Energy Ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies agreed to end the use of coal in power generation "during the first half of (the) 2030s.
Germany has written into its legislation a final target to shut coal plants by 2038 at the latest, while Japan has not set a date.
The agreement on coal marks a significant step in the direction indicated last year by the COP28 United Nations climate summit to phase out fossil fuels.