Japanese firm to help Hawaii achieve clean energy goals – The Garden Island

Japan’s largest power generation company has committed to help Hawaii achieve clean energy and decarbonization goals under a collaboration agreement.

Gov. Josh Green and the energy firm, JERA Co. Inc., signed a strategic partnering agreement establishing a framework for the collaboration on Oct. 6 during a weeklong trip to Japan by Green and more than a dozen other officials from state government including lawmakers.

JERA has committed to eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from its domestic and international operations by 2050 through use of renewable energy, greener fuels and zero-emission thermal power.

Green, according to an announcement from his office Monday, also explored opportunities in technology and tourism for Hawaii during part of the trip in Tokyo where he met with leaders from Japanese technology firm NEC Corp. and the Yomiuri Shimbun Group, the owner of three newspapers and a professional baseball team that also has divisions involved in exhibitions and sports events.

“Japan remains one of Hawaii’s most important partners — in energy, commerce, education and people-to-people exchange,” Green said in a statement. “This mission reaffirms our shared commitment to innovation, sustainability and friendship that extends far beyond the Pacific.”

Japanese tourism to Hawaii has been depressed since the COVID-19 pandemic, and part of Green’s mission in Japan was to encourage Japanese travelers and international sports teams to visit Hawaii.

Green traveled to Japan on Oct. 4 and concluded his trip with the Hawaii delegation Monday.

Other events attended by the governor and members of the delegation included Expo 2025 Osaka, and a celebration of the 125th anniversary of Okinawan immigration to Hawaii along with the 40th anniversary of a sister-state relationship between Hawaii and Okinawa.

Also while in Okinawa, Green renewed a 2010 cooperative clean energy partnership between the Hawai‘i State Energy Office and the Okinawa Prefectural Government.

“Hawaii and Okinawa share more than history, we share purpose,” Green said. “Together, we’re proving that island communities can lead the world in clean energy and resilience, while honoring the cultural ties that bind us.”

Before returning to the islands, the governor was stopping in San Francisco to speak this week at Dreamforce 2025, a three-day conference produced by customer relationship management company Salesforce led by part-time Hawaii resident Marc Benioff.

The event, featuring talks by business leaders, actors, authors, comedians, musicians, government officials and others, starts today and is billed as “three days that will turn your AI vision into a clear plan of action for customer success.” It also includes a hackathon, a comedy show and musical performances by Metallica and Benson Boone.

Green returned to Hawaii on Wednesday.