Forging Consensus: The Influence of Parliamentary Groups on Energy Policies

In Japan, energy-related parliamentary groups often consist solely of ruling LDP members, and although they don’t directly and immediately impact the government’s plans, their influence and advocacy ...

Japan and China Seek to Forge Hydrogen Ties That Defy Geopolitics

Hydrogen-fueled power generation is an integral part of both Japan’s and China’s strategy for the clean energy transition through 2050. Japan is betting on hydrogen as a reliable and cost-effective r...

Cutting Back on Crude: Shooting for the Moon With Biodegradable Plastics

By the end of this decade, Japan hopes to have at least three new clean energy solutions for plastics, which has emerged as the fastest growing area for crude oil. Plastics are everywhere, but few pe...

METI’s Plan To Diversify Low-carbon Fuels, and the Future of Biofuels

As part of the national Green Transformation (GX) program, which the ruling party chiefs approved last week, the energy transition roadmap through 2050 calls for the development of three carbon recyc...

A Small Solution for a Big Problem: Resolving Japan’s Grid Congestion

As Japan plans more solar and wind capacity, attention is focusing on grid solutions to help accommodate the intermittency of some renewables supply. The big-picture vision in the recently released d...