Japan
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Information about biofuels and bioenergy in Japan.
Contents |
Events
2010
- 18-29 October 2010, Nagoya: Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10). This meeting is to include discussion of the impacts of biofuels on biodiversity.
- 25 October 2010, Nagoya: Engaging the CBD to build on existng biofuel sustainability initiatives. (Themes: biodiversity, biofuels, international cooperation, IUCN, Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels, sustainability)
2009
- 5 March 2009, Tokyo: シンポジウム「バイオ燃料と土地利用～持続可能性の視点から～」 (Symposium: "Bioenergy and Land Use Change - Sustainability Perspectives"). Organized by NPO法人バイオマス産業社会ネットワーク / Biomass Industrial Society Network, 財団法人地球・人間環境フォーラム / Global Environmental Forum, and 国際NGO FoE JAPAN/ FoE Japan. (Themes: development, Land use change)
2008
- 28-29 January 2008, Tokyo: Bio Asia 2008 (Themes: biotechnology)
- 9-11 June 2008, Yokohama: Bio Fuels World 2008 Conference and Exposition. (Themes: biomass, Southeast Asia)
- 11-14 September 2008, Nagoya, Japan: Messe Nagoya 2008. (Themes: alternative energy, biotechnologies, etc.)
Issues/Policies
- Go here for Biomass Nippon (outline), Japan's bioenergy strategy, decided at a Cabinet meeting on 27 December 2002, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestries and Fisheries.
- Goals reported as being adopted by the Japanese government for bioenergy utilization include:
News
- Time to Substitute Wood Bioenergy for Nuclear Power in Japan, 6 July 2011 by Nophea Sasaki et al in the journal Energies.
- Abstract: "Damage to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant by the recent earthquake and tsunami that hit northern Japan should stimulate consideration of alternative sources of energy. In particular, if managed appropriately, the 25.1 million ha of Japanese forests could be an important source of wood biomass for bioenergy production. Here, we discuss policy incentives for substituting wood bioenergy for nuclear power, thereby creating a safer society while better managing the forest resources in Japan."[3]
- Mitsubishi develops ethanol fuel production technology, 21 April 2011 by Biofuels International: "Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has developed technology for ethanol fuel production which complies with the standards set by the Japanese Automotive Standards Organisation (JASO), from lignocellulose (soft cellulose) such as rice straw and barley straw."
- "Since 2008 the demonstration project has been getting developed for the production of cellulosic bioethanol in which MHI formed a joint venture with Hakutsuru Sake Brewing and Kansai Chemical Engineering, two companies which were responsible for verification of the bioethanol production processes."
- "In the beginning, each of the three participating companies took charge of specific areas based on their expertise and conducted verification testing at their own research facility. In December 2009, the whole process to produce ethanol from lignocellulose was verified at a demonstration plant built specifically for the project at MHI's Futami Plant in Hyogo."[4]
- Trillions for biomass projects fruitless, 15 February 2011 by The Japan Times: "None of the government's 214 biomass promotion projects — with public funding coming to ¥6.55 trillion — over the past six years has produced effective results in the struggle against global warming, according to an official report released Tuesday."
- "The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, which evaluates public works projects, urged the agriculture and five other ministries conducting biomass projects using sewage sludge, garbage and wood, to take corrective action."
- "While the six ministries have argued that 161, or 75 percent, of the 214 projects have produced some results, the bureau concluded that none has produced results that would lead to the formation of a recycling-based society, the report says."[5]
- UNEP Releases Papers on Bioenergy Sustainability, 25 October 2010 by IISD Reporting Services: "The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has published a series of four Issue Papers on bioenergy sustainability, aiming to inform decision makers on debates and emerging issues in this policy area, as well as options for improving the sustainability of the production and consumption of bioenergy."
- "The first paper presents potential socioeconomic and environmental challenges related to land use, land use change, and bioenergy....The second paper looks at the confluence of bioenergy and water, highlighting how bioenergy production interacts with water quality, efficiency of water use, and research gaps."
