Awareness of climate change & Climate startups in Japan

Greetings! It's issue 53 of the "Japan Climate Curation" newsletter??!?

Last week was Golden Week, a long vacation in Japan. Many of you who live in Japan may have enjoyed a relaxing holiday??. Although there was not much major climate change news during that time, there were still several articles and contents I thought worth sharing. So, here are the selected 10 topics to share with you this week. I hope you find it useful to read (or skim)!

Note: Japan Climate Curation is now available on Substack! ?Please feel free to sign up from the link here. [https://japanclimatecuration.substack.com]

This week's Japan Climate Curation includes the following topics and beyond.

【1】In G7 host Hiroshima, a climate disaster in all but name

【2】NEXT100 -The Spread of Diverse Entrepreneurship: 100 "Hope to Save the World" Entrepreneurs to Watch

【3】Businesses help spur Japan's agricultural revival

【4】Japan's automakers have a made-in-China sales crisis?

[????????Japan Climate News Headlines]

【1】In G7 host Hiroshima, a climate disaster in all but name [5/7 The Japan Times]

• The 2018 climate disaster in Hiroshima Prefecture underscores the urgency for climate change leadership from the G7 nations, despite Japan's uneven climate record and public reluctance.
• Despite experiencing deadly torrential rain disasters, heatwaves, and typhoons worsened by climate change, surveys reveal only mild concern among the Japanese population.?
• A 2021 Pew Research Center survey showed only 26% of Japanese respondents were "very" concerned about climate change's personal impact. Yasuko Kameyama, a professor at the University of Tokyo, believes the lack of concern results partly from how disasters are reported by major media outlets.

*Climate Change Concerns Make Many Around the World Willing to Alter How They Live and Work [2021/9/14 Pew Research Center]

【2】NEXT100 -The Spread of Diverse Entrepreneurship: 100 "Hope to Save the World" Entrepreneurs to Watch [Forbes Japan, June issue].

In the latest issue of Forbes Japan, a feature stories, titled “100 Hopes to Save the World”, 100 entrepreneurs who are solving global and local issues were selected. I found more than a dozen of “climate tech” founders in the list. Though the article is written in Japanese, many of the following startups’s website are available to read in English. You may check them out :)

• Mr. Kazuhide Sekiyama (Spiber): Developing artificial protein materials produced by microbial fermentation
• Mr. Hiroki Koga (Oishii Farm): Plant factory in the suburbs of New York City, U.S.A., producing high-quality strawberries
• Mr. Shinya Shimizu (Elephant Tech): Developing electronic circuit manufacturing technology that reduces CO2 emissions and water consumption
• Mr. Yota Takakura (INNOQUA): Reproducing coral and other marine ecosystems in an aquarium using proprietary environmental transfer technology
• Mr. Subaru Nagao (Kyoto Fusioneering): Venture company from Kyoto University that develops key equipment and components for nuclear fusion.
• Mr. Masahiro Watanabe(Tsubame BHB): commercializing on-site ammonia production at small-scale plants using an electride-based catalyst

【3】Businesses help spur Japan's agricultural revival [5/6 Nikkei Asia]?

• Corporate involvement in Japan's agricultural sector has increased by 30% over the past five years, accounting for approximately 40% of domestic sales.
• Despite this growth, overall productivity remains low due to many small, inefficient farms run by the elderly.?
• However, the increased scale of production has attracted younger generations, with around half of new hires aged 49 or younger employed by companies and large private farm operators.?
• Japan's future food security relies on improving farm productivity, potentially through smart agriculture and the sharing of expensive equipment.

【4】Japan's automakers have a made-in-China sales crisis [5/2 Reuters]

• Japanese automakers face a sales crisis in China due to the rapid shift to electric vehicles (EVs), with total sales of Japanese auto brands down 32% YoY in Q1.?
• Japanese automakers have limited representation in the fast-growing EV and plug-in hybrid sales categories, putting production and margins under pressure.?
• The shift in China, driven by lower-priced electric cars and new software-based offerings, could foreshadow similar struggles for Japanese automakers in the United States.

【5】Japan targets corporate growth through foreign investment [5/8 NHK WORLD-JAPAN News]

• Japan's industry ministry is promoting foreign investment for domestic firms by showcasing 20 successful cases of corporate growth through acquisitions or capital tie-ups with foreign companies.?
• These cases include a food maker that experienced a surge in overseas sales after a foreign investment fund's capital injection.?
• This is the first time the ministry has compiled such a report, and it aims to double foreign direct investment to ￥100 trillion (around $740 billion) by 2030, as it believes the inflow of funds will generate a growth cycle and wealth distribution.

*METI‘s first attempt to compile for Japanese Companies “Case Studies Relating to the Use of Inbound M&A Transactions”?

【6】Japan can get the energy it needs from nuclear fusion [5/7 Nikkei Asia]?

• Opinion article by Yuichi Takase, senior technical adviser to Tokamak Energy, a nuclear fusion research company based in Oxfordshire, U.K.
• Japan is embracing nuclear fusion as part of its energy strategy, offering a highly efficient and sustainable solution for both the nation and the world to tackle the climate crisis and achieve energy security.

【7】Japan's Mitsubishi Materials aims to start cobalt production in Chile [5/7 Nikkei Asia]?

• Mitsubishi Materials aims to diversify the cobalt supply chain, crucial for EV batteries, with a new production method in Chile that extracts the metal from low-grade ore.
• Mitsubishi Materials plans to test a new cobalt production method in Chile
• Cobalt is vital for EV batteries, with 70% of production concentrated in Congo
• Mitsubishi's method aims to extract cobalt from low-grade ore, potentially competing with battery recycling

【8】Japan transportation firms test fuel-cell truck [5/8 NHK WORLD-JAPAN News]

• Japanese transportation firms are supporting the government's carbon-free society campaign by testing a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell truck developed by Isuzu and Toyota.?
• The truck, which emits no carbon dioxide, can travel 260 kilometers on a 10-minute charge and offers a longer cruising range than electric vehicles (EVs), making it suitable for long-distance trucking.?
• By 2030, Japan's energy conservation law mandates that 5% of trucks at large transportation firms be hydrogen fuel cell or electric.

【9】Japan, France agree on nuclear energy cooperation [5/4 NHK WORLD-JAPAN News]

• Japan and France have agreed to enhance their cooperation in nuclear energy, focusing on the development of next-generation advanced reactors.?
• Industry ministers from both countries met in Paris and signed a joint statement, which includes strengthening safety for existing reactors, cooperating on the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and researching small modular reactors and sodium-cooled fast reactors.?
• Japan plans to invest ￥46 billion (about $340 million) over three years for developing fast reactors, seeking France's expertise in the process.

【10】Japan to require disclosure of CO2 emitted by EV battery production [5/9 Nikkei Asia]?

• Japan to require CO2 emissions disclosure for EV battery production
• ?Emissions data to influence eligibility for subsidies
• Battery production accounts for up to 60% of CO2 emissions during EV manufacturing
• Move aligns with EU and potential US carbon footprint guidelines

??That's all for this week! Thank you for reading(or skimming) ??. I hope you will have a wonderful week ahead!

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ichi (Hiroyasu Ichikawa)