Japan NRG sat down with KUREMURA Masuo, Director of Aerospace and Defense Industry Division at the Manufacturing Industries Bureau, METI, to discuss the latest energy issues and outlook. Mr. Kuremura explained Japan’s strategy on clean fuels for transport, the leading tech in next-gen aviation, and which countries and companies the government is working with.

CLEAN TRANSPORT

Q: Are there any common solutions to decarbonize transport in general, or will each sector (aviation, shipping, road) need its own solutions?

A: My feeling is, at this moment there is no single innovation or solution that can solve all transport decarbonization needs. Whether it’s for airplanes, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), electrification, fuel cells, direct combustion of hydrogen, lightweighting, efficiency improvements, or operational enhancements, solutions differ significantly. Therefore, it’s crucial to plant the seeds for various innovations.

Another thing to keep in mind is how the efficiency of a solution changes based on market developments. In this sense, progress in innovation and market realities are interconnected. So, we need to track progress gradually while pursuing various options and improvements.