Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, in an interview with Euronews during an official visit to Astana’ya, Japan, Europe and Kazakhstan, urged start-up’s, SME’s and local governments in ’ to cooperate on green hydrogen technology and share best practices.
Koike, “I hope that sharing information on forums like this will further boost innovation and accelerate the implementation of hydrogen in various regions, ” said.
With the goal of halving emissions by 2030 and achieving zero emissions by 2050, Tokyo is advancing a wide range of initiatives.
Green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy (usually wind or solar energy) to split water into hydrogen and oxygen through a process called electrolysis.
Because it contains no fossil fuels, “gri”, which is made from natural gas and makes up the vast majority of the hydrogen produced today, does not generate carbon emissions, unlike hydrogen.
A major challenge for climate-conscious cities
Generating green hydrogen at scale remains expensive and significant investments in infrastructure such as pipelines, storage and transport terminals are still needed.
It is precisely this challenge that Koike’ refers to as the problem of cross-border cooperation and the pooling of knowledge and capital.
With this information gained, Tokyo will further increase efforts to develop hydrogen in the real world, “ continued.
He also discussed how the energy transition is pushing big cities and how they will play a role in accelerating the green transition.
During the meetings with the mayors of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, Koike exchanged views on incorporating green hydrogen into urban infrastructure, supporting start-up ’s in the sector, increasing the resilience of the city and developing integrated port management and hydrogen applications.
Koike, “[We] have confirmed the importance of big cities collaborating to overcome common challenges.” said.
Green hydrogen is still an emerging and expensive technology, and scaling it up requires a significant amount of government support as well as private investment.
Governments, particularly in the EU, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Gulf countries, are the main driving forces funneling money into national hydrogen strategies, subsidies and infrastructure through pipelines, storage and transport terminals.
New start-ups and SME ’s play a vital supporting role, especially in driving electrolyzer efficiency, fuel cell design and niche applications such as urban transport and local energy storage forward.
Strengthened ties with Kazakhstan
Astana’da Koike met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to discuss future cooperation between Kazakhstan and Japan. President Tokayev celebrated the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
Tokayev, “Here, KazakhstanIn ’, we know you as a proven friend, partner and dedicated statesman who adds a lot to Kazakh-Japanese relations. For more than 25 years, your initiatives towards the history and culture of Kazakhstan have played a unique role in bringing our peoples closer together.
In an interview with Euronews’e, Koike stated that Tokyo and Astana’ signed a memorandum of understanding on digital development and urban resilience at ’ in December 2025, which formed the basis of various discussions during the visit.
“President Tokayev and I have a long-standing relationship in promoting exchanges and cooperation between our countries and cities,” she said, adding that energy security amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East was among the issues discussed.
In a statement to Euronews’e, Koike discussed Tokyo’'s green transformation start-up ’s and SME ’s, and “'s global expansion opportunities and future business partnerships.
In turn, Astana also visited AlemAI’, the leading Artificial Intelligence center of Kazakhstan’, located in the EXPO ecosystem in ’.
Designed as a massive 20,000-square-foot technology and education hub, it combines scientific research, startups and intelligent management to accelerate the country's digital transformation.
Koike, who received information about sturgeon cultivation and caviar production initiatives in ’, the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, drew attention to the similarities with the projects carried out on the island of Kozushima of Tokyo’.
“Our discussions have strengthened the foundation of potential future cooperation, ” concluded.
