green Carbon shared its expertise on carbon credit creation in the agricultural sector of ASEAN countries and engaged in discussions on key challenges that should be addressed through a collaborative framework across the ASEAN region.
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◆Background of Participation in the Event
Green Carbon is actively engaged in the creation of nature-based carbon credits, primarily in Southeast Asia, through a wide range of initiatives, including forest conservation, rice paddies, mangrove afforestation, methane emission reduction from livestock, and biochar projects. In particular, the company is promoting rice paddy-based carbon credit projects in Southeast Asia, while also working to improve local farmers’ livelihoods and agricultural productivity. Additionally, Green Carbon utilizes satellite data for site selection and monitoring of its projects.
In the ASEAN region, approximately 10-20% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originate from methane emissions in rice paddies (*1). Compared to the fact that around 1.5% of global GHG emissions come from rice cultivation (*2), it is evident that methane emissions from rice paddies have a particularly significant impact in ASEAN. As one of the world’s major rice-producing regions, ASEAN countries have been implementing various measures to reduce these emissions. Governments and international organizations are increasingly focusing on carbon credits as a means to promote the sustainable development and decarbonization of agriculture.
Green Carbon is advancing carbon credit generation through AWD (Alternate Wetting and Drying) in Japan and four ASEAN countries. Notably, its AWD project in Vietnam, launched in 2024, has demonstrated success in reducing methane emissions while improving rice yields. Based on these experiences, Green Carbon was invited to this event by IRRI and SEARCA to share insights on agricultural decarbonization, carbon market expansion, and the creation of economic incentives for farmers.
◆Presentation Content at This Event
| Session 2：Transition Finance and the Potential of the Carbon Credit Market |
|---|
| Success Factors of J-Credit System：Introduced the strengths of Japan’s J-Credit system (government-led certification, standardized MRV, matching with corporate needs). |
| Applicability to ASEAN： Proposing the establishment of a common carbon credit system across countries to promote regional market activation. |
| Ensuring Transparency：Introduction of digital MRV and blockchain technology to address greenwashing. |
| Session 3：Agri-Tech Company Presentations – Introduction of Green Carbon’s Initiatives |
|---|
| Growth of the Carbon Credit Market in Agriculture：Presented case studies from Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand. |
| Environmental and Economic Benefits of AWD (Alternate Wetting and Drying)：Reduction of methane emissions from rice paddies by 60% and increased farmer income ($500-600/ha). |
| Utilization of Technological Innovation：Satellite data usage in joint research with JAXA, and support for carbon credit trading using the Agreen platform (a tool to simplify credit creation). |
The table below summarizes the challenges of the ASEAN carbon credit market and Green Carbon’s contributions, indicating solutions provided to stakeholders in Japan and ASEAN.
Target：ASEAN Governments
| Challenges | Green Carbon’s Solutions |
|---|---|
| ① No unified carbon credit system (different standards and methodologies per country). ② Lack of MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) systems. ③ Low transparency in the carbon credit market. | ・Propose applying the successful J-Credit model to ASEAN.・Collaborate with stakeholders (certification bodies, JAXA, satellite data providers) to establish digital MRV systems, improving transparency.・Use the “Agreen” platform to standardize carbon credit creation methods, enhancing transparency. |
Target：Japanese Government
| Challenges | Green Carbon’s Solutions |
|---|---|
| ① Limited use of J-Credit and JCM (Joint Crediting Mechanism) in ASEAN. ② Insufficient international expansion of carbon credit trading. | ・Expand the JCM framework with ASEAN governments.・Create mechanisms that make it easier for Japanese companies to utilize ASEAN credits. |
Target：ASEAN Enterprises (Carbon Credit Purchasers)
| Challenges | Green Carbon’s Solutions |
|---|---|
| ① Difficulty finding appropriate carbon credits (unclear quality and reliability). ② Slow progress on decarbonizing their supply chains. | ・Improve transparency of credits via the “Agreen” platform and introduce suitable projects. |
Target：Research Institutions/Universities
| Challenges | Green Carbon’s Solutions |
|---|---|
| ① Underdeveloped technologies for measuring carbon storage in agriculture. ② Lack of funding/resources for data collection. | ・Enhance measurement technologies using satellite data and AI.・Provide funding/resources to support local measurements. |
Target：ASEAN Farmers・Agricultural Organizations
| Challenges | Green Carbon’s Solutions |
|---|---|
| ① Complexity of applying for and trading carbon credits. ② Lack of funds to implement low-carbon agriculture. ③ Unstable revenue from carbon credits. | ・Use the “Agreen” platform to simplify credit registration and sales for farmers.・Ensure stable revenue by guaranteeing minimum credit prices and collaborating with companies. |
◆Future Efforts
Green Carbon will leverage the insights gained from this event to strengthen cooperation with governments, businesses, and farmers in ASEAN countries and promote the following initiatives.
