Japan Introduces Action Plan for Introduction of E10, E20

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) on June 10 introduced an action plan to introduce E10 and E20 gasoline blends, according to a report filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network.

The government of Japan in November 2024 announced plans to adopt an E10 blend of gasoline by 2030 and an E20 blend of gasoline by 2040. During a June 10 meeting, METI discussed an action plan for achieving those goals. The plan addresses strategies to overcome legal, technical and commercial challenges associated with the commercialization of E10 and E20.

To prepare for the transition to higher ethanol blends, the METI is expected to conduct a small-scale introduction of E10 in 2028. According to the GAIN report, METI’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) has decided to conduct a beta-test near oil refineries. The beta-test approach will focus on a small geographical area to effectively address potential barrier to the nationwide adoption of E10.

METI has also proposed a plan to revise the baseline greenhouse gas (GHG) emission value for gasoline.

METI in 2023 set a GHG emission reduction target for transportation biofuel at 55% of GHG emissions for gasoline. That target was to remain in place until METI could complete a new lifecycle assessment (LCA) for gasoline. Once the new gasoline LCA is finalized, the reduction target is set to increase to 60% of GHG missions from gasoline use.

On June 10, METI announced it will revise the GHG emission value for gasoline from 88.74 gCO2eq/MJ to 90.17 gCO2eq/MJ due to increased GHG emissions from required desulfurization operations by oil producers. A public comment period will be opened before the GHG reduction target is officially increased to 60%, according to the GAIN report.

The report indicates that METI is also planning to incorporate default GHG values for ethanol derived from Brazilian corn, Thai sugar and Thai cassava into its regulations. Those default values will be added to the existing values for Brazilian sugarcane-based ethanol and U.S. corn-based ethanol. The new default values are expected to be incorporated into Japan’s policy framework by spring 2026.