Japan consortium to seek 'deeper' pathways toward a carbon-neutral future

A consortium consisting of seventeen Japanese organizations has jointly launched a social collaboration program aimed at scientifically evaluating and standardizing the reliability of materials used in energy-related infrastructurethat is needed for a carbon-neutral society.

The program, named Materials for Future Energy Infrastructure Trust (MEIT), will be led by classification society ClassNK, Kobe Steel, JFE Steel Corporation and Nippon Steel, in collaboration with the University of Tokyo.

The remaining participants of the initiative are: Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Namura Shipbuilding, Nippon Steel Engineering, Nippon Steel Pipeline & Engineering, TOKYO GAS NETWORK, JERA, JFE Engineering Corporation, Kanadevia Corporation, IHI Plant Services Corporation, INPEX Corporation and ENEOS Xplora.

The participating organizations are set to take on the planning and review of one or more projects under MEIT, and support national R&D efforts as well as standardization processes alongside the University of Tokyo.

As disclosed, the joint research—said to enable interdisciplinary collaboration beyond the limitations of isolated research partnerships— began on May 1, 2025, and is anticipated to be wrapped up by the end of April