INVESTORS IN MSK

strengthen connectivity within and outside

the Indo-Pacific region. Mrs Hrdinkova

and I agreed on the importance of Japan

and the Czech Republic working to fulfill

a shared vision.

In the field of energy, are you discussing

strengthening cooperation with the

government of the Czech Republic. In

what specifically?

Japan and the Czech Republic have

committed themselves to carbon neutrality

by 2050. To create a carbon-free society,

it is necessary to introduce disruptive

innovations and accelerate green growth,

start a virtuous cycle of economic

growth and environment and use every

available technology to connect every

usable energy source. This means a great

opportunity for business. In addition to

renewables, the use of hydrogen, CO2

capture and storage (CCS) or CO2 capture

and utilization (CCU) technologies are

rapidly progressing. Both countries excel

in technological sophistication, and I think

that our cooperation has enormous

potential for achieving such a largescale energy transformation. We want to

support business cooperation between

technologically advanced Japanese and

Czech companies in the field of green

technologies.

The Moravian-Silesian Region has great

hydrogen ambitions. Do you see an

opportunity to develop projects in green

technologies?

Among the wide range of green energy,

hydrogen technologies are one of the

most promising. Hydrogen can be easily

produced, stored and transported.

Cooperation in this area will open up new

opportunities for both countries. There

are already 157 hydrogen filling stations in

Japan and about 100 hydrogen buses in

operation. The Czech government has also

recently approved a hydrogen strategy, and

the Czech Republic‘s National Recovery

Plan contains very ambitious plans for

building a hydrogen infrastructure.

There are very interesting discussions

and research on the topic of hydrogen

cities in your region. In September, I have

spoken with the governor of the MoravianSileasian Region, Ivo Vondrák, and mayor

Tomáš Macura in Ostrava. I expect that

cooperation between Japan, the MoravianSilesian Region and Ostrava in hydrogen

research and business will develop in the

future.

Mr Ambassador, thank you for the interview.

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