Hydrogen Solution Webinar 1 |
Japan’s Leadership in Building a Hydrogen Society

 

Japan is regarded as the global leader in innovating, researching, and producing carbon-free green hydrogen, an alternative fuel that is produced with low-carbon electricity sources such as wind or sun. As the first country to adopt plans for a “Hydrogen Society,” which is a society that uses hydrogen as a major source of power, Japan continues to lead this global effort to mainstream hydrogen as a clean-energy solution.

Globally, green hydrogen is receiving increased interest as the clean energy of the future, primarily based on its range of uses that solve problems other clean-energy sources can’t address, such as energy needed in heavy manufacturing and long-distance travel of large vehicles.

Join us for two informative discussions with leading experts who look at current projects and future opportunities related to Japan’s efforts in creating a robust global hydrogen energy sector, fueling the vision of a clean “Hydrogen Society.” Webinar 2 information provided at the bottom of this page.

Webinar 1 | Japan’s leadership in building a Hydrogen Society

Japan continues to push the envelope in technological development needed to harness the tremendous power of the smallest molecule. Since 2017, when Japan first adopted plans for a “Hydrogen Society,” the nation has made many globally significant advances and innovations in the research, production, and application, of green hydrogen.

Join us as we discuss current green hydrogen projects in development, as well as the many ways Japan is using hydrogen to diversify and strengthen its energy infrastructure. This includes the 2020 opening of the Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field, the world’s largest green hydrogen energy field.

Co-presented by JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles and the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles.

*To watch the video in full screen, please click on the image above, then click on the YouTube icon on the lower right-hand corner.
 

Recording Available

The recording can be viewed within this event page or on the official JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles YouTube Channel.

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Speaker Profiles

Eiji Ohira | Director General, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Group within the Advanced Battery and Hydrogen Technology Department, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)
Eiji Ohira is the Director General of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)’s Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Group within the Advanced Battery and Hydrogen Technology Department. In this capacity, he is responsible for the overall strategy, execution and coordination of NEDO’s research, development and demonstration project on fuel cell and hydrogen.

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He has also coordinated fuel cell and hydrogen activities with international stakeholders through the International Energy Agency’s Technology Collaboration Program (IEA TCP: Advanced Fuel Cell & Hydrogen), and International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE). He joined the NEDO in 1992, just after graduation from the Tokyo University of Science. He served as a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1997-1998. Before taking up the current position in April 2013, he served in several positions, including Representative at NEDO’s Asian Representative Office, and Director of the Energy Storage Technology Division.

Jeff Simmons | Senior Vice President & General Manager, Marketing & Sales Operations, Toshiba America Energy Systems Corp.
Jeff Simmons is a member of Toshiba’s executive leadership team. He leads Toshiba America Energy System Corp.’s new product marketing and sales organization and is also responsible for its corporate and business development activities. TAES’s new products include energy-based systems that Toshiba Corporation, TAES’s Tokyo-based parent, produces for the North American markets.

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These products include traditional power systems (nuclear, hydro and thermal), new power generation technology (advanced turbine systems, hydrogen production and fuel cell systems, and batteries), power transmission and distribution systems, and nuclear technology-based heavy ion radiotherapy and superconducting magnet and refrigeration systems. Jeff brings 29 years of energy industry experience to Toshiba’s businesses in the Americas, and he is based in TAES’s West Allis, Wisconsin headquarters.

Originally from Kentucky, Jeff holds a BS in civil engineering from Southern Illinois University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University. He is also a graduate of the executive leadership program at the University of Texas at Dallas. Jeff and his wife Kathlene and their five children reside in Dallas. Jeff is active various philanthropic organizations, the SIU and SMU alumni associations, and is a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honorary Society, the American Nuclear Society, and the Particle Therapy Co-Operation Group of North America.

Related Program

Webinar 2 | Los Angeles' green energy goals and collaboration from Japan

The State of California and the City of Los Angeles have established world-leading environmental mandates to transition from fossil fuels and replace them with renewable energy, with green hydrogen playing a critical role. Join us as we explore real-world cases studies, including that of Los Angeles, where hydrogen technology is being deployed to help meet ambitious emissions goals, while potentially fostering the creation of an entirely new and green energy sector and industry.