WG2: Expert Workshop on Hydrogen Infrastructure and Perspectives of Port Regions
We are excited to share the highlights from our successful German-Japanese Expert Event on Hydrogen Infrastructure and Perspectives of Port Regions, which took place on February 18, 2025, in Tokyo. 🚢
The event opened with insights from Parliamentary State Secretary Stefan Wenzel (BMWK), Director-General Shinichi Kihara (METI), Dr. Lucas Witoslawski (AHKJapan) and Hiroshi (Hal) Iwamura (GTAI), who collectively emphasized green hydrogen's pivotal role in the energy transition and reinforced how German-Japanese cooperation is instrumental in shaping the international hydrogen economy.
In the subsequent policy session, Daisuke Hirota, Director of METI's Hydrogen and Ammonia Division, and Dr. Christine Falken-Großer, Head of Division for Hydrogen Coordination at BMWK shared heir insights into both countries' hydrogen infrastructure strategies and trade development plans, setting the stage for productive discussions on concrete implementation steps.
The regional economic cooperation dialogue between Masaru Kashima from Fukushima Prefecture and Heike Tipmonta from Hamburg Invest revealed valuable perspectives on developing regional hydrogen economies, illuminating practical approaches to cross-regional collaboration and innovative solutions for infrastructure development.
The port regions session showcased promising developments from both countries' maritime hubs. Following the introduction from Hamburg, representatives from the other members of the Green Hydrogen Initiative of Northern Germany (HY5) - Olaf Krawczyk (Lower Saxony), Kristian Hamel (Schleswig-Holstein), Ulf Riedel (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), and Christian Schütt (Bremen) - shared their progress alongside insights from Hidenori Tsuzuki of Aichi Prefecture and Takashi ODA, showcasing the developments in the Kansai port region. Their presentations demonstrated how port regions are evolving into key nodes for the emerging hydrogen economy.
A highlight of the day was the concluding panel discussion moderated by Jana Narita, which brought together the experts BMWK, METI Kansai, the HY-5 and Japanese industry stakeholders Kei Nomura (Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.) and Daisuke Kurosaki (Chiyoda Corporation) to explore practical approaches for enhanced cooperation between Japanese and German port regions and industry. The discussion underscored the importance to build mutual trust and to sustain the ongoing exchanges within the Japanese-German Energy Partnership.
We extend our sincere gratitude to all speakers and our moderator Heiwa Hasegawa for their valuable expertise and to all participants for their engaged participation.
This event was organized within WG2 of the Japanese-German Energy Partnership between Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, by adelphi and German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (AHK Japan), in cooperation with Germany Trade & Invest.
Copyright Fotos: AHK Japan/Mario Tadic