Boeing to Open New R&D Facility in Japan to Focus on Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Tokyo, Japan – Boeing will fortify its partnership with Japan by establishing a new Boeing Research and Technology (BR&T) center. The facility will emphasize sustainability and will complement a recently expanded collaboration agreement with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Both parties have agreed to expand the scope of their 2019 Cooperation Agreement to include a focus on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), electric and hydrogen powertrain technologies, and future flight concepts that support zero-climate impact aviation. In addition, researchers are investigating electric and hybrid-electric propulsion, batteries, and composite manufacturing to enable new forms of urban mobility.

The BR&T - Japan Research Center will be based in Nagoya, which is home to many of Boeing’s major industrial partners and suppliers. Boeing’s research and development footprint in the region, which already includes centers in Australia, China, and Korea, will be further expanded by this facility. Boeing is totally dedicated to Japan’s SAF industry and has been recognized as the newest member of ACT FOR SKY, a voluntary group of 16 companies working to commercialize, promote, and increase the usage of SAF made in Japan. It was founded by Boeing airline customers All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL), along with global engineering company JGC Holdings Corporation and biofuel producer Revo International.

In addition to becoming a partner in ACT FOR SKY, Boeing has a long history of innovating in sustainable aviation alongside ANA and JAL, including pioneering SAF-powered flights and launching the ground-breaking 787 Dreamliner. They also signed agreements to collaborate on advanced sustainable technologies like electric, hybrid, hydrogen, and other novel propulsion systems in an effort to minimize the aircraft’s carbon footprint.

Excited to open the latest global research and technology center in Japan, Greg Hyslop, Chief Engineer and Executive Vice President of Engineering, Test & Technology, Boeing, commented, “Working with terrific partners like METI, the new center will expand upon Boeing-wide initiatives in sustainable fuels and electrification, and explore the intersection of digitization, automation, and high-performance aerospace composites for greater sustainability in our future products and production systems.”

“ACT FOR SKY welcomes the participation of Boeing,” said Masahiro Aika, Representative of ACT FOR SKY. “We look forward to Boeing collaborating with the other members to ‘ACT’ for the commercialization, promotion, and expansion of SAF in Japan.”

To ensure that the immense societal advantages of aviation are available for future generations, Chris Raymond, Chief Sustainability Officer, Boeing, added, “We must continue to partner with capable innovators and leaders to support the industry’s commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. We are humbled to join ACT FOR SKY and collaborate with other members to share global best practices and help with the scale up and demand of SAF in Japan. And we are honored to open the Japan Research Center and expand our work with airline customers ANA and JAL on advanced technologies to realize zero-climate impact aviation.”

Image Source: Boeing