🏆 Japan Wins Nobel for Carbon Capture Innovation While Climate Change Reshapes Japan's Agriculture
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*Editor’s note: This article was originally published on 10/15/2025 on Linkedin.
🎧🗣️Audio Versions of this newsletter are available thanks to NotebookLM
In English🇺🇲: Japan Climate Curation vol. 174 [5:35 min.]
In Japanese🇯🇵: Japan Climate Curation vol. 174 [6:57 min.]
🚀Now, the English audio digest of a sister publication, Climate Curation, which covers mainly non-Japanese global climate news topics, is available in English.
🇺🇲Climate Curation vol. 179 audio summary in English [5:49 min.]
🇯🇵Climate Curation vol. 179 音声概要 [7:59 min.]
Welcome! I'm Hiroyasu Ichikawa, ichi, and this is issue 174 of the "Japan Climate Curation" newsletter📬, which has been curating hand-picked Japan-related climate news content every week since spring 2022, with over 470 subscribers [ more than 2,990 on LinkedIn]. You can subscribe by clicking on the Linkedin page or the form below.
I hope you find the articles below beneficial for reading (or skimming)!
Found this week's news insights valuable? Please give it a quick "like" or "share" on your preferred network – you never know who else in your network might benefit from staying in the loop on Japan's climate scene🙂🙇
*note : "Climate Curation" a different climate newsletter in Japanese (every Saturday) is available on Linkedin / note / theLetter. It curates Japan and global climate-tech trends. I hope you like it.
【Digest of this week's topics】
Japan’s climate narrative revealed stark contrasts between breakthroughs and adaptation challenges. Kyoto University’s Susumu Kitagawa shared the Nobel Chemistry Prize for CO2-capturing metal-organic frameworks, yet major mikan production centers face unsuitability by century’s end—prompting farmer pivots to avocados commanding triple prices. Hokkaido’s Yoichi wine region, where warming elevated Pinot Noir from $30 to $560, now confronts record heat forcing variety shifts. Energy transition complexities deepened: Japan Gas Association promoted e-methane despite critics warning 70% energy loss and greenwashing with inadequate 1-5% targets, while TEPCO’s $655 million nuclear restart fund faces 60% local opposition. AI revolution reshaped infrastructure as Hitachi committed $6 billion for grid expansion, while automotive suppliers pursued bamboo and eggshell biomass despite twice-conventional costs.
*Disclaimer: Generative AI tools such as Claude Sonet 4.5 and NotebookLM have been used for summary and translation assistance. 🙂
[🇯🇵📰👀Japan Climate News Headlines]
【1】🏆 Chemistry Nobel Prize awarded for advances tackling carbon and ‘forever chemicals’ [10/8 Financial Times]
Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University, Richard Robson of Melbourne University, and Omar Yaghi of UC Berkeley won the Nobel Chemistry Prize for developing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These innovative porous materials can capture CO2 and tackle forever chemicals. MOFs’ cavities enable gas storage, water harvesting from desert air, and carbon capture. Commercial applications include fruit preservation and semiconductor gas storage. The trio created a new molecular architecture with vast environmental potential.
【2】🍊 As global warming looms, mikan farmers switching to avocados [10/10 The Asahi Shimbun]
Due to global warming, Japan’s major mikan mandarin orange production regions are shifting to avocado cultivation. Junichiro Nishihara, 62, a farmer in Matsuyama, switched to avocados after intense summer heat made mikan growing difficult due to sunburn damage. Avocados, known as “forest butter,” sell for three times the price of mikan. Ehime and Shizuoka prefectures are promoting avocado cultivation with government support, with Shizuoka allocating 18 million yen to become Japan’s largest producer within 10 years. According to forecasts by the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), major production centers in Kagoshima, Ehime, Wakayama, and Shizuoka will become unsuitable for mikan by century’s end, while areas suitable for avocados will expand 2.4 to 7.7-fold. Avocados require less labor and have high consumer demand, but challenges remain in variety selection and establishing stable cultivation techniques.
【3】🍷 A Japanese Pinot Noir town blessed by climate change now worries about the weather [10/13 Reuters]
Yoichi, Hokkaido has gained international recognition for Pinot Noir production over the past two decades due to climate change, but now faces new challenges from rapidly rising temperatures. Domaine Takahiko’s wine, featured at Copenhagen’s acclaimed Noma restaurant, saw prices soar from $30 to $560. The town now has about 20 wineries, but the summer of 2025 was the hottest on record, with temperatures rising from Burgundy to Loire-Bordeaux levels. The delicate Pinot Noir grape is vulnerable to excessive heat and rain, raising quality concerns. Increased autumn rainfall and bird damage have become serious issues, prompting farmers to consider switching to varieties like Merlot or Syrah in the future.
【4】🛡️ Japan’s top insurer bets on engineering acquisition to mitigate climate risk [10/9 Financial Times]
Tokio Marine, Japan’s largest non-life insurer, acquired disaster mitigation specialist ID&E for ¥97.8bn to address climate-related insurance costs. The insurer will offer prevention services to 100 companies, encouraging investment in damage prevention over restoration. This globally unique strategy helps manage rising premiums as extreme weather intensifies, tapping into an ¥800bn domestic market with significant private sector growth potential.
