~What Should Corporations Do Next? Industry and Government Perspectives on the Latest Trends in Biodiversity Evaluation and Carbon Credit Utilization！~
Green Carbon Co., Ltd. (CEO: Jun Okita, hereinafter “Green Carbon”), a company engaged in the creation and sale of nature-based carbon credits, announced that it will co-host an online seminar titled “Biodiversity × Carbon Credits”(here in after “the Seminar”) together with Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Masataka Fujiwara, hereinafter “Osaka Gas”). The seminar will be held on Friday, March 27, 2026, from 13:00 to 14:30 (JST).
The seminar will feature presentations from Green Carbon, one of the largest experts in nature-based carbon credits in Japan, Osaka Gas, which promotes business activities that consider biodiversity, and the Green Food System Strategy Group of the Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). Speakers will provide insights from both corporate and government perspectives on biodiversity evaluation and the latest developments in carbon credits.
The seminar will be held free of charge via online streaming on YouTube Live. An archived recording will later be made available on “Green Career Academy,” Green Carbon’s GX talent development platform.
〇Free Trial Registration / Inquiries
〇How to Register for Green Career Academy (Free) / How to Watch Forum Archives
〇Click here for an overview of the corporate plan
◆Seminar Overview
Green Carbon is engaged in the development of nature-based carbon credits, primarily across Southeast Asia, and operates projects in a wide range of areas including forest conservation, rice paddies, mangrove restoration, livestock methane reduction, and biochar projects. The company develops projects suited to the natural resources of each region while utilizing satellite data for site selection and monitoring, enabling efficient and transparent project management. In particular, rice paddy projects are being implemented at scale both in Japan and overseas.
Amid these efforts, reducing methane emissions by extending the mid-season drainage period in rice paddies was approved as a methodology under the J-Credit Scheme in 2023. Since then, the volume of rice paddy J-Credits has been increasing, and it is expected that they will account for approximately 30–40% of total J-Credit issuance in the future.
In Japanese rice cultivation, mid-season drainage of rice paddies is commonly practiced. However, extending the drainage period to reduce methane emissions may create paddy field conditions that differ from conventional practices, raising concerns about potential impacts on the ecosystems that inhabit these environments. Therefore, beyond the positive effects of methane reduction, it is also necessary to address and minimize potential risks to biodiversity.
Against this background, Green Carbon began a collaboration with Osaka Gas, which possesses expertise in biodiversity assessment in rice paddies, and launched a study in June 2025 to investigate the impact of extending the mid-season drainage period on biodiversity in rice fields.This project collects and analyzes floodwater data from the target rice paddies before and after the implementation of mid-season drainage. By comparing the biodiversity lists recorded before and after the drainage period, the project is able to analyze ecosystem conditions and potential impacts on biodiversity. These insights can then be used to prioritize conservation actions and evaluate the effectiveness of environmental measures.Furthermore, by integrating such biodiversity data into carbon credits, it becomes possible to visualize additional value beyond simple greenhouse gas reduction—such as consideration for ecosystems and contributions to natural capital. This approach enables the development of higher value “premium carbon credits,” which can support corporate TNFD initiatives, sustainability reporting and other non-financial disclosures, as well as ESG and nature-related communications.Based on the results of this demonstration project, Green Carbon will collaborate with Osaka Gas to host a seminar on biodiversity.
| Date & Time | Friday, March 27, 2026, 13:00–14:30 (JST) |
| Format | Online event (streamed via YouTube Live) |
| Registration | Please register in advance via the following Peatix page: https://biodivercity.peatix.com/ |
| Target Participants | ・Professionals responsible for GX、environment、sustainability、ESG、 corporate management、 or IR ・Individuals interested in biodiversity credits or biodiversity assessment ・Professionals considering GHG emissions calculation and management, as well as the procurement or purchase of carbon credits ・Corporate executives who feel their companies face challenges in defining their decarbonization strategy |
| Archive Viewing | An archived recording will be made available later on Green Career Academy. If you are unable to attend on the day of the seminar, please register for the archive viewing. |
◆Schedule
13:00 – 13:03 Opening Remarks & Seminar Guidelines
13:03 – 13:05 Introduction of Participating Organizations
13:05 – 13:20 Seminar Session 1 MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) Introduction to the Green Food System Strategy
13:20 – 13:35 Seminar Session 2 Osaka Gas , Inc.
Biodiversity Assessment
13:35 – 13:50 Seminar Session 3 Green Carbon , Inc. Biodiversity-Integrated Carbon Credits
13:50 – 14:10 Panel Discussion Topics selected from pre-submitted questions
14:10 – 14:15 Q&A Session Questions accepted from participants during the event
14:15 – 14:20 Closing Remarks from Each Organization
14:20 – 14:30 Introduction to Green Career Academy
From 14:20 Participant Survey Distribution
※Please note that the program and schedule are subject to change.
◆Speaker Information
〇Osaka Gas Company
Future Value Development Department
Carbon Credit Unit / Unit Leader
Kazuya Okada
Mr. Okada previously worked at Shionogi & Co., Ltd., where he developed and launched a COVID-19 outbreak forecasting service, which received the Special Jury Award at the Japan Open Innovation Prize and the Minister for Health and Medical Strategy Award.
After working at Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting, he joined Osaka Gas in 2023, where he leads new business initiatives in the carbon credit field.
He has been involved in the development and commercialization of “GreenChecker*1,” a carbon credit quality evaluation tool, and has also worked on real-world projects such as the AWD project in the Philippines.
