Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) responded to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. In its response, SMFG pointed to a new policy, which was adopted after the NGO statement. 

'On June 18th, 2018 SMBC has announced the establishment of our policy for financing specific businesses with potentially and significantly adverse environmental and/or social impacts including new financing of coal fired power plants. We believe that ensuring a smooth transition to a low carbon society is important to achieve a non-carbon society in the future. Therefore, we have strengthened our financing policy on coal-fired power plants by limiting our financial support solely to plants that use advanced technologies which are considered highly efficient.'