- "The third paper looks at risks, including biodiversity impacts, of introducing potentially invasive species as bioenergy feedstocks, and the fourth at the importance of incorporating stakeholder engagement in bioenergy planning, as well as methods to do so. The Issue Papers were presented on the sidelines of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in Nagoya, Japan."[6]
- Commercial Airlines May Get 1% of Fuel From Biofuels By 2015, Boeing Says, 22 July by Alex Morales: "Boeing has worked with airlines from the U.S. to Japan to test jet fuels made from plants such as jatropha and camelina."
- "Boeing’s forecast of 1 percent of fuels coming from biofuels by the middle of the decade is for the global air industry, and the company is working with the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group, an alliance of 19 airlines that aim to be first-movers, Glover said. UOP’s Rekoske said 1 percent is more likely to be reached at regional levels, with Europe and the U.S. Northwest as potential candidates."
- "'They’re actually not made in major quantities at this point,' [James Rekoske, vice president and general manager of renewable energy and chemicals at Honeywell International Inc.] said in an interview this week at the Farnborough Air Show south of London. 'We have the largest facility in the world and we’ve produced biofuels at about 200,000 gallons this year, which is really a very small quantity compared to what the airlines would need.'"[7]
- METI Releases Report on Sustainability Standards for Biofuels, 14 June 2010 by Japan for Sustainability: "Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of the Environment jointly organized the 'Study Group on Sustainability Standards for the Introduction of Biofuels,' and released the report on March 5, 2010."
- One of the key findings of the report concerned results of life-cycle analyses of carbon dioxide emissions associated with biofuels. It was found that, in comparison "with CO2 emissions from gasoline, only sugar cane produced at existing sites in Brazil and domestic produce such as sugar beet, as well as construction waste, meet reduction standards on an LCA basis of more than 50 percent. A future direction for Japan is to set reduction standards on an LCA basis of 50 percent."[8]
- See the METI press release, Report of the Study Group on Sustainability Standards for the Introduction of Biofuel
- (Aviation) Commercial use of biofuels may take time, 25 April 2009 by TradingMarkets.com: "Despite broad optimism in the aviation industry about the commercial use of biofuels, experts in Asia believe this won't happen very soon."
- "On April 1, at the conclusion of an industry summit in Geneva, about 400 aviation and environment leaders set an industry timeline for aviation biofuels....By the end of the year, a set of environmental sustainability standards for aviation biofuels should be in place, they said in a summit declaration."
- "In a separate interview, biofuels specialist Florello Galindo, director of Manila-based Asian Institute of Petroleum Studies Inc. (AIPSI), said China and Japan, being the region's main players in aviation manufacturing, would likely determine the fate of aviation biofuel use in Asia."[9]
- Test Project on Bioethanol Fuel from Rice Straw Starts in Akita, 28 March 2009 by Japan for Sustainability: "The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries recently announced that it has chosen Akita Prefecture...[for] a model project utilizing soft cellulose. The model project aims to conduct verification tests to establish a technology for production of bioethanol made from soft cellulose biomass, such as rice straw and husk that do not compete with food supply."
- "Raw materials for the bioethanol production will be rice straw and husk produced in Ogata Village on the reclaimed land of Hachirogata, one of the leading rice-growing areas in Japan."[10]
- Japan Plans to Support Replacing Petrol With Wood, 29 January 2008 by PlanetArk: "Japan is set to embark on a five-year plan this year to harness a new form of energy using unused wood biomass to produce auto fuels and other industrial products currently made from imported petrol."
- Japan's Ministry of Agriculture has proposed allocating 1.2 billion yen (US$11.2 million) in the coming year for private projects including for development of cellulosic ethanol technology, in addition to support for "consortiums comprising farmers, engineers and regional governments to produce ethanol from non-food soft plant parts such as rice stems and use it locally."
