On November 10th, 2025, C²-FRONTS — a group made up of Nagoya University and eight other national universities in the Tokai and Shinshu regions — co-hosted the 3rd Carbon Neutral Co-Creation Symposium together with the Central Japan Economic Federation. The theme of this year’s symposium was hydrogen technology, which is currently being developed as a way of generating energy without emitting carbon dioxide. Representatives from industry, academia, governmental bodies, and the financial sector gave reports on initiatives that are underway in their respective sectors. There were approximately 400 participants, including online attendees, and the event sought to explore what decarbonization will look like for Japan’s industrialized central region.
Professor Tomoko Ishikawa of Nagoya University’s Graduate School of International Development gave the keynote address, introducing cases from around the world where civil lawsuits have been filed against local governments and businesses that are trying to promote the expansion of renewable energy. She emphasized that “gaining the understanding of local communities is essential for the realization of a hydrogen society, and that we need people who can act as go-betweens.”
Hidenori Tsuzuki, Executive Director of Hydrogen and Mobility Promotion at the Aichi Prefectural Bureau of Economy and Industry, reported on the prefecture’s initiatives regarding the realization of a hydrogen society, including a subsidy system to promote the introduction of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) and the construction of hydrogen stations. He expressed his eagerness, stating, “We are keen to develop a supply chain to facilitate a hydrogen society, and want to promote the use of hydrogen energy especially in the industrial and transportation sectors.”
From the high cost of generating hydrogen energy to the obstacles faced during social implementation, there are still many issues to be resolved, as was highlighted in the panel discussion after the lectures. Professor Koyo Norinaga (Research Center for Net-Zero Carbon Society, Institutes of Innovation for Future Society), who moderated the discussion, commented that he hopes to build on discussions with various stakeholders in order to move toward the realization of a hydrogen society.”
