Canada: Indigenous leaders urge JBIC and Mitsubishi to suspend LNG project financing over alleged FPIC and land rights violations; incl. co. responses
Indigenous leaders from the Wet’suwe’ten Nation in Canada have formally demanded the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Mitsubishi Corporation to immediately suspend all current and potential future financing LNG Canada Project due to significant violations of Indigenous rights, ongoing human rights abuses, and severe environmental harm.
The submissions detail how JBIC’s financing, supported by major Japanese banks (Mizuho, MUFG, and SMBC) and Mitsubishi Corporation’s direct investment, has enabled the construction of the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline without the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary governance, violating Canadian constitutional and international law.
Wet’suwet’en leaders have engaged repeatedly with JBIC, Mitsubishi Corporation, and other financiers since 2021, including direct meetings in Tokyo, yet these institutions have continued supporting the project despite clear evidence of harm.
The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited JBIC and Mitsubishi Corporation to respond to the allegations.