In May, Nippon Tokushu Toryo established a corporate venture capital (CVC) fund that invests in startups involved in hydrogen-related businesses, and it is expected that a demonstration research facility that can be used by the companies it invests in will begin operating within this fiscal year. The company's president, Takashi Kawai, said that hydrogen energy is an infrastructure, and that it would be difficult to launch it on their own, so they are seeking new collaborations through the CVC.

In addition, alongside the opening of the Aichi Prefecture open innovation base Station Ai, they launched their ‘Hydrogen Forest’ project, which combines the CVC for hydrogen and carbon cycling with an R&D facility. The company's policy is to support the growth of startups through funding, training, and the testing sites. Kawai emphasized that, in light of the decline in demand for gasoline engines, the company will focus on balancing its traditional business with the new.

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