Japan is looking to bioethanol as a way to become less dependent on imported energy.
While bioethanol production is still in a nascent stage here, there are significant moves in both the public and private sectors to use Japanese technology to improve production of the plant-based fuel.
Experts say it could be years before domestically produced bioethanol is competitive with imports. But they say Japan can take a leading role in the field by applying its fermentation and energy conservation technologies.