○Building the Carbon Credit Market in ASEAN
• Support the development of a standardized credit system based on J-Credit.
• Expand projects in Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
• Pilot experiments for digital MRV. ⇒ Measure agricultural emissions using satellite data. ⇒ Develop and deploy carbon credit management systems and trading support via the “Agreen” platform.
○Direct Incentives for Farmers
• Establish a scheme to return a portion of credit revenues to farmers.
• Propose minimum credit price guarantees and tax incentives for companies.
Green Carbon will continue to contribute to climate change mitigation and agricultural support in the ASEAN region through the development of sustainable agriculture using carbon credits.
◆Event Overview
The event was attended by over 100 policymakers, businesses, and researchers, including representatives from ASEAN countries’ ministries of agriculture, environment, and economy, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, and international organizations such as IRRI, SEARCA, and AJC. Active discussions were held on concrete collaboration towards achieving carbon neutrality in agriculture and food security.
Organized by: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC), Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)
Co-organized by: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan
Dates: March 17 (Monday) – 19 (Wednesday), 2025
Location: ASEAN Hall, Tokyo
Sessions: Session 2 “Transition Finance”, Session 3 “AgriTech Business Presentations”
※1: GHG Emissions from Rice Cultivation in the ASEAN Region
Source: Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR, 2024)
※2: Global GHG Emissions from Rice Cultivation
Source: Food Forward NDCs (2024)
https://foodforwardndcs.panda.org/food-production/reducing-emissions-from-rice-cultivation
※3: AWD (Alternate Wetting and Drying)
AWD is an irrigation technique where water is periodically applied and allowed to dry naturally over several days. Compared to continuous flooding, AWD reduces water consumption and contributes to water resource conservation.
※4: Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM)
JCM is a bilateral crediting system that enables Japan to transfer its advanced decarbonization technologies to partner countries, contributing to their GHG reduction efforts. The emission reductions achieved are shared between the partner country and Japan to meet their respective climate targets. The Philippines has been participating in JCM with Japan since January 2017.
◆Green Carbon, Inc.
Representative：Jun Okita, CEO
Location ：Isal AKASAKA607, 5-2-33 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Establishment ：December 2019
Business ：Carbon credit creation and sales business, agriculture-related business, environment-related business, other related businesses and ESG consulting business
URL ： https://green-carbon.co.jp/
◆Business Introduction of Green Carbon
Green Carbon operates with the vision of “Saving the Earth with the Power of Life”, by providing comprehensive support for the creation, registration, and sales of carbon credits in domestic and international markets. We are also expanding our business operations in wider industries including agriculture, research & development, and ESG consulting.
Our operations are primarily based in Japan and Southeast Asia, while currently expanding business in Australia and South America. We create naturally derived carbon credits from sources including water paddies, biochar, forest conservation, carbon farming, mangrove plantation, and methane from cattle eructation. Our main focus is on generating carbon credits through methane gas reduction in rice paddies, where we have obtained the first and largest certification for J-Credits in Japan (approximately 6,220 tons), and plan to expand to around 40,000 hectares (approximately 100,000 tons) in the fiscal year 2024. We also offer a service called “Agreen” that integrates credit registration, application, and sales into one platform, simplifying procedures such as application registration and document preparation, thus reducing workload for credit creators.
◆GREEN CARBON JAPAN VIETNAM COMPANY LIMITED
Abbreviation：GREEN CARBON JAPAN VIETNAM CO,. LTD
Representative：Jun Okita, CEO
Location：10th Floor, The Nexus Building, 34-3B Ton Duc Thang, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Establishment ：August, 2024
Businesses：Carbon credit creation and sales businesses, agriculture-related business
◆Social Media for Green Carbon
Youtube ：https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYO4WnGOHDaVB1ikxheZasA
note ：https://note.com/green_carbon/
Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557429326458
X ：https://mobile.x.com/GreenCarbon2019
LinkedIn ：https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-carbon-inc/