Press Release
May 4, 2022

NGOs cautiously welcome ENEOS' withdrawal from Myanmar; call for
responsible disengagement and decommissioning of Yetagun gas
project
On May 2, ENEOS Holdings announced their withdrawal from Myanmar.
The ENEOS statement mentioned consideration of Myanmar’s “current situation, including
the social issues”, but made no reference to the company’s human rights and environmental
responsibilities.
While we cautiously welcome ENEOS’ belated withdrawal from a project that has been
financing the Myanmar military, Mekong Watch, FoE Japan, and Justice for Myanmar (JFM)
remain concerned whether disengagement will be conducted in a responsible manner.
We strongly urge ENEOS and its partners to responsibly disengage, with transparency andthrough consultation with local communities and civil society stakeholders.
In exiting Myanmar, ENEOS and its international partners must take appropriate steps toclose the field, which is predicted to be near depletion. That would ensure future revenues
do not flow to the Myanmar military, and that continued human rights and environmental
impacts are avoided.
While under control of the illegal military junta, the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE)
cannot be trusted to close the gas field in an environmentally responsible way, which is likely
to be costly. The Japanese investors, which have profited from the Yetagun gas project must
therefore ensure the gas field is responsibly closed and remediate any negative social andenvironmental impacts.
ENEOS’ is invested in the Yetagun gas project through its consolidated subsidiary, Nippon
Oil Exploration (Myanmar), which also has investment from the Japanese Government andMitsubishi Corporation.
We call on the Japanese government and shareholders of ENEOS and Mitsubishi
Corporation to play an active role to ensure responsible disengagement anddecommissioning of the Yetagun gas project.
In January, a coalition of Mekong Watch, FOE Japan and Justice For Myanmar, with acoalition of NGOs, wrote to 125 institutional investors of four Japanese companies that
continue to finance problematic projects in Myanmar, including investors in ENEOS andMitsubishi. Now is a crucial time for investors to engage.
The Japanese government has a particularly important role to play, through its state duty toprotect human rights under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
ENEOS’ withdrawal follows announcements from their project partners Mitsubishi, Petronasand PTTEP.

Yuka Kiguchi, Director of Mekong Watch, stated, “ENEOS statements do not disclose
important information such as whether gas production will continue after the withdrawal ofthese companies, or how the withdrawing companies will take responsibility fordecommissioning. The withdrawal must be done with consideration for human rights and theenvironment, and the withdrawing companies must be held accountable to the people ofMyanmar and the international community.”
Yadanar Maung, Justice For Myanmar spokesperson, commented, “ENEOS Holdings
has ended its business with the terrorist Myanmar military junta, after sustained pressure
from the people of Myanmar and activists around the world. It is now time for ENEOS toshow fulfil their human rights and environmental responsibilities by responsibly exiting anddecommissioning the field. In doing so, ENEOS must closely consult with the National Unity
Government and key stakeholders, including communities in the pipeline area. TheMyanmar junta is a terrorist organisation and not the government of Myanmar. ENEOS muststop referring to them as a “government” in their statements, which legitimises the junta.”
Contact
Yuka Kiguchi, Mekong Watch: info@mekongwatch.org
Yadanar Maung, Justice For Myanmar: media@justiceformyanmar.org