Japan fine tunes its hydrogen strategy

Recent update sets new interim targets, but plan still lacks detailed policies to stimulate domestic demand

Japan’s latest hydrogen strategy is a positive development that underlines the country’s commitment to develop its hydrogen industry, with new targets covering hydrogen demand, electrolysers and carbon intensity. But the continued absence of policies to stimulate demand could drag on development of the domestic market. The recent update to Japan’s Basic Hydrogen Strategy sets a new interim hydrogen demand target of 12mt/yr by 2040 and a target of 15GW by 2030 for the installation of electrolysers using parts provided by Japanese companies in and outside of the country. The strategy also calls for ¥15t ($102b) of public-private investments in the hydrogen supply chain over the next 15 years.