[10] Following the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in Fukushima, the Japanese government shifted policy to allow new coal power plants to be built.
[13] Hirata realized that Kiko Network needed to shift its focus from policy-driven work to grassroots campaigning,[10] and adopted a multi-pronged strategy to fight against coal.
[12] To raise awareness of the environmental and health hazards of coal power, Hirata worked in tandem with scientists, pollution experts, journalists, lawyers, and local community leaders, as well as other NGOs.
[12] In key areas where coal power projects were planned, she cultivated a network of local citizen activists, spoke at public hearings, and helped to drive unprecedented turnout at community forums.
[12] Hirata worked with a researcher from Greenpeace on a report which found that the expected air pollution would lead to 1,000 premature deaths in Japan annually.
[12][10] In addition, the Sustainable Finance Program at Oxford University and Carbon Tracker conducted an investment risk analysis which made the case for canceling the planned coal plants as well as those under construction, and phasing out the existing fleet.
[12][15] The international outcry against Japan's coal policy was covered extensively by the Japanese media;[16] Hirata coordinated protests at several COP meetings,[12] and spoke to the press ahead of the G20 summits.
[17] As of December 2022, Hirata's grassroots campaign calling attention to their potential impact in terms of air pollution and climate change had led to the cancellation of 17 out of 50 planned coal-power plants.
[5][19] In 2021, she campaigned for a similar climate resolution at Mitsubishi UFJ filed jointly by Kiko Group, Market Forces, the Rainforest Action Network, and 350.org Japan.