- Japan eyes affordable cellulosic ethanol technology, 21 November 2007, from ENN/Reuters, reports that Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced plans "to introduce new, cost-efficient technology for producing cellulosic ethanol by 2015," aiming to reduce the cost of producing ethanol from waste wood "to 100 yen (91 cents) per liter ($3.45 per gallon) from more than 2,000 yen now."
- Japan launches Green Cool Asia plan boosting food security through biofuels, The Japanese government has decided to launch a plan to assist South-East Asian countries in the growing of biofuels.
- Japanese Biofuel Project in Brazil Creates 50,000 Direct Jobs, 19 June 2007 from Brazzilmag.com. Japan's Itochu and Petrobras of Brazil have agreed to cooperate on a project in Pernambuco State in Brazil's Northeast, involving construction of a large "Canal of the Savannah" and conversion of 150,000 hectares to planting of sugarcane, castor beans and other biofuel crops. Japan is interested in developing biofuel sources in Brazil and elsewhere to help meet their own biofuel and Kyoto Protocol targets.
- Boom in biofuel leading to higher costs for food, 11 May 2007 from the Asahi Shinbun. The increase in US corn going to ethanol production is driving up the prices of other products. In particular farmers are planting less soybeans, which has resulted in a 10% increase in the price of mayonnaise made by Japan's largest producer. It was their first price hike in 17 years. Beer and beef producers are also feeling the pressure.
- Nippon Oil hopes to slash domestic biofuel costs 16 January 2007 from Reuters. "Japan's top oil refiner Nippon Oil Corp. hopes to more than halve domestic ethanol production costs over the next ten years through research into biomass ethanol"
- Brazil's Petrobas and Mitsui Finalize Plans on Ethanol exports to Japan from 2010, 11 December 2006 from Greencarcongress
- Don't use biofuels to power farm industry 26 November, 2006 editorial from the Yomiuri Shinbun. The editorial critizes the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry aim to increase in about 15 years the annual domestic production of bioethanol to about 10 percent of the nation's current annual gasoline consumption, as unrealistic.
- Nippon Oil, Toyota to develop biofuel by the Yomiuri Shinbun. Nippon Oil and Toyota Motor Corporation "are to jointly develop a new diesel fuel made from palm oil, in conjunction with the Malaysian state-run petroleum company Petronas."
- Japanese NGOs Appeal to Gov't for Sustainable Biofuel Use by Japan for Sustainability reports that five Japanese NGOs, including FoE Japan and the Global Environmental Forum, and 13 individuals issued a statement calling on government agencies to take "measures to secure sustainable biomass fuel resources."
- Japan to More Than Double Biodiesel Fuel Production in 4 Years by Japan for Sustainability The Ministry of the Environment has set the target "of increasing domestic production of biodiesel fuel to 10,000 - 15,000 kiloliters per year by fiscal 2010." At least 102 Japanese municipalities are planning to grow rapeseed for biodiesel.
- Biomass Mark Labeling Starts by JFS, reported that on 1 August 2006, "The Japan Organics Recycling Association launched the 'Biomass Mark' labeling program, which evaluates and certifies products using biomass resources."
Organizations
Governmental organizations
- Cabinet Office
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
- Forestry Agency
- Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
- METI is funding research into cellulosic ethanol technologies.[11]
- New Energy Development Organization (NEDO)
- Ministry of Environment
- The MOE has a committee for promoting usage of eco-fuels.
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Companies
- Nippon Oil[12]
- Toyota[13]
- Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., LTD. Currently has a bioethanol plant using wood chips and agricultural waste as a feedstock in Japan and is considering building an ethanol plant in Malaysia using agricultural waste from oil palms.
Non-governmental
- Biomass Industrial Society Network / NPO法人バイオマス産業社会ネットワーク
- FoE Japan
- Global Environmental Forum
- Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) - Biofuels Project
- Japan Organics Recycling Association
- Wood Biomass Society
| Japan | edit | |
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