In June 2024, he also participated as a panelist at a press conference on private-sector JCM initiatives organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
〇Profile Photo
〇Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF)
Minister’s Secretariat – Green Food System Strategy Group
Assistant Director
Kazuki Nagayama
Mr. Nagayama joined the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in 2019.
He has held several positions including:
- Legal Affairs Section Chief, Insurance Division, Management Bureau
- General Affairs Section Chief, New Business and Food Industry Policy Division
- Legal Affairs Section Chief, Agricultural Environment Policy Division
Since October 2025, he has served as Assistant Director of the Green Food System Strategy Group within the Minister’s Secretariat.
In his current role, he is responsible for promoting biodiversity conservation initiatives in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries as part of efforts to reduce environmental impacts in the food and agriculture sectors.
〇Profile Photo
〇Green Carbon Company
Head of Business Planning Department
Head of Domestic Planning Division
Kaito Doi
Mr. Doi began his career in the new business development division of a major PR firm, where he worked on expanding ESG consulting services and supported multiple Prime Market-listed companies.
He later joined Green Carbon at the time of its founding, following the independence of the company’s current CEO.
Within the Domestic Business Division, he has led carbon credit development projects, achieving Japan’s first carbon credit generation in both the rice paddy and livestock sectors.
Currently, as the Head of Business Planning, he oversees a wide range of areas related to credit generation projects, including: Consulting、Customer success、System development、Demonstration project planning
〇Profile Photo
〇Master of Ceremonies
Green Carbon Company Head of Public Relations
Ryosuke Iie
◆Overview of Green Career Academy
While the terms GX (Green Transformation) and decarbonization are becoming increasingly common, many people may still feel uncertain about where to begin learning or how these topics relate to their work and career.At the same time, companies face a growing challenge in developing “GX talent” — professionals capable of promoting and implementing green transformation initiatives.
However, there are currently very few learning platforms that allow individuals to systematically acquire practical GX and decarbonization skills.To address this gap, Green Carbon, a company specializing in decarbonization, has developed “Green Career Academy,” a video-based learning platform focused on GX and decarbonization.The platform allows users to efficiently learn—from the latest GX and decarbonization trends to practical knowledge applicable in real-world business settings—through short video content that can be accessed anytime.
Green Carbon has launched this platform to support the improvement of GX knowledge across Japan.The archive of this seminar will also be available on Green Career Academy.
〇Free Trial Registration / Inquiries
〇Academy service image
※1：Green Checker
GreenChecker, a web service for evaluating the quality of carbon credits, incorporates an AI system developed by our company. Using generative AI, the platform evaluates the consistency between carbon credit project design documents and a set of predefined evaluation criteria, enabling users to quickly assess the quality of carbon credits.By simply uploading a project design document to GreenChecker, users can obtain information such as the project’s overall score (absolute evaluation), its ranking compared with other projects in the same sector (relative evaluation), and items that do not meet the required standards.The service initially launched for carbon credit projects in the biochar and rice paddy methane reduction sectors, and its scope is gradually expanding to include additional areas such as avoided deforestation and clean cookstove projects.
Furthermore, as of January 2026, the platform is capable of evaluating not only voluntary carbon credits but also compliance carbon credits, and further functional expansion is planned in the future.
◆Green Carbon, Inc.
Representative: Jun Okita, CEO
Head Office: PREX North 9F, 2-3-2 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Established: December 2019
Business Activities: Development and sales of carbon credits, agriculture-related projects, environmental projects, other related businesses, and ESG consulting
Website: https://green-carbon.co.jp/en/
◆Osaka Gas, Inc.
Representative: Masataka Fujiwara, President and Representative Director
Head Office: 1-2 Hirano-machi 4-chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan
Established: April 10, 1897
Business: Manufacture and sale of gas, power generation and electricity sales, etc.
URL: https://www.daigasgroup.com/
◆About Green Carbon
Guided by the vision of “Harnessing the power of life to save the Earth,” Green Carbon develops and supports projects that generate, register, and sell nature-based carbon credits both in Japan and abroad. The company is also engaged in agriculture-related businesses, R&D initiatives, and ESG consulting. Its business activities span Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia, and South America, creating credits from rice paddies, biochar, forest conservation, carbon farming, mangrove planting, and cattle methane reduction. In Japan, Green Carbon obtained certification in FY2023 for the country’s first and one of the largest-scale rice paddy J-Credit projects (approx. 6,220 t). In FY2024, the company plans to expand this initiative to around 40,000 ha (approx. 80,000 t). Green Carbon also provides “Agreen,” a one-stop platform service that streamlines the entire process of credit registration, application, and sales. By simplifying procedures and documentation, the service reduces the administrative burden on credit creators.
◆Green Carbon’s social media
Carbon Credits Journal：https://biz-journal.jp/carboncredits/
Linkedin ：https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-carbon-inc/
Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557429326458
X ：https://mobile.x.com/GreenCarbon2019
Wantedly：https://www.wantedly.com/companies/greencarbon2019
Youtube ：https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYO4WnGOHDaVB1ikxheZasA
note ：https://note.com/green_carbon/
◆About Daigas Group
Under its “Energy Transition 2050” initiative announced in February 2025, the Daigas Group is working to develop technologies and services that contribute to a decarbonized society. Through these efforts, the Group aims to address social challenges such as climate change, while continuing to evolve as a corporate group that supports the further advancement of everyday life and business.