Japan, Brazil to Cohost Meeting on Sustainable Fuel; Intl Adoption of Hydrogen, Biofuel to Be Promoted

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:42 JST, August 1, 2025

The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and other entities plans to establish a “sustainable fuel ministerial meeting” to discuss the expansion of the use of fuels such as hydrogen with other countries, and to hold its first meeting in Osaka in September, according to government sources.

At the meeting, members are also expected to discuss solutions to issues, such as market formation and reducing production costs, that need to be addressed for the widespread use of sustainable fuels.

Sustainable fuels, also called carbon-neutral fuels, have significantly lower impact than conventional fuels. Hydrogen, for example, does not emit CO2 when burned. Also, CO2 recovered from factories can be combined with hydrogen to make synthetic fuels, resulting in virtually zero emissions. According to research firm Fuji Keizai Co., the global market for such fuels in 2022 was ¥29.9 trillion.

The government is making final preparations to cohost the first meeting on Sept. 15 with Brazil. Osaka has been chosen as the venue because the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo is being held in the city and it would be easy to share companies’ decarbonization efforts with other countries. Twenty to 30 countries are expected to participate in the meeting. Those invited include Germany and South Korea, which are actively promoting the use of hydrogen.

In addition to hydrogen and synthetic fuels, sustainable fuels also include biofuels derived from plants. Japan has advanced technology in the utilization of hydrogen energy, such as fuel cell vehicles that use hydrogen as fuel and do not emit CO2. Japan aims to strengthen its efforts to promote hydrogen energy to other countries through collaboration with Brazil, a major producer of biofuels.

Aiming to promote hydrogen, which is considered the “front-runner” for next-generation clean energy, the government has been holding a “Hydrogen Energy Ministerial Meeting” since 2018. This year, in conjunction with the sustainable fuels ministerial meeting, it plans to hold the hydrogen meeting on Sept. 15 in Osaka.

However, due to global inflation and rising interest rates, costs are rising, and related projects are being suspended or postponed. The new meeting will be established to share strategies for utilizing hydrogen, including sustainable fuels, and to stimulate demand for them.