The supremacy contest of "dream fuel" hydrogen
April 12, 2021 (Monday) Sunny Newspaper Holiday
・“Dream Fuel” Hydrogen Rivalry: U.S., Europe, China, and Japan spark competition in supply networks
Hydrogen, expected to be the “dream fuel” of the decarbonized era, will only become widely used worldwide if a robust supply chain is built.
Weaving together the four axes of the United States, Europe, China, and Japan, the hydrogen supply network gradually expands.
A supply chain refers to the large commercial flow that links four purposes: making, transporting/stockpiling, selling, and using goods.
・The three leading producers of “making”: Air Products (U.S.), Air Liquide (France), Linde (Germany)
From gas: Mitsubishi Chemical Engineering <6331> [Close 2,794 yen] From water: Sekisui Chemical Engineering <3407> [Close 1,232.5 yen] Hitachi Zosen <7004> [Close 831 yen]
“Transporting/Stockpiling” Tanks: JFE Container <5907> [Close 5,600 yen] Teijin <3401> [Close 1,848 yen]
Bonded with toluene: Chiyoda Kagaku <6366> [Close 536 yen]
Liquefied: Kawasaki Heavy Industries <7012> [Close 2,660 yen] Kawasaki Kisen <9107> [Close 2017 yen]
“Selling” Hydrogen Stations: ENEOS <5020> [Close 478.7 yen] Iwatani Corporation <8088> [Close 478.7 yen]
“Using” Power-generation Turbines: Mitsubishi Power <7011> [Close 3,360.0 yen] Kawasaki Heavy Industries <7012> [Close 2,660 yen]
Automobiles: Toyota <7203> [Close 8,418 yen] Honda <7267> [Close 3,215.0 yen]
・ Toshiba <6502> [Close 4,265 yen] The major shareholder was Harvard University’s endowment fund, which had sold Toshiba shares by March.
The shares were purchased by a Singapore “activist” shareholder who voted against President Nobuo Karuta at the 2020 shareholders meeting.
・ Microsoft of the United States is negotiating to acquire Nuance Communications, a speech-recognition technology company.
The acquisition is expected to be about $16 billion (about 1.75 trillion yen), and a deal could be announced within the week.
・ FemTech, which supports women’s health using IT and other technologies, is gaining global spotlight.
From simple menstrual management using digital devices, to more advanced areas such as egg freezing and fetal monitoring for infertility treatment,
telemedicine, and cancer screening unique to women, the field is wide-ranging.
The FemTech market is projected to grow to $50 billion (about 5.5 trillion yen) by 2025.
・ As Japan’s aging society grows, the presence of drugstores is becoming more prominent in social infrastructure.
Cosmos Pharmaceutical <3349> [Close 16,570 yen], whose half of sales is food, is expanding north from its Kyushu stronghold and is drawing customers from supermarkets nationwide.
Kusuri no Aoki HD <3549> [Close 8,310 yen], rooted in the Hokuriku region, is acquiring supermarkets to expand fresh goods.
Drugstores may outpace convenience stores.
・ Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, rose to a near all-time high, briefly exceeding $60,000 over the weekend.
On the 10th it rose to $60,122.22; as of 0500 GMT on the 11th (Japan time 2:00 PM), it stood at $59,907.
・ U.S. President Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry is to visit China within the week.
The visit is expected to be to Shanghai, where he will meet China’s climate envoy Xie Zhenhua.
This would be the first time a senior U.S. official has publicly indicated a visit to China. The aim is to explore U.S.-China cooperation ahead of the Climate Change Summit hosted by the United States on the 22nd and 23rd.
From here, published in [Korōcha Premium]
× ![]()
