Japan the litmus test for Asian hydrogen

Rising costs and infrastructure hamper competitiveness of low-carbon hydrogen, especially in transport sector, despite much government support

Japan is facing a disconnect between the effectiveness of its hydrogen plans and its ambitions for the sector. Rising costs and infrastructure limitations are the two most significant factors impeding the scalability and competitiveness of hydrogen. This is particularly evident when it comes to low-carbon applications in the Japanese transport sector. “Japan is one of the key supporters driving hydrogen developments in the region. It has had a hydrogen strategy in place since 2017, and its green growth strategy has a hydrogen consumption target of 3mt by 2030, increasing to 20mt by 2050,” said consultant Dale Hazelton of market intelligence firm Argus on a recent webinar. However, considerin