【5】🔥 At Osaka Expo, gas giants promote a greener future. But is it a lot of hot air? [10/12 The Japan Times]
At Osaka Expo, the Japan Gas Association’s pavilion promotes e-methane as a climate solution through an immersive VR experience featuring cute characters. E-methane is synthesized from hydrogen and captured CO2, offering the advantage of using existing gas infrastructure without consumer disruption. However, critics raise serious concerns about costs, efficiency, and timing. Green hydrogen costs $4.50-$12 per kilogram, and the conversion process loses over 70% of energy input. Energy economists warn that the technology remains in pilot phases and is not economically viable. Current targets of 1-5% city gas by 2030 are deemed too slow for urgent climate action, while the wide range of projections raises credibility questions. The pavilion’s child-friendly characters are seen by communication experts as greenwashing tactics. While the association denies this claim, questions remain about the fossil fuel industry’s genuine commitment to rapid decarbonization.
【6】⚡ World’s Top Power Exchange EEX Plans to Expand in Japan’s Chubu [10/15 Bloomberg]
The European Energy Exchange (EEX), the world’s largest electricity bourse, plans to launch trading in Japan’s Chubu region by year-end, expanding beyond its existing Tokyo and Kansai operations. The exchange will introduce monthly, quarterly, seasonal, and annual contracts covering both base-load and peak-load power, with options also available. Asia’s volatile power markets have attracted significant trader interest, with Japanese futures contracts quadrupling in 2024 and becoming EEX’s fastest-growing product. Chubu is one of Japan’s major power-consuming regions, and the new offerings will help utilities hedge risks while allowing traders to expand their exposure. The Tokyo Commodity Exchange, a rival bourse, is also planning to offer electricity futures in the region from 2026. EEX CEO Bob Takai stated the exchange is not currently looking to expand beyond Chubu in Japan, as diversifying locations simultaneously would be counterproductive from a liquidity-building perspective.
【7】⚡ Hitachi power grid arm to hire 15,000 to meet global AI demand [10/14 Nikkei Asia]
Hitachi plans to hire 15,000 additional employees worldwide in its power transmission and distribution business by 2027 to address surging electricity demand from AI data centers. As the world’s largest power grid systems manufacturer, the company will expand Hitachi Energy’s workforce by 30% to 65,000 employees. Recruitment will span manufacturing, engineering, project management, and research roles across North America, Europe, India, Brazil, and other regions. Hitachi will invest over $6 billion between 2024 and 2027, including building a $457 million large transformer plant in Virginia. The company will also hire digital specialists to develop AI and satellite-based monitoring services, aiming to build a recurring revenue model through maintenance operations.
【8】🔋 Toyota’s updated bZ4X boasts longest range of domestic EVs in Japan [10/10 Nikkei Asia]
Toyota Motor launched a redesigned bZ4X electric vehicle in Japan on Thursday, extending its range by approximately 25% to a maximum of 746 kilometers. This marks the longest range among Japanese-brand EVs currently available and surpasses the 702 km of Nissan’s new Leaf set for January 2026 delivery. The new bZ4X starts at 4.8 million yen, 700,000 yen less than the previous model, comparable to hybrid SUVs with government subsidies. The extended range was achieved through increased battery capacity and reduced energy loss in the e-axle drive unit. The vehicle also features improved low-temperature charging performance, enabling a full charge in 28 minutes at minus 10°C. Acceleration improved to 5.1 seconds for 0-100 km/h. Toyota also introduced its first 6kW home charger and the Teemo charging network with no monthly fees.
【9】♻️ Eggshells and bamboo help make Honda and Toyota supply chains greener [10/15 Nikkei Asia]
Japanese automotive parts suppliers are adopting biomass materials to reduce CO2 emissions. Honda-affiliated Moriroku is developing resins mixed with eggshells, seashells, and bamboo at 30% for interior parts by 2028. Toyota-affiliated Tokai Rika created Bamboo+ resin with 55% bamboo fiber, shipping this year. Nissan-backed Kasai Kogyo will mass-produce sea urchin shell filler in 2026. These efforts respond to automakers’ Scope 3 emission reduction pressure, with Honda targeting 100% sustainable materials by 2050 and Toyota aiming for 30%+ recycled content by 2030. However, new materials cost nearly twice as much as conventional ones.
【10】⚛️ TEPCO floats $655m to gain community support for nuclear plant restart [10/9 Nikkei Asia]
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has proposed creating a 100 billion yen ($655 million) fund for Niigata prefecture to gain community support for restarting its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which has been offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster. The fund, to be financed from post-restart profits, would support job creation, new industry development, decarbonization initiatives including hydrogen and battery projects, and disaster prevention infrastructure. Local approval from Governor Hideyo Hanazumi remains pending. Since the plant supplies power to Tokyo but is located in Tohoku Electric’s service area, local residents would see limited direct benefits like lower power costs. A public opinion survey shows 60% oppose the restart, citing insufficient economic benefits for the region. TEPCO faces financial pressures with seven consecutive years of negative free cash flow, though restarting one unit could improve its annual balance by 100 billion yen.
📬That's all for this week! Thank you for reading(or skimming) 🙇. I hope you will have a wonderful week ahead!
Did you found this week's news insights valuable? Please give it a quick "like" or "share" on LinkedIn – you never know who else in your network might benefit from staying in the loop on Japan's climate scene🙂🙇
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ichi (Hiroyasu Ichikawa)