How will Japan Increase its Annual Hydrogen Supply?

Japan has announced ambitions to increase its annual hydrogen supply to 12 million tonnes in 2040 from its current two million tonnes. Hydrogen Industry Leaders looks at how Japan is focusing on advancing the use of hydrogen.

Under plans to revise its Basic Hydrogen Strategy in late May 2023, the Japanese Government is hoping that JPY 15 trillion ($112.86bn) of public and private investment will follow over the next 15 years to advance the use of hydrogen and renewable energy sources.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, explained that the country is putting its focus on its decarbonisation efforts: “We will step up efforts for decarbonisation at home while responding to fierce international competition in the fields of renewable energy and hydrogen.”

The Basic Hydrogen Strategy was released in December 2017 and focused on establishing an integrated international hydrogen supply chain by 2030.

It outlined sourcing blue and green hydrogen from global producers and transporting it to the country in hydrogen carriers, reducing production costs, enhancing storage and transport, and expanding hydrogen and ammonia use.

To accelerate the use of hydrogen, in 2020, the Japan Hydrogen Association (JH2A) was launched with the objective of the early creation of a hydrogen-based economy in Japan. It focuses on demand creation, cost reduction and creating